Chocolate Chip, an 8-month-old lab, is still a puppy, but he’s working his way to the top to become a master of dog trials.

The pup was one of about 112 dogs at the West Mississippi Hunting Retriever Club’s annual field trials this past weekend. Because he’s a beginner, Chocolate Chip was rounding out the started category, the first of three levels, on Sunday, the last day of running.

As soon as a duck call sounded and a duck was launched to the sound of gunshots, Chocolate Chip, owned by Thomas Clay of Vicksburg, plowed through the watery marsh to collect his prize. His excitement shined through as he ran straight past his handler, Eve Smith. After a little celebration, the puppy ran back to her to complete the task of delivering the duck to her hand.

Chocolate Chip is one of several Smith handled over the weekend at the event at Mahannah Wildlife Management Area off Floweree Road. Smith and her husband have trained and handled dogs, including some of their own, for the past 12 years.

&#8220I enjoy the outdoors and the animals,” she said. &#8220It’s a real sense of accomplishment to get the dog to do what it’s supposed to do instead of what it wants to do.”

While dogs, such as Sassy, a full-grown lab handled by Bill Autrey, have risen to the finished stage of competition, the highest of the three, it takes a lot of practice – and obedience – for a dog to come that far. Sassy and the nearly 30 dogs that made up her class, don’t just go running behind a launched duck. They wait beside the handler while three ducks are thrown and the &#8220blast” of a gun helps create the duck-hunting scenario. When commanded, the dog runs to each duck’s resting place, each time delivering to the handler. After three ducks are successfully retrieved, the dog, then, must find its &#8220blind,” a duck hidden on the playing field without any shots, calls or throwing. The dog runs to find the hidden prize and relies solely on a whistle and hand signals from the handler.

What it takes is lots and lots of training, Smith said.

&#8220My dogs get their marks every day except on weekends,” she said. &#8220First, they have to force fetch, which is a basic step, and they have to have obedience – everything is based on that.”

For the water portion of the starting class, each dog goes with its handler to the front of a bale of hay. The handler blows the duck call, followed by another call that is blown by the person who catapults the duck into the water. On the handler’s command, the dog tears off to find the duck and bring it back to its handler.

Tom Weeks, the club’s secretary, said the tests bring out all types of people who come together each year for one reason.

&#8220You see people from all walks of life,” he said. &#8220We all have the dogs in common.”

A dog has to be at least 6 months old before he or she can compete in dog trials, Smith said.

&#8220To force fetch, they have to have their permanent teeth,” she said.

How quickly a dog progresses from started to seasoned, the intermediate stage, all the way up to finished, depends on how much time the owner, or handler, can spend with it.

The local club, one of about 130 hunting retriever clubs across the world, began in the early ’90s, but has only become active again in the past four years. Weeks said the two-day annual event is friendly competition for the dogs, their owners and handlers.

&#8220They compete more on a standard, which is much more realistic,” he said. &#8220It’s more of a pass or fail situation.”