| NAVHDA Tests: In the development of good gun dogs,
it is imperative that dogs be tested in various stages of
maturation. To be truly meaningful, tests for versatile hunting
dogs must meet certain criteria. They must be conducted in an
environment which reflect actual hunting conditions and
situations. They must test all characteristics required of a
good versatile dog. Judges must be knowledgeable, consistent and
objective.
All testing and evaluation is to be within the context of
judging dogs as useful, productive hunting companions. NAVHDA
Tests have been designed with these requirements in mind.
In order to eliminate direct competition between dogs at
NAVHDA tests, dogs are judged one at a time, by three judges,
with their performance scored against a standard. The only
exception is that dogs running in a NAVHDA Invitational Test are
braced in the field so that each dog can demonstrate a
willingness to back and honor.
If all dogs participating in a test perform well, all could
receive a Prize I, II or III.
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Greatland NAVHDA
Promoting versatile hunting dogs
in
Alaska |
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Alaska Chapter of the North American Versatile Hunting Dog
Association |
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Test Photos and Event Summary
What a great four days! It was
wonderful to meet everyone and their dogs! I thought the judges
were super. What a nice group of guys. I've never met judges
that were more genuinely concerned with helping folks learn and
succeed, in any of the other dog activities I've ever been
involved in. Seeing the "big boys" play has really gotten me
motivated.
--- Greatland chapter member
Photos appearing on this page
were taken by Rachel Hull,
a 12-year old aspiring handler
and a member of the
Greatland Chapter of NAVHDA.
| The
Greatland Chapter completed its first NAVHDA Test event the
weekend of 7-10 August.
Nine dogs ran in Natural Ability, two in
Utility Preparatory, and three in Utility. Of those 14 dogs, 10
received NAVHDA Prizes and one Utility dog qualified for the
NAVHDA Invitational in 2005 with a Prize I. |
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The
weekend also included a Handlers Clinic, also a first for the
Greatland Chapter, with Bob West (NAVHDA VP) as the Clinic Leader. The
clinic was a valuable and informative session for around 20
members of the chapter. With the Handlers Clinic, the earlier
New Chapter Clinic and the Tests just completed, the Greatland
Chapter is well on its way to becoming a strong, active NAVHDA
Chapter that now boasts 50 members only 6 months after being
chartered. |
| The chapter conducted test
events daily through the four-day
weekend. Each day was dedicated to only one Test category: four
NA's the first day, two UPT's the second day, six NA's the third
day and three UT's on the final day. That arrangement helped the
chapter accommodate all entries with NAVHDA's lower "first time
limitation" on test slots for a chapter that has not previously
run a test event. It also simplified the logistics of test
set-up and field management. |
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Two handlers from the chapter ran dogs on the first
two days and prized. In combination with the Handlers
Clinic, they both completed their qualifications for
entry into the NAVHDA Apprentice Judge Program.
Pete
Nelson and Roger Hull served as Apprentice Judges for
the test events on the remaining days of the 4-day weekend.
A third new Chapter member, Polly Divens, also qualified
as an Apprentice Judge. |
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All
field work, search and drag events for the tests were conducted
at Falcon Ridge Game Birds grounds near Wasilla, Alaska, owned by Gary Thompson.
Water events were conducted at nearby ponds that were
well-suited to the NA retrieve and the UT/UPT duck search and
duck retrieve.
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Dogs entered in the Tests ranged in age from a 4.3
month old Wirehaired Pointing Griffon named Ouzel to a
6.5 year old Drahthaar named Dylan. We're not sharing the
ages of the handlers, except to note that some shared
the facial furnishings of their dogs. John Haddix,
Michael Horstman and Dylan observe while another dog
runs the UT Steady by Blind event.
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| Gunners for the event were Greatland Chapter member
Buck Kuhn and Keith Lindsey, a member of the Artic Bird
Dog Association. Both gunners assisted with the mock
test events in the Handlers Clinic as well. Both
gunners put plenty of birds on the ground and kept the
event safe for everyone involved. |
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One of the entries in the Natural Ability event was
a "rescue dog" that had been turned in to a local
shelter for adoption. She turned in a very respectable
Prize III performance for her first time handler and
adopted owner, Peg Brawner. |
| Participants in the Handlers Clinic and Test came from as far
away as the Ketchikan area (800 miles away), the
Fairbanks area (325 miles north), and the Yukon
Territory (a 14-hour drive each way!). The Greatland
Chapter serves the entire state of Alaska and Western
Canada, and currently boasts around 50 members. Jen
Zwicker is shown here with her wirehaired pointing
griffon, Yukon Placer Gold. |
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The seriously non-typical Alaskan weather, hot and
dusty for the entire weekend, demanded close attention
to each dog's hydration, particularly while being tested
in the field events. Plastic swimming pools were placed
around the grounds to accommodate periodic "water
breaks" for the dogs. Roger Hull returns from the NA
field search event with his Wirehaired Pointing Griffon,
Bramble. |
| Three dogs ran the Utility Test, the final event on
Tuesday. Shown here at the conclusion of the event with
the judging team, including the two apprentice judges,
are Michael Horstman with Dylan, Jenny Horstman with
Gabby (Prize II) and Jeff Daigneau with Cracker (Prize
I). |
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VHD breeds