To gain a Finnish Champion Title english springer spaniel must pass spaniel working ability test (it is not required to have very good result, accepted is enough). The most common reason not to pass the test is that springer does not do water work as it should (for example does not go to the water at all). The second "hard place" is tracing, because it depends a lot of dog's mood so if the springer is not interested to trace I am sure it won't do it!
The meaning of the working test is to let your spaniel to show it's qualities which are typical for the breed. And of course these tests are arranged for taking care the breeders are breeding dogs with these qualities (not just looking the beauty...). And especially these inclinations of spaniels make them so popular: co-operative, willing to work and trainability. If these qualities are not breeded, it is probable the breed will lose some of its popularity.
You may read from upcoming working tests from the magazine of the Finnish Kennel Club (Koiramme). There is all the test places and times. You should register your dog to test just like you do when you register it to dog show: pay the registering payment and send the enrollment form and the receipt of the payment to arranger.
You may not bring a dog to the test:
the bitch having its season
the bitch whelping after less than 31 days after the test or has whelped less than 43 days before the test
your spaniel having some infectious disease
your dog having some injury, which is difficulting its performance or harming the dog
the dog which is owned or handled by the head judge or his/her family member
the dog which is not vaccinated
the dog which is not identification marked
As in dog shows, you may not complain about the criticism of the judge. So when you register your dog to the test, you accept already the work of the judge.
Dog's handler has to release the dog and put the dog on the lead every time the judge asks. And of course all the instructions of the judge should be obeyed. You may inspide your dog during the test, but let your spaniel to show its inclinations freely.
This test consists the following parts. For the passed working ability test every part should be passed:
THE SOCIAL BEHAVIOR: The judge watches dog's behavior with other dogs and strange people during the whole test. The dog may not be angry or afraid. The test starts by gathering to a group with other dogs and owners having a little distance to the test place. The dogs are standing in semi-circle in front of the judge when judge is telling shortly about the test and arrangements. At this point the judge will meet every dog (the judge might greet every dog and also touch them). Behavior on other dogs the judge might test by asking some dogs to walk near other dogs with their handlers). This part will go fine with your dog if it is familiar with different dogs and humans. You can make your spaniel familiar for example in obedience trainings and dog shows. So the dog must get along fine with people and other dogs.
SEARCH AND GUNSHOT TOLERANCE: dog should move enthusiastically and assuredly in forest terrain. This test part is done in the forest, where will be not only the dog and handler but also the judge and marksman. If the dog is all the time connected to its owner it will not pass the test (it has to be also independent). Well, the dog should co-work with the handler also (keep contact). While searching the game there will be a gunshot and then the dog should act peacefully (at the time of the gunshot dog is about 20-25 meters away from the gun). The dog may not move with unwilling way, resort too much to handler or run away during this test part. This part will go fine if your spaniel is used to run in forests. So when your spaniel is puppy, go to forest with it and let your puppy to run free and use its sense of smell. This is the only way your spaniel will learn to move in forests as needed in working test. And of course your spaniel should be familiar with bangs. One way to train this is to go near some rifle-range. When the dog hears bang, you should encourage it so your spaniel will combine the bang to something positive. If your dog shows some signs about fearing gunshots, you should start to remove this behavior right away. More information about removing this fear you will find from many articles in magazines and internet. Dog should be at a good distance from you when searching. It should not be too close to you, but also being too far away is not good.
TRACING: about 120 meters long trace is done with a dead rabbit to the forest (the rabbit should be just killed or freezed but totally melted). The judge shows to the handler where the track starts, but the handler must not know how the track continues from that (the dog should find the right way). Dog has to be interested in the trace and kill (rabbit is left as a kill). It also has to find the trace after the 90 degree angle in the trace. The dog should never be bloodthirsty. The dog may be a bit perplexed, so you should not be worried even if your dog has not even seen a rabbit before. While tracking you use harness and 6 meters long lead (which you have to bring with you when your dog is coming to working test). Also it is usual to use harness when tracking (not collar). You can train tracking with your spaniel and you do not need any dead rabbit to do it. You can make a track with animal blood (which you can buy from a store), bird wing or for example with a sausage (the last I recommend only when your dog is a puppy). When you have made the track to the forest you should tell your spaniel to find something and then let it to smell the track and find the bag (remember to put a bag to the end of the track!). Normally spaniel gets the idea very fast. Teach your dog to understand what it can do to the bag when it finds it (there is no reason to be afraid of it and it should not tear it to pieces etc).
WATER WORK AND RETRIEVING: there will be thrown a game buck to the water (wood stick where is fastened at least two wings of wildfowls), which your springer has to retrieve from the water for you (swimming way should be about 5 meters long). Dog has to run to the water with a good grace and it should bring the buck to the beach (it should not leave it to the water). Before you throw the buck, show it to your dog and you may be half more sure it will retrieve it for you. Water work is done in a beach where the water is deeping fast and the judge can see dog's swimming clearly. If your dog does not go to the water you may inspire your spaniel by throwing some thing to the water, but you may not use food, titbit, other dog or a human as an allurement. Time for this part you have total 5 minutes. Most important is that your spaniel knows how to retrieve so this is the first thing you have to teach to your puppy. Do it with a toy and at first not in water. Encourage your puppy to carry different things and when it is carrying something call puppy and when it comes to you, thank it a lot and "ask" your puppy to give the toy to you. After learning to retrieve you should teach your puppy to swim (normally they do it by themselves... you do not have to teach!). And after this you should link these moves together. When your spaniel retrieves a toy from water, you should try it also with a game bug or real bag. This is recommend because if your dog has not even seen a buck before, it might be just a dream to see it retrieving the buck from the water. One important thing to learn is also to get the retrieved thing right away when your dog arrives to the shore (you may not let it take the buck and run away). Teach this to your dog for example by giving it some goodies every time it comes to the shore and gives the buck/toy to you.
OBEDIENCE: during the whole test time the springer should be under its owners control (general obedience).
The judge is also evaluating the general appearance of the co-work with the dog and handler.
Even if your dog will not pass this test at once you should not be worried. Your dog may try to pass this test many times! Working test is not a contest also so there is no winners or loosers. The result of the dog is only passer or not passed (no points). When the judge is announcing the results of the test he/she gives comments of the test parts for every dog.
Couple of things to remember when you enter the test with your spaniel:
follow the judge's introductions and keep your dog on the lead
you may not discipline your dog in any way during the test
you may inspire your dog during the test performance
take with you a 6 m long string for tracking (and harness if you have) and maybe also a buck of your own
the performance order of the dogs will be drawed lots
the handler must be the same one during the whole test
the interrupting of the test is allowed by the handler
you will have a literary testimony of the working test, where you will find the total result of the test (passed/not passed) and the result of every parts (passed/not passed) and also comments of every part
At first you may find this working test quite difficult to pass with your spaniel (we thought it too!). But the reality is that almost every spaniel passes this test without any difficulties. Before the test you should test your dog: does it perform all the needed parts so that it could be approved by the judge. So the most important things to test:
your dog should get along with people and other dogs
your dog should swim and retrieve thrown things
your dog shoud move interested in woods
your dog should track (any kind of tracking is fine: blood, bird wings etc.)
your dog should have some kind of obedience (it should come to you and let you put it on the lead for example)
Training these parts will be very fun thing to do with your spaniel! Good luck!