Club Pictures

Cover for Bryan-College Station Retrievers Club
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Bryan-College Station Retrievers Club

Bryan-College Station Retrievers Club

We are a group who LOVE all things Retrievers.
We are a non-profit organization that seeks to educate and bring value to the local canine community.
BCSRC is an AKC affilated club that hosts hunt test and field trial retriever tests.

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Super interesting content from our colleagues over in canine nose/scent work! —————— Same Hide. Same Search. Completely Different Search. Temperature and humidity change the picture your dog is facing. Weather affects where odor travels, how quickly it moves, how concentrated it stays, and where your dog may first encounter it. That can make the same hide placement produce a very different search from one day to the next. Trying to account for every environmental variable at once gets overwhelming fast. Wind, surfaces, sun, shade, terrain, buildings, source placement, temperature, and moisture can all affect the final odor picture. Let’s start with two: Temperature and moisture. We will use these two pieces to form our first prediction. Later, we can add more... once our brains are ready. 😉 Start with temperature Temperature affects how energetic odor molecules are. In hotter conditions, molecules are more energetic. As a simplified starting picture, expect odor to: - travel faster - travel farther - rise In colder conditions, molecules are less energetic. Expect odor to: - travel slower - travel less far - have less lift Temperature helps you predict the speed, distance, and height of the odor picture. That still leaves the question of how concentrated or easy to follow the odor may be. For that, add moisture. Then add moisture Dry conditions tend to create an odor picture that: - spreads wider - breaks apart faster - gets thinner - fades sooner Wet or humid conditions tend to create an odor picture that: - stays denser - disperses slower - remains available longer - forms clearer lines Moisture helps you predict whether the dog may encounter a broad, thin, scattered picture or a denser, more continuous one. Now combine the temperature picture with the moisture picture. Hot and dry Hot tells you: Fast. Far. High. Dry adds: Wide. Thin. A hot, dry search may allow your dog to encounter odor well away from source. That does not automatically make the search easier. The odor may travel farther while also spreading wider, thinning out, and becoming less clear. Your dog may catch odor early, lose it, cast, reconnect, and work through a much larger area before finding a clear path back to source. Farther does not always mean clearer. Cold and dry Cold tells you: Slow. Close. Low. Dry adds: Wide. Thin. The odor may remain closer to source while still producing a weak or scattered picture. Your dog may need to enter a smaller productive area before encountering enough odor to begin working it. Once the dog has odor, the path may still appear broken or difficult to maintain. Hot and humid Hot tells you: Fast. Far. High. Humidity adds: Dense. Clear. The odor may travel outward and upward while remaining fuller and more continuous. Your dog may encounter odor farther from source and have a stronger line to follow once connected. That does not mean the dog will take a straight path. Structures, airflow, surfaces, and access still shape where that odor travels. Cold and humid Cold tells you: Slow. Close. Low. Humidity adds: Dense. Clear. The odor may remain in a smaller area and move more slowly, but the picture may stay more concentrated and available once the dog reaches it. The dog may need to search closer to source before showing a clear change of behavior. Once connected, the line back may be easier to maintain. Use these predictions to train your eye The four-square gives you a starting hypothesis about the odor picture. It is not a map showing you where the hide must be or the path your dog should take. Before the search, ask: 1. Is it hot or cold? 2. Is it dry or humid? 3. What basic odor picture should that combination create? 4. Where might my dog first encounter odor? Then watch what your dog actually does. Look for: - the first change in behavior - how far that change occurs from source - whether the dog works a narrow or wide area - whether odor appears continuous or intermittent - whether the dog works high, low, or across several planes - how the dog closes the distance back to source Use the prediction to prepare your eye. Let the dog confirm it, refine it, or overturn it. Take the tool into a blind search Start by practicing this with known hides. Make your prediction, watch the search, and compare what you expected with what the dog actually showed you. Once that process feels familiar, carry the same questions into a blind search. You will not know where the hide is, but you can still build a prediction about how odor may move through the space. Ask: - Where might odor travel farther from source? - Where may the picture become wide and thin? - Where might odor remain closer, lower, or denser? - Which areas give the dog access to those possible odor paths? - Does the dog’s behavior fit the picture you predicted? This should affect how you observe and handle, rather than convincing you that you know where the hide is. In hot, dry conditions, an early change of behavior may occur far from source and disappear quickly. Give the dog room to cast, reconnect, and work through the wider picture. In