The National Amateur Gun Dog Championship

A Short History

Based on member input, the GSPCA’s Board of Directors recognized the desire of some for an official venue to compete with their field dog(s) with the handlers on foot. Regarding this topic, the Board acknowledged that the quality of a gun dog’s performance is not related to the method of conveyance used by the handler.

To further examine the issue, a committee chair was appointed and committee members selected from each of GSPCA’s geographical districts. The national secretary and treasurer also appointed a field trial secretary to serve on the committee.

It was determined that two issues needed to be addressed:

First, because we already had an amateur championship that would be awarded at our NFT in the fall, the AKC was reluctant to grant us another championship event. Research and discussions revealed that the amateur event at our NFT was granted under the name National Amateur Championship. Considering this, AKC granted us another championship entitled National Amateur Gun Dog Championship. Our Board then decided to include the words “Horseback Handling Prohibited” in the running rules for this new event.

Secondly, our Constitution and by-laws limited us to one amateur championship per year; so, a membership vote was held to elicit input regarding revisions to those documents. Voting results revealed that a majority of members were in favor of adding this event.

As a result, the first GSPCA National Amateur Gun Dog Championship was held in Portage, Wisconsin in May of 2005.