Last October, a number of sportsmen and women gathered to face the challenges placed before them and their young retrievers during the five-day National Retriever Derby Championship (NRDC).The NRDC is held each year on the beautiful Wood Dale Farm near Sedalia, Missouri. Wood Dale is owned by the Hayden family and is designed and groomed specifically for retriever training, hunt tests, and field trialing. It was graciously offered to the Derby National Club for their use during the five-day National, as well as the preceding week-long set up.

Thinking of this event as a great opportunity to expose our readers to the amazing abilities and expectations of young retrievers in today’s world, we’ve decided to use this year’s event as a basis for this article. Duck dogs pay attention!

What is a “Derby” Dog?

Before we begin to talk about the event, let’s touch on these young dogs and how they qualified for the National Retriever Derby Championship. To begin, what is a “derby age dog?” Simply put, it is a dog that is two years old or younger. Not only must the dog be under two years of age when the qualifying trial begins, the dog must also be under two at the time the National will begin.

This age cutoff requirement may sound a little tough. However, if this criteria wasn’t specific, there could be 18-month-old dogs competing against almost three-year-old dogs. We can all agree there’s a big difference in training and experience at those ages. So, as it stands, the playing field is relatively level. Not to mention the fact that the AKC wouldn’t license or recognize the Championship if these specifications weren’t met.

As to qualifying, this year there were 137 Retriever clubs around the country who supported the National Club and held licensed American Kennel Club Retriever Derby Field Trials, i.e. qualifying trials. The winners and runner ups at these trials automatically qualify for the national. Dogs with a mix of 3rd and 4th place finishes may also qualify.

Running the National Retriever Derby Championship (NRDC)

Now, let’s move on to the National Retriever Derby Championship itself and what it consists of. Basic requirements are that the trial consists of 10 separate “series” or combination of retrieves, equally balanced, among land and water tests. Ducks or pheasants are used as game birds for these retrieves. The norm is double mark retrieves to make up each series, yet a single mark is completely acceptable. Retired guns or triple mark retrieves are also an option to the Judges later in the trial.

I must say, even though no actual retired/ hidden guns were used during the NRDC, the judges made good use of terrain and cover during the trial. So much so, that on many of the retrieves the gunners were out of site to the dogs once they left the line, and while swimming or running to make the retrieve. This forced each dog to rely on his or her memory to “mark” the spot where the bird fell; as well as courage and abilities to persevere and accurately hold the line to the fall.

At the beginning of each series, and before any competing dogs come to the line, two test dogs—one male and one female—are invited to run the test while judges and contestants watch. Running “test dogs” before each series allows judges one final chance, before going live, to tweak the setup. At the same time, it gives handlers an opportunity to watch two different dogs run the test under current conditions.

So there, you have the core goal of every dog/handler team, and the objective of this National Championship. During this weeklong contest, these dogs face varying weather conditions, five land and five water tests, and nearly twenty separate “marks” averaging 200 yards in length. Dogs and handlers work as a team to complete each test at their very best. Judges painstakingly set up great tests that present them solid platforms to repeatedly evaluate each dog. All in an effort to select the best of the best from the 52 qualifiers.

I know you may feel this article was a fast flyover at 30,000 feet. My hope is that, along with the pictures, this article gives you an idea and appreciation for what today’s young retriever is capable of.

Speaking of capable, the 2023 National Retriever Derby Champion is just that. She is a 21-month-old female black Lab: High Millage Home A Fancy Saber (Edge), owned by Paul and Susan Young and handled by Paul. Congratulation folks, what a team!