February, 1994 - Irish Setter Club of America, Inc. Memo To Members

GLOSSARY OF TERMS by Jeanne Wagner

Acting Birdy - Demonstrating the presence of game.

Alternate Handler - A second person designated on he official entry to handle a dog in a field trial.

Attacking Dog - A dog willfully attempting to do physical harm to another dog.

Backing - See Honoring.

Birdless - A dog completing its brace without finding game. Except in Open Puppy stakes, birdless dogs are generally eliminated from consideration for placement.

Blinking Birds - Scenting but deliberately avoiding game.

Brace - A pair of dogs (2 dogs).

Break Away - The point at which a course begins.

Breaking - Leaving before, or without having been sent.

Bumping Birds - Scenting and then causing game to fly without establishing point.

Bye-Dog - A dog drawn as the last dog in a stake without a bracemate.

Call Back - An opportunity afforded a dog by the judges after completion of its initial run. This is done to give a dog an opportunity to compete further, or to allow a dog to demonstrate a stake requirement, such as retrieving or honoring.

Cast - The direction and range demonstrated by a dog |while seeking game.

Collaring - The act of grasping a dog's collar to control it or cast it in another direction.

Course - The designated route on which the dogs will perform.

Course Objectives - Variations in the terrain and/or vegetative cover which could hold game.

Cover - The vegetation on course.

Delayed Chase - Running in the direction of flushed game after either pointing, honoring or stopping to flush instead of obeying the handler's command to east off in a different direction.

Fetch - One of a number of commands that can be given to a dog to release it to demonstrate a retrieve.

Find - Game located when a dog is hunting.

Flash Point - Momentary pause, not acceptable for a Derby placement.

Gallery - Observers of a field trial.

Game - Upland birds, except in Open Puppy where pigeons can be used.

Gunshy - Afraid of gunfire.

Hacking - Verbal intimidation of a dog.

Handler - The person handling a dog in a trial.

Heeling Off - The act of verbally causing a dog to walk at a handler's side.

Honoring - When a dog stops immediately or within a few steps, usually in a pointing stance, upon observing a bracemate on point.

Interference - When a dog willfully hinders or impedes the performance of a bracemate.

line Running - Running in a straight away manner without quartering or seeking objectives.

Mark - The characteristic of a dog to watch, or mark, the flight and/or fall of a bird.

Order Up a Dog - The Judges' command to a handler to remove his dog from the course upon completion of judging or for an infraction that disqualifies the dog.

Pick Up a Dog - When a dog is removed from further judgement.

Pointing - When a dog indicates the presence and position of game by standing immobile and directing its muzzle toward it.

Pointing Intensity - Same as above but with exceptional concentration, power or force.

Pointing Style - The degree of intensity, loftiness or elegance a dog demonstrates while pointing.

Quartering - To laterally traverse (back and forth) an area of ground while advancing forward.

Range/run - The distance at which a dog works from the handler.

Release a Dog - To send a dog on.

Relocate a Dog - To release a dog from a point or honor and move the dog on, usually to relocate moving game.

Retrieve - To find and bring back shot game.

Reading a Bird - The repeated pointing and relocating demonstrated by a dog while following the ground scent trail of a bird.

Running Order - A listing of the bracing and running order of dogs entered in all stakes in a field trial.

Running Style - The manner in which a dog traverses a course, including speed and efficiency in movement.

Scout - A person, generally mounted, dispatched by a handler to seek out and report the presence and behavior of a dog under judgement.

Scratch a Dog - To withdraw a dog from competition after the drawing but before competing.

Severely Penalize - To impose a punishment or handicap upon a dog for a breach of manners or some other serious fault. Generally, a dog that has been severely penalized once during judgement should not receive championship points. A dog that has been severely penalized more than once should not receive a placement.

Shotgun Range - The effective range of a shotgun, generally about 20-50 yards.

Stake - A competitive category in a field trial.

Steady-to-Shot - Maintaining a point during the flight of, and the shot(s) for a flushed bird.

Steady-to-Wing - Maintaining a point during the flight of a flushed bird.

Stealing Point - A dog that steals a point makes continued movement into the area where the game is present after observing another dog on point rather than honoring.

Stop-to-Flush - When a dog stops after observing the flush of a bird.

Tracking - To follow using scent.

Whoa a Dog - A command used to cause a dog to stop and stand.

(From - Irish Setter Club of America, Inc. Memo To Members, February, 1994, p. 95)