Field trial hunt, point and retrieve breeds

About field trial hunt, point and retrieve breeds

Hunt, point and retrieve (HPR) breeds are the all-rounders of the gundog world, and HPR field trials test every part of that job in a single run. A dog must find game, point it, flush it on command, stay steady and then retrieve from land or water. German pointers, Hungarian Vizslas and other continental breeds are bred by private breeders for this work.

What this work involves

The Royal Kennel Club’s regulations say an HPR trial should run as nearly as possible like an ordinary day’s rough shooting for a small party of no more than four guns. Each dog runs singly under two judges and must be tried in the line at least twice before it can receive an award.

The dog quarters its beat systematically, working into the wind. When it finds game it points staunchly, flushes only on command and is steady to flush, shot and fall. It then retrieves tenderly to hand on command, and water work is part of the test. Judges rank game-finding above everything, along with stamina, pace, style on point, marking and quiet handling.

Eliminating faults include hard mouth, whining or barking, flushing game upwind, unsteadiness, running in or chasing, failing to hunt or point, blinking a point (leaving game the dog has found), refusing to retrieve or swim, and failing to retrieve to hand. Open stakes take 10 to 16 runners. Pinch, prong and electric shock collars are banned at all RKC-licensed trials.

An HPR becomes a Field Trial Champion by winning the Royal Kennel Club’s Hunt, Point and Retrieve Championship, or two open stakes under two different A-panel judges, each with at least ten runners and one of them open to all HPR breeds. It must also pass a Water Certificate. The club’s code for competitors recommends that, before its first trial, a dog has worked at least one season on a shoot, picking up, beating or being shot over, and has experience of picking wounded game.

Who trains and supplies these dogs in the UK

HPR gundog breeders are private kennels, many run by people who trial, shoot or stalk with their dogs. Puppies are trained by their owners, often with help from professional trainers and breed society training days. No organisation supplies trained trial HPRs.

The Royal Kennel Club licenses HPR field trials and gundog working tests, approves judges, runs the Championship and records awards. HPR breed societies run most stakes and training events under its regulations.

Breeds and lines

The German Shorthaired Pointer is one of the best-known HPRs, and a GSP field trial line is bred for pace, nose and a staunch point. The German Wirehaired Pointer and Hungarian Vizsla are also well established, and working vizsla puppies from trial or shooting lines are generally more driven than show-bred ones. The Weimaraner, Brittany, Large Munsterlander and Italian Spinone all compete, each with its own style, and the regulations ask judges to recognise those differences.

Hunt point retrieve breeds were developed to do everything for a single hunter, and they need training, exercise and work to match.

What to ask a breeder

• Which trial or working test awards do the parents hold, and what are their registered names?
• Have the parents worked a full season on a shoot, beating, picking up or being shot over?
• How staunch is their point, and how do they handle water retrieves?
• What health test results do the parents have under the RKC Health Standard for the breed?
• Are the puppies docked and, if so, what evidence did the vet see?
• Would this litter suit a first HPR, or is it bred for experienced handlers?

Legal and welfare notes

• Schedule 1 of the Hunting Act 2004 allows wild mammals to be flushed to guns at field trials in England and Wales, on land where there is permission, provided no more than two dogs are used and the animal is shot as soon as possible. In Scotland, the Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Act 2023 sets a two-dog limit for flushing wild mammals for game shooting.
• In England and Wales, the Animal Welfare Act 2006 lets a vet dock a puppy of a specified working type, at no more than five days old, where evidence shows it is likely to work in roles such as lawful shooting. England’s list covers HPR breeds of any type; Wales names specific HPR breeds. Scotland’s rules differ.

Frequently asked questions

What does HPR mean?

Hunt, point and retrieve: a breed expected to find game, point it, flush it on command and retrieve it after the shot, doing work that a pointer and a retriever would share on a traditional shoot.

Which HPR breed is best for field trials?

Any recognised HPR breed can win, and one of a Field Trial Champion’s qualifying wins must come in a stake open to all HPR breeds. Choose the breed whose temperament suits you, then the line.

Are working vizsla puppies different from show vizslas?

Often, yes. Working lines are selected for drive, pointing instinct and trainability, show lines for conformation. Ask to see the parents’ working record.

If you breed HPRs whose lines are proven in HPR field trials or on the shoot, list your kennel so people searching for HPR gundog breeders can find you. Add your listing.