About KGDC

The Kamloops Gun Dog Club was the first club in BC to hold CKC approved hunt tests. In 2016 we celebrated the 20th anniversary of that first hunt test. Each year in May the Kamloops Gun Dog Club hosts a 3 day CKC licensed hunt test and people as far as Manitoba to the east and Washintong State to the south venture to Kamloops to attend this excellent test. A 3 day hunt test requires a lot of organization and hard work by KGDC members and others such as the judges, gunners, and non-members of our club who not only enter their dogs, but gladly help us in any way they can.

We are a small club comprised of about 20 enthusiastic members. We all have the same goal of enjoying and training our faithful companions. Most of us compete at hunt tests but others just enjoy coming out every Sunday to train their dogs.

HISTORY

The Kamloops Gun Dog Club was formed in the early 1960’s, by a group of avid Retriever and Pointer owners. All of the group were interested in training their dogs to hunt and to compete in Field Trials. As time progressed the Field Trial aspect took precedence, and the Pointer people formed their own group for Field Trials under the separate rules set by the Canadian Kennel Club.

During the Field Trial era, the KGDC organised and did all the work for three Canadian National Field Trial Championships which were held in 1969, 1991, and 2004. Each of these events required huge planning for all the different aspects- advertising, accommodation, varied grounds and manpower, and took well over a year to co-ordinate.

By the early 1990’s the Field Trials had changed and become extremely demanding of the time taken to train dogs, and the money required to travel to the events and to enter them. Many people found that they couldn’t continue to compete, given their other commitments of work and family.

It was at this point that the different type of working Retriever trials came into being in the guise of Hunt Tests. All the Hunt Tests have different levels of achievement but the same objective, namely to produce an excellent retriever in the hunting scenario. The first introduced was NAHRA (North American Hunting Retriever Association). The HRC (Hunting Retriever Club) was based on a UK offshoot.

The American and Canadian Hunt Tests are held under the authority of the American and Canadian Kennel Clubs. The CKC Hunt Tests were deemed to fit the needs of the KGDC and we were the first club to put them on in BC in 1996. From 1996 thru 2005 the club put on both a CKC Hunt Test in May and a Field Trial on the July long weekend.

Our Club now is composed almost entirely of people who hunt (ladies and gentlemen) and as the Hunt Tests grew in popularity, and with less support shown for our Field Trial, it was decided to just continue with the present Hunt Test. Our Hunt Test is held on the weekend after the long weekend in May, and is one of the very few which is held over three days (Friday, Saturday and Sunday). Three separate Master, Senior and Junior tests are held. A great barbecue and excellent grounds and birds make this a superb Hunt Test.