Day 2 Opens with Water, Sunshine, and Strategy at the 2026 Canadian National Retriever Championship

Series 3 begins at Tom and Christina Sullivan’s technical ponds, where clear skies, cool air, for the first water test. Today’s generous breakfast sponsor is Thierry Lefrancois.  The equally generous series 3 sponsor is the Labrador Retriever Club of Central Ontario.  Thank you to all local and national sponsors.

Morning at the Ponds

Day 2 of the Canadian National Retriever Championship started with the kind of morning every gallery hopes for: beautiful clear skies, crisp 9°C air at 7:30 a.m., and a stunning water venue ready to test both memory and decision-making. Series 3 is being run at Tom and Christina Sullivan’s beautiful technical ponds, set quite literally in their backyard, just off the pool deck. After Series 2 wrapped up yesterday, 59 dogs remain to come to the mat, with Dog #65 leading off the day.

The morning did not begin in a rush. Officials held for a one-hour delay to wait for more favourable conditions for the dogs. Once the test was ready, the first test dog came to the line at 8:30 a.m. Dog-to-dog timing is running at approximately eight minutes.

Series 3 Test Setup

Today’s test is the dogs’ first water test of the Championship: a water triple with one retired gun and an honour. The mat is oriented east-northeast, with a light north wind on the grounds. The honour mat sits to the left of the running dog. Forecast conditions call for north-northwest winds from 7 to 15 km/h, gusting to 25 km/h, with a cooler high of 19°C under full sun.

The guns are shot middle, long left, then short right. The long gun is the only station that retires into a brushed blind, retiring when they hear the next shot. The setup offers plenty of choices, and that is where the challenge begins: dogs must decide whether to hold their water, take the technical swims, or be tempted by faster-looking land routes that may pull them away from the falls.

• Gun #1 — Middle bird: 214 yards, a hen mallard thrown right to left, angled back toward the point of trees.
• Gun #2 — Long retired: 309 yards, a drake mallard thrown right to left on a square throw. This station retires into a brushed blind.
• Gun #3 — Short right go-bird: 131 yards, a hen mallard thrown left to right on a square throw.

Where the Test Gets Interesting

The go-bird offers the first temptation of the day. Its line takes in the corners of two separate ponds, but a wide piece of land curls between them, creating an inviting shortcut for dogs that would rather stay dry. The middle bird runs up the center of the pond, with points on either side also inviting dogs to shorten the swim. Silhouette goose decoys sit on the point between the lines to Guns #1 and #3, adding another visual element to sort through from the mat.

The long retired gun may prove especially influential. The line to Gun #2 rides the left edge of the pond and crosses two points, creating three separate water entries. A dog that commits to the water must keep driving through the pieces cleanly. A dog that chooses land may appear to be taking the faster route, but that path can carry them far left of the bird and into a stand of trees.

Test Dogs Give the First Look

Test dog “Tex” came to the line at 8:30 a.m. and quickly showed where the temptations are. On the go-bird, Tex chose the faster land bridge and produced a short hunt. For his second bird, he started honestly up the middle of the pond, pushed off the left-side land point, angled out of the water, and went to the bird. On the long retired gun, Tex chose the dry route, which carried him into the trees to the left. After a quick hunt, he adjusted and moved over to the bird.

Test dog “Tule,” handled by Mark Jemison, came to the line at 8:39 a.m. Tule got her feet wet in the corner of the first pond, then took a larger piece of the second corner before putting in a short hunt to come up with the go-bird. On the middle gun, she took a dry route well off line but still went directly to the bird. The long retired proved more challenging. Tule again took the land route to the left, curled around toward the bird, but stayed short of the fall area and began to hunt. Mark started to handle, had difficulty getting her deep enough, and after she moved to the right of the gun, it took several whistles to get the bird.

Dog 65 “Piper” and Grant came to line at 9:05 am.

Tonight competitors get to enjoy a chili dinner hosted by EORC and in memory of Trevor Dickens.  Callbacks will be at the dinner.