Clarence Klaus kneels with his Black Labradors at his home. He trains the dogs to compete in hunt tests, and Klaus has been competing for more than 20 years. His four dogs are named Pepper, Burton, Joy and Pearl.

PENN TWP — Sit! Stay! Now go out into that field and find the hidden duck.

Most dogs would just stare at their owners if they were asked to do this, but Clarence Klaus has his Black Labradors trained to compete in the American Kennel Club hunt tests.

Klaus, a retired architect, along with his Labs, has been competing in hunt tests for more than 20 years.

In these events, dogs have been trained to retrieve ducks from land and water. Pheasants are frequently used on land.

While the competitions are set up as hunting scenarios, the dog owners are not actually hunting.

“I am not anti-hunting, I just don't hunt. Partially because I am a lousy shot,” Klaus said.

The competitions are set up to simulate real hunting situations, without actually hunting. A gun loaded with blanks is shot, and someone hidden from view will throw the bird. It is then up to the dog to retrieve the bird without being distracted by changes in terrain or cover.

Birds used in the competitions are dead. “In all honesty, they are all pen-raised birds,” he said.

Within the sport there are various levels of competition held by the American Kennel Club or similar organizations. There are junior, senior and master tests.

Klaus has judged at two Master National events. Klaus said he judges based on a number of qualifications including the relationship between the dog and its owner.

“I want to see the dogs and their owners work as a team,” Klaus said.

Klaus is currently associated with three retriever clubs. “One reason is to support them,” Klaus said.

He is a member of the Buckeye Retriever Club, the Presque Isle Retriever Club and the Greater Pittsburgh Golden Retriever Club.

Pat Depp, president of the GPGRC, has four Golden Retrievers and says she likes being a part of the club.She said of her dogs, “I want them to be able to do what they were bred to do, which is hunting and retrieving.”The GPGRC uses the dogs for community service as well.“We do therapy work at different nursing homes,” Depp said. “We enjoy doing anything that has to do with the dogs.”One of the ways the club also gets the community involved is by hosting “fun field training days.” They are held once a month from March through October. The “fun days” give owners a chance to bring their dogs out and test their skills in retrieving.It was attending one of these events in 1990 that Klaus and his Black Lab Ida were introduced to the sport. Ida was able to show her skill in retrieving.“She was awesome,” Klaus said. “So I was hooked.”In 1994, Klaus and Ida won first place at the Ducks Unlimited Retriever Classic National Championship in Georgia. “She is in the Retriever Hall of Fame,” Klaus said.Klaus did not want to get another Lab after Ida, but after a series of events he ended up with Mint, a Black Lab that he got from a friend in Georgia. “She was probably my most perfect dog.” Klaus said.Since Mint, Klaus has raised six other Black Labs and proudly shows off the hundreds of ribbons they have won over the years.He currently has four Labs: Pepper, Burton, Joy and Pearl.“I have had dogs all my life,” Klaus said.Although he has owned many different breeds of dogs, Black Labs are his favorite.Klaus has eased up on national competitions and now mostly competes in Pennsylvania, Ohio and New York.

Clarence Klaus has a room full of hundreds of ribbons at his home in Penn Township that he and his Labs have won. The trainer and his Labs have been competing in hunt tests for more than 20 years.