unoperro
Verified Member
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2012
- Messages
- 2,665
As a member of NorthAmerican VersatileHuntingDogAssoc(NAVHDA) I went to a natural abillity test Sunday. I have 2 pups entered in a June 1st test and wanted to know what to expect. Met many nice people and their dogs. It was quite a mix of both. I did walk with 2 handlers and their dogs to closely observe the field portion.
Dogs go 1 at a time and hunt for 20 minutes. Both handlers are pro dog trainers so they are comfortable with looky lews and open to questions.
First handlers dog was 9 months old and rather wild. We hadnt walked very far and handler says her husband forgot her whistle so dog may be wild. Dog ran large circles in front and behind us. Behind is not good.Handler was yelling quite a bit. Dog found birds but didnt cooperate well with trainer.
Second pro's dog was 5 months old. Dog hunted close but not underfoot. Pointed birds and could be recalked after flushing the bird. Was a nice run. After we got back to board the pup I asked pro what he thought? He replied that was perfect. I thought it was a damn good run.
In the field dogs are judged on how well they use their nose. Pointing real game not old scent or butterflies. Dogs are also judged on how they work with their handler. They hunt for you not the other way around.
Next came water work where dogs have to swim 2x to retrieve a dummy. Dogs dont have to retrieve just swim. That is lame. If a bird is required for a swim,only half points can be awarded. After swimming their is a cursory glance at eyes , teeth, coat,general well being. Good dogs allow that
Last part is tracking where a bird is released and dog is put on track and asked to track the bird. Dog never sees the bird. Dog is awarded for following the track as opposed to "casting" to hunt the bird. All handlers said this is the hardest part as the bird can cause troubles
At the end of tge day the 3 judges give the totals for each category and are open to questions. First pro's dog got a perfect score. Second pro's dog not so much. I didnt see the tracking and second pro said dog didnt track well so that I could understand. It was the field score that pissed me off. I wanted to tell the judges I saw both dogs and the second should have scored perfect. I have 2 pups to run in 2 weeks so I shut up.
Yesterday I called the 2nd pro and said hey what the hell. He said he felt tge dog ran great and that was enough for him. This guy is also a judge who will be judging my pups. I told him I heard a judge ask another judge you see the difference between a 5 month old a 6 month old? I asked arent the judges supposed to consider that in scoring? He said yes age and breed affect what to expect when judging. I thanked him for his time and said looking forward to seeing you again.
After that I called a judge and asked him about his memory of the 2 dogs. He replied that the first dog hunted and found birds. Was steady on point. The judges felt the second dog didnt hunt as hard , had trouble figuring what /where to point and wasnt solid. I asked about the sceaming for come and responding to their handlers? He said yes second was better but both were good. Asked about running young dogs he was all for it but wasnt willing to give pups a break. I then asked is there even any sense in me running 5 month old pups? He replied depends on the pup but it can be a good learning experiance.
I now see I was just to damn gunho with training and expectations. Pups need time to grow.I will run the pups but expect to rerun them later. I have a third pup I wont run for at least a while. Will post again after the tests.
Dogs go 1 at a time and hunt for 20 minutes. Both handlers are pro dog trainers so they are comfortable with looky lews and open to questions.
First handlers dog was 9 months old and rather wild. We hadnt walked very far and handler says her husband forgot her whistle so dog may be wild. Dog ran large circles in front and behind us. Behind is not good.Handler was yelling quite a bit. Dog found birds but didnt cooperate well with trainer.
Second pro's dog was 5 months old. Dog hunted close but not underfoot. Pointed birds and could be recalked after flushing the bird. Was a nice run. After we got back to board the pup I asked pro what he thought? He replied that was perfect. I thought it was a damn good run.
In the field dogs are judged on how well they use their nose. Pointing real game not old scent or butterflies. Dogs are also judged on how they work with their handler. They hunt for you not the other way around.
Next came water work where dogs have to swim 2x to retrieve a dummy. Dogs dont have to retrieve just swim. That is lame. If a bird is required for a swim,only half points can be awarded. After swimming their is a cursory glance at eyes , teeth, coat,general well being. Good dogs allow that
Last part is tracking where a bird is released and dog is put on track and asked to track the bird. Dog never sees the bird. Dog is awarded for following the track as opposed to "casting" to hunt the bird. All handlers said this is the hardest part as the bird can cause troubles
At the end of tge day the 3 judges give the totals for each category and are open to questions. First pro's dog got a perfect score. Second pro's dog not so much. I didnt see the tracking and second pro said dog didnt track well so that I could understand. It was the field score that pissed me off. I wanted to tell the judges I saw both dogs and the second should have scored perfect. I have 2 pups to run in 2 weeks so I shut up.
Yesterday I called the 2nd pro and said hey what the hell. He said he felt tge dog ran great and that was enough for him. This guy is also a judge who will be judging my pups. I told him I heard a judge ask another judge you see the difference between a 5 month old a 6 month old? I asked arent the judges supposed to consider that in scoring? He said yes age and breed affect what to expect when judging. I thanked him for his time and said looking forward to seeing you again.
After that I called a judge and asked him about his memory of the 2 dogs. He replied that the first dog hunted and found birds. Was steady on point. The judges felt the second dog didnt hunt as hard , had trouble figuring what /where to point and wasnt solid. I asked about the sceaming for come and responding to their handlers? He said yes second was better but both were good. Asked about running young dogs he was all for it but wasnt willing to give pups a break. I then asked is there even any sense in me running 5 month old pups? He replied depends on the pup but it can be a good learning experiance.
I now see I was just to damn gunho with training and expectations. Pups need time to grow.I will run the pups but expect to rerun them later. I have a third pup I wont run for at least a while. Will post again after the tests.
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