There the dog's hunting and tracking ability is observed and rated. Fieldwork takes about an hour per dog. Quail are planted, sometimes in two fields, or one very large field with a natural division, and the dog, handler and bevy of judges start off on foot. This portion lasts about 20 to 30 minutes. The dogs are supposed to systematically search the field, enthusiastically find birds and point them.
Tails wag as the eager pup's hunt.
Handlers cross their fingers and hope and pray this is the day the pup will point, and hold the point, when birds are located. Because they are pups, holding a point for a long time is not critical. If the dog holds the point, the handler flushes the bird. It's not unusual for pups to chase the birds. Although no birds are shot, two shots are fired at the beginning of the test to check for gun sensitivity or gun shyness.