Joe McCarl became a professional trainer and handler in 2004 after more than 20 years experience training pointing dogs. He entered his first trial in 1986. Since then, he has been very successful on the Cover Dog circuit, winning major grouse championships: the Minnesota (2006) and Ontario (2005) with Hard Driving Bev, and the Pennsylvania (2004) with Beaver Meadow Sally. In 2006 he won the Grand National Grouse and Woodcock Invitational with his exceptional pointer female, Hard Driving Bev. With this win, Bev and Joe are the only dog and handler team to have won all three National Championships on ruffed grouse — including the National Amateur Grouse Championship (2002) and Grand National Grouse Championship (2003).

Spring 2008 Trial Update:

• Platinum Pendulum (Toc), Larry Guild, owner, 1st ~ PA Open Puppy (30+ dog entry)

• Hard Driving Louie, Ben Mergems, owner, 2nd ~ Black Ash Amateur Derby (Shawn Thomas, handler, 30+ dog entry)

• Pal 'O Mine (Fin), Chris Mathan, owner, 3rd ~ Venango Open All-Age (60+ dog entry)

Please visit the HDK News blog for postings of Trial Updates.

Joe takes on only a limited number of trial dogs — dogs he feels can be successful on a (wild bird) championship level. The dogs on his string are developed with that goal in mind. Young dogs are trialed as derbies primarily to attain the qualifying placements required to run in championships. Joe feels that their development as competitive shooting dogs can be hindered by trialing them excessively as derbies, particularly on liberated birds. Joe is particularly skilled at the breaking process, while maintaining his dogs’ enthusiasm and style. Access to ruffed and sharptail grouse, woodcock, and wild quail and pheasant is key to this process and key to giving dogs the opportunity to learn to locate and handle wild birds accurately. Much emphasis is also placed on training dogs to handle from an early age with the belief that a strong dog with a true forward handling race has a great competitive advantage.

If you are interested in having a field trial dog competing on the Cover Dog circuit with Joe, please contact him.