cold, humid conditions, the dog may need access closer to source before showing a clear response. Make sure the search covers the space fully enough for the dog to reach that denser odor picture. The prediction can also help you decide when an area deserves another approach, when the dog may be following odor displaced from source, and when a wide or indirect path fits the conditions rather than signaling that the dog is lost. When the dog shows you something different from your prediction, update the prediction. The dog is sampling the odor picture that exists in that moment. Your model prepares you to recognize it. Eventually, we will add the other variables Temperature and moisture give you the first layer. Eventually, we will add: - airflow - sun and shade - surfaces - terrain - walls and structures - source height - source placement - access to the source - the specific odor involved Active rain or moving water can also wash odor away from an area or relocate it. Humidity and wet surfaces are different from odor being moved by running water. The four-square gives you somewhere to begin. Build the basic temperature-and-moisture picture first. Add the environmental details one layer at a time. Test your prediction For your next four known-hide searches, write down three things before releasing your dog: Conditions: Hot or cold? Dry or humid? Prediction: Fast or slow? Far or close? High or low? Wide and thin or dense and clear? What the dog showed: Where did the dog first encounter odor? How did the dog move through the search? Where did your prediction hold up, and where did the environment change it? Once you feel confident doing that with known hides, repeat the exercise during blind searches. In the blind search, record your prediction before entering. After the hide is called or revealed, look back at the dog’s path and compare it with the odor picture you expected. You are building a repeatable habit: Predict. Observe. Compare. Adjust. The goal is to enter the search with a clear starting picture, observe the dog closely, and update that picture from what happens. Same hide. Same search. Completely different search. Before your dog crosses the start line, name the weather picture. Then let the dog show you what the odor is actually doing.
The June LRC Newsletter reports these trends in AKC Stats 🐾🐾AKC reports a decrease in litters and puppies born, fewer active stud dogs, and fewer bitches whelping annually. In 2024, there were 22,286 litters born; in 2025, that number dropped 10.4% to 19,959, with an average litter size of seven puppies. 🐾🐾AKC Labrador registrations also saw a decline, from 57,944 in 2024 to 50,609 in 2025. Furthermore, 19,725 unique bitches were bred in 2024, compared to only 17,477 in 2025. Our conformation shows reflect these trends, with the number of unique bitches exhibited down by approximately 6.2% and unique dogs shown down by nearly 8%. 🐾🐾The AKC has also provided statistics on color based on owner registrations for the past two years: Color Statistics: 2024: black 20,571 (35%) chocolate 15,893 (27%) yellow 22,038 (38%) 2025: black 18,775 (37%) chocolate 12,824 (25%) yellow 19,428 (38%)
Things you learn about at the AKC Judges & Handlers Seminar
History of Recent AKC Hunt Test Regulation Changes
The recent Labrador Retriever Club newsletter had this article: Parasite Forecast 2026: What It Means for You and Your Dog A newly released national forecast is raising awareness about a growing concern for dogs across the United States — including areas once considered low risk. According to the latest data, diseases such as Lyme, ehrlichiosis, anaplasmosis, and heartworm are continuing to spread into new regions, driven by factors like climate shifts, wildlife movement, and increased pet travel. Even more concerning, experts note that what affects our dogs often reflects broader risks to human health as well. With a highly accurate early warning system built from millions of diagnostic tests each year, this forecast is helping veterinarians and pet owners stay one step ahead — emphasizing the importance of year-round prevention and annual testing. As the saying goes: “Low risk” no longer means “no risk.” https://capcvet.org/about-capc/news-events/capc-2026-pet-parasite-forecast-just-released-expanding-vectors-emerging-hotspots-and-a-new-era-of-year-round-risk/
Pop-up livestream tonight at 5 pm MDT. General Q/A about MARC, upcoming invitational, membership, elections, anything goes. The livestream will be on my YouTube channel. Link below. https://www.youtube.com/@BlackBlizzardRetrievers
Our friends at Alamo Retriever Club have their HRC test coming up. Go to huntsecretary.com to register!
Urgent — MARC Membership Required! Planning to run the 2026 MAI in Stoughton, WI or trying to qualify for the 2027 MAI? You MUST be a MARC member. Qualifying period for the 2027 MAI: March 1, 2026 – Feb 28, 2027. If you plan to enter MH events beginning this March to qualify, renew or join MARC now — don’t lose your eligibility over a missed membership. Join/renew today and spread the word! https://www.masteramateur.com/annual-membership-registration.html
Volunteers needed! Looking for all positions, Marshals, ATVs and test dogs 🐶. Test is Friday Feb 27-Mar1. -Need some help getting trailers out that week to Parten’s and then returned to the C4 on Sunday. -Need a few folks to help with set up and tear down. -Always enjoy our cookers that help out as well. … Text or DM Jeanie Budd, Jessica Meriwether or Kelly Curry
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