When Oscar was eight weeks old back in 2019, Revelstoke's Rod Spence may not have anticipated the puppy he was taking home for the first time would score big at back-to-back national competitions.

Within just six years, this Labrador retriever has excelled across North America in highly competitive field trials, where dogs are tested on how quickly and efficiently they can collect and bring back birds or other animals.

"Bred by Gloria and Dan Devos of Baypoint Kennels in Ontario, Oscar has impressed with his eagerness, drive, and focus," the Canadian Kennel Club (CKC) writes on its webpage. "Oscar has proven himself an exceptional athlete and companion in the field."

After scoring Top Junior Dog in 2020 and Top Qualifying Dog in 2021 for the CKC's retriever field trials, Oscar later excelled as Top All-Age Dog in 2024 at five years old.

"A standout moment was his thrilling victory in the final trial of the year, where he edged ahead by a single point to claim the top spot over the other leading dogs," the CKC recounts.

"He's a top animal dog," owner and handler Spence said of Oscar, who's competed alongside other retrievers, poodles and Irish water spaniels. "You can't get better than that."

Along with running hunt tests that cater to contestants who prefer less "complicated" rules, CKC runs three levels of retriever field trials: Start or junior, senior, and master. A dog that competes at the master level "would be a polished hunting dog," Spence noted.

"Dogs are tested both on their ability to mark the location of downed birds and on their retrieving skill, over land or in the water," CKC explains. "At the higher levels, dogs are required to carry out very sophisticated retrieving tests, including marking multiple birds and finding unmarked birds (blind retrieves)."

Contestant dogs are also assessed for their obedience, receiving a pass-fail mark after the trial. In B.C., Spence says there are about four kennel clubs that run these retriever field trials, which similarly to hunt tests can be used to evaluate a dog's hunting companion skills.

However, "the level is much greater than what a hunt test would be," Spence said. "They're tested on memory, on their response to blind retrieval, on land and water."

At CKC's national competitions in Canada, about 30 to 40 dogs get grouped into an all-age trial. In the U.S., where Spence has also entered Oscar into numerous national-level field trials, as many as 110 dogs qualify for nationals, meaning rigorous weekly training is needed each year to ensure competitors have a shot at Top Dog.

"It's tough to raise that kind of an animal when you're working and raising a family," Spence admitted.

When it comes to finding space near Revelstoke to train, "all you need is a large piece of ground," he reasoned.

"I probably train at least 250 days a year," he said. "When the weather's good, I usually get him out two, three days a week."

One of the best places to practise for trials is out at Logan Lake near Kamloops, according to Spence, but he's also trained Oscar down in Washington State and southern California.

Looking ahead, Oscar's already qualified for both Canadian and U.S. nationals this year, but he won't attend the latter amid heightened international tensions. Regardless of fewer opportunities in 2025 for Oscar to make his family and Canada proud, Spence has his eyes set on a national-level victory on home turf.

"That's the grand title of them all, to win a national," he said, adding that Oscar remains "field trial champion" here. "You've got to have a good reason for getting out of bed each morning, and that's him."

The CKC adds that it's "excited to celebrate Oscar香蕉视频直播檚 accomplishments and looks forward to his continued excellence."

CKC's 2025 Junior Handling Nationals will be hosted in B.C. this summer, with an open call for clubs interested in hosting posted at .