Meaning of trialing and beagling to you?

[warddog]

If I read Chase em Down's post correctly he was speaking to how people's demeanor changes at trials. I will say that it has been my experience over many, many years of trailing coon hounds that what he states is in FACT the truth. It may not be that way with everyone BUT it is with those who live and breath this type thing. This is the exact reason why I quit trialing and from ALL the argumentative posts I have read over the years on these boards I see it is the same. When a ribbon, trophy and points to complete a dog degree comes between friends, hunting buddies or those that are just merely members of the same club, it takes the fun out of it. I NEVER competed because I ever thought I was the top dog of anything but rather because I felt I had a dog whose ability was such that they were pretty good. I also never felt I had the best as there is always one better. What I did come to notice over the years is how all the laughing, cutting up in the club house stopped when the dogs were drawn out! Many and trust me I have seen many automatically go into a totally different personality, where their chest puffed up and the cocky attitudes come to the forefront. I can honesty say that I have been in many less casts of where there was one of these than in a cast where folks merely cut the hounds loose as they would when they were friends hunting together. If one wants to call that competitive so be it but I call it something else when that is not the personality one would have if we were merely pleasure hunting or running. Again, I'm not stereotyping ALL into this category but will say that I personally saw enough of it to get out of it completely. I look back at it all now and just shake my head at the time and money I spent for a piece of paper with Nite Champion on it when I could have actually been having fun pleasure hunting with the same group of guys, counting numbers of game taken in lieu of points for words!

[sparky]

"Meaning of trialing and beagling to you"?

Trialing: Field trialing is a competition,most are there to compete an win.I've seen trials that were ran under tough scenting conditions an the big nosed dog with gears won,I've also seen trials ran under high scenting conditions an the high flyer pushing the front won.Whatever the scenting conditions good or bad the best dog on that day should take home the blue ribbon.Majority of the trials I've been to has been good sportsmanship,most are there to win,but most give a congratulating handshake to the winner.Field Trialing is very important to our sport in my opinion.

Beagling: This could range from a gun hunter,pleasure runner,weekend warrior,etc etc.Some people dont field trial,but that doesn't mean their not beaglers,anyone that loves rabbit dogs is a beagler in my opinion.

[Pine Lakes]

The point of my reply was not to state anyone is less or more of a beagler for attending trials, because they're not. It was simply to state that he should go watch the dog(s) run. This BS of people complaining about owners not showing their FC's to them in the field is wrong. As far as people at trials and their demeanor, I've been attending trials in the Mid-West Assoc. since about 1992 and I've had the pleasure of meeting some of the nicest people in my life. People that I would've never had the privaledge of knowing without these trials. In fact I can't think of a single person that I couldn't at least carry a good conversation with. We may not agree on every subject discussed, but that would make life boring as hell. Those of us around here are all still friends, even those that no longer have these little hounds. Hopefully we can add a few more in the years to come.