Titan trots back to handler John Terrisono after retrieving his first mark Friday.

MISSOULA, MT. — If this were any other type of sporting event it would already be deemed a blow out, even with two days left.

The second day of the Super Retriever Series showed just how quickly things can change in the world of a retriever. Some of the top dogs after the first day are gone, and Windy, a black Labrador handled by Larry Calvert, who languished in eleventh place after the first day, literally blew by the field Friday.

Windy leads the cut of 12 retrievers for Saturday's semi-final round with an amazing score of four points, in a field where the average score of the 12 finalists was 73 points. In the Super Retriever Series points are scored as demerits.

"She was on, today," Calvert said. "Yesterday was rough. The lighting was bad, and she had trouble marking. Today, though, conditions were much better and she didn't have any trouble."

Calvert's consensus of an easier day might be arguable among some of the handler/retriever teams. While Windy had little trouble with the course, five of the top dogs were disqualified for a variety of reasons, including breaking on a trick mark known as a "breaking bird" thrown directly in front of an eager retriever. Likewise, the average number of points penalized to the retriever/handler teams shot up from about 50 on day one to almost 100 on day two. The last dog to make the 12-dog field, Jake, handled by Jerry Holden, scored a 176. All the points will be erased for the semi-final round.

	“	I'm just trying to stay alive until the last day. ”
		— Jack Jagoda, who along with his yellow Labrador, Elvis, qualified in the fourth spot Friday

"I think you saw some of the handlers, like Calvert and Armand Fangsrud, get a little more comfortable because they knew what to expect after yesterday," said Justin Tackett, organizer of the Super Retriever Series. "The result was they got back in the groove of what they do, which is handling dogs."

In the Super Retriever Series measuring that ability to handle dogs through a course, combined with the retriever's trainability and talent, is the primary purpose of the competition.

Unique challenges

	The second day of competition included a "breaking bird" that was thrown immediately in front of the retriever.

Courses are set up in a variety of situations with marks or retrieving dummies thrown at varying distances and the occasional blind retrieve mixed in. A blind retrieve is a retrieve that is hidden on the course. The dog never sees it fall, but is guided to it with whistles and hand signals by the handler. In the middle of those standard retrieves are a few tricks, like "breaking birds" thrown extremely close to eager retrievers to test their control.

"Breaking birds are extremely difficult to deal with when you've got an eager and excited retriever on the line and a bird comes whizzing past at about 50 miles per hour and skipping in front of you," Tackett said. "The fact that any of those dogs were able to stay steady was really a tribute to the training."

Points are assessed by three judges who dole out two points for each whistle blown and a variety of other minor infractions, while five points are given for major infractions like whistle refusals and hunting out of the area.

Survival test

	John Terrisono accepts a Canada goose DeadFowl Trainer from Titan, after the yellow lab completed the test in the Super Retriever Series.

Because the field is judged closely and even the smallest factors like wind and the amount of sunlight can make a difference in how well a dog runs, the whole Series is often described as a survival test.

"I'm just trying to stay alive until the last day," said Jack Jagoda, who along with his yellow Labrador, Elvis, qualified in the fourth spot.

The swing in the scores from day one to day two could easily occur on Saturday. The 12 semi-finalists will be trying to make a final cut of six retriever/handler teams.

"It will be a really different test — it's a pure control test," Tackett said. "We'll be looking to see which dogs can hold the straightest line and trust their handlers, while testing the handlers on their ability to hold it all together."

The semi-final test will include two marks and two blinds, with each of the retrieves strategically set to test the control and trainability of the retrievers.

One of those marks will be a breaking bird mark that splashes in water five yards from the dog.

And the other has its own control test built in: The retrieve is only 75 yards long, but a straight line to the mark requires the retriever to have an angled entry into water and angled exit from it.

Semi-finalists

Team — Hometown — Score 1. Larry Calvert/Windy, Charlo, MT., 4 2. Armand Fangsrud/Ninja, Missoula, MT, 25 3. Eric Fangsrud/Ritz, Ronan, MT, 38 4. Jack Jagoda/Elvis, Goldvein, VA, 38 5. Rick Roberts/sniper, 47 6. Keith Catillion/Cleo, Cobble Hill, B.C. Can., 52 7. Roger Fangsrud/Lil, Missoula, MT, 57 8. Allen Catey/Boon, Charlo, MT, 85 9. John Terrisono/Titan, Billings, MT, 91 10. Jeff Smith/Nitro, Missoula, MT, 112 11. Scott Martin/Maggie, Gallatin, TN, 150 12. Jerry Holden/Jake, Clinton, MS, 176

"There will only be about a three or four yard window for the dog to keep a straight line," Tackett said. "If the dog goes out of that, then he will be penalized for bank running. The dog will have to make a split-second decision to follow its instincts and take the easy route, or follow its training and listen to the handler.

"Likewise the handler will have to decide how he wants to handle the dog if it fails to come back on a straight line. If he lets the dog hit the bank at the wrong place it's five points. But if he blows the whistle it's two points, or more if the dog doesn't take the right cast."

Tackett said that type test is important because it measures the trainability of the retriever and the control and trust the retriever/handler teams share with each other.

The semi-final round will get underway Saturday at 8 a.m. at the Western Montana Retriever Club.