As a commitment to finding ways of growing the VIRC through training opportunities and licensed trials, the Club will be offering organized training days. To ensure this is beneficial to all, guidelines were developed in consultation with members and with those who have shown a willingness to lead the training days. We would like to encourage all to come out training!
We encourage all members to come out and participate. Our aim is to accommodate all retrievers no matter what their performance level.
We’re excited to invite you to come play and training days are generally held at our beautiful Swallowfield! Whether you have a puppy, are dreaming of earning a Working Certificate, working on transition drills, or gearing up for retriever trials, this is a great opportunity for you.
All members of Salt Chuck, Pacific Rim, and VIRC are welcome—We’ll provide the ducks, so just bring a lunch. It’s always a fantastic day filled with group training and fun!
Check the calendar of events for dates. Gates will usually open at 9:00 AM, and the running dogs will start by 9:30 AM. No matter what club you’re with or what level you and your dog are at, we’d love for you to join us! You can get some coaching or do your own thing as you and your dog work on your skills. Can’t wait to see all of you there! Let’s train some retrievers together! 🐾
Guidelines for VIRC Training Days
Goal: To provide members with a high-value structured training day hosted by experienced members.
Dogs may be run with training equipment.
The following are not hard and fast rules but set out as guidelines so that both members volunteering to lead a training day and the members attending have some consistency about expectations.
Responsibilities of the Organizer. Each training day organizer is responsible for the delivery of birds and equipment adequate for the setup that day. Members need to supply their own training equipment.
Test or Drill Setup: Marking or drill setups will be done by the level of dogs attending (Puppy, Junior, Qualifying, and Open, etc). There may be group discussions on the test setup or drills, such as discussing:
What are the factors, such as wind, terrain, obstacles, cover, sun, and suction?
How the setup can be run by dogs of different levels, and the potential influences of the factors. Where appropriate, interject rule book requirements from a judging perspective.
The order of which level of dogs will run will be determined by the organizer, and the setup will be adjusted to accommodate as many levels of dogs in attendance. Coaching may be provided when asked, or you are welcome to run your dogs as you wish.
Responsibility for Attendees. Be punctual- Be considerate of other people’s time. Be helpful in setting up and taking down setups. All participants will be asked to gun for their fellow members. All attendees must be a member of either Salt Chuck HRC, Pacific Rim HRC, or VIRC to be covered by insurance.
If you ask for assistance, be open to feedback and coachable – Everyone is there to be helpful. Happy training!
