Hello Step,
Thanks for taking the time to write.
Your question is....how can you find out where bay trials are and how are they judged? Well in reguards to how you can find out where they are....Baydog.com has a place on their site that list out the ones that the promoters write in and ask her to post. The best way I know of is get a subscription to "Bayed Solid" magazine. They usually list out a number of them each month in their issues. On the front page of baydog.com scroll down to the place where it starts listing out the home pages of various web sites that JT has built and managed for folks. Bayed Solid has a page, that list out how to get ahold of them. In reguards to how they are judged. I dont think there is a set of rules publised anywhere anymore. Back when they use to have the Bay Pens Association a few years ago, there was, but since the organization is no longer in existance to my knowledge there is no written rule book in judging or regular rules. Its just kinda known. Basically in a nut shell, the dog or dogs, depending on the event that bays the hog the best over all the other entrys wins. There is usually 5 judges scoring each dog from 1-10. Usually the highest and lowest score are thrown out and the three left are added together making a perfect score be 30. They use to give a 1/2 point for calling the dog out within 30 seconds, but most places have gotten away from it. A dog is not suppose to catch the hog, and if he does, usually the head judge has a stop watch or counts out loud to the count of 5. If the dog has not let go by the end of the 5 seconds, the dog is disqualified. The whole object is baying the hog or what is really barking at the hog. There is always a dispute of how a dog that people see as a "outstanding pen dog" would rate out in the real world as a "woods dog". In the pen, a good dog to me kinda reminds me of a good cutting horse. Ears layed back, chest down near the ground, as close as possible, and jumping side to side with his front feet just daring the hog to move eiether way and if the hog does break, will shut him down by pinching him on the back side and stopping him. Where as in the woods, most people want a dog that will stop the hog then step back a few feet and simply bay and hold the hog until the hunter can get there. I guess you could say a woods type dog for most folks doesnt pressure the hog once hes stopped. A close baying dog in the woods will usually only bay up one hog at a time. Where as loose baying ones will sometimes bay up a whole group of them. But thats an opinion answer. Everybody has their own style of dogs they like in the woods. Hope this helps a little with your question. Good luck to your friend... Ive met some life time friends at baying contest.. but of course ive met a couple I just as soon never see again.....hahaha
Good luck,
Jim