Will 8-year-old Labrador Willem become the best hunting dog in the Netherlands? On Saturday he and his owner will participate in the National Hunting Dog Championships on the Zeeland island of Zuid-Beveland.
Eighteen dogs participate in the Dutch championship. Owner Jeroen Zijlmans from Dongen does not think he will win, but of course he hopes so. “There are eighteen contenders. You also have to have your day, but he is doing quite well. So we certainly have a very small chance.”
A dog may only participate in the National Championships once in its life. Jeroen deliberately waited a long time with Willem. “If you let him participate at a very young age, you’re actually done. You don’t want that.”
At the National Championships it is mainly about listening carefully. “He doesn’t always listen well, of course he remains an animal with a mind of its own. That’s the beauty of it.”
Jeroen hopes that Willem will listen at the important moments. “Sometimes things fail, that’s part of it.”
Willem’s nose also plays an important role. “He doesn’t know where I’m hiding something, so he really has to put it on his nose. He has to keep looking, even if it takes ten minutes.”
Working line
Isn’t a Labrador just a lazy cuddly dog? No, says Jeroen. “There are two lines: a show line and a working line.” Willem comes from the work line. “He is sportier, less heavy and enjoys working a lot.”
Jeroen heard early on from other trainers that Willem had potential. “He is a good listener, is smart and keeps looking. He has a lot of work ethic to do well for his owner.” That does mean that Jeroen has to keep a close eye on him. “He will continue until he really can’t anymore.”
He doesn’t know yet whether he will also participate with his two other Labradors. “I’ll first see how I like this. But I certainly won’t rule it out.”
NK Hunting Dogs
The NK Hunting Dogs, also called Nimrod, will take place on Saturday on the grounds of the Royal Maatschap Wilhelminapolder on the Zeeland island of Zuid-Beveland. It is the annual championship for retrieving hunting dogs.
The best dogs of different breeds compete for the coveted Nimrod Cup, which can be worn for a year. The competition simulates hunting practice as realistically as possible with tasks such as swimming through water, searching in dense bushes and dealing with distractions and gunfire.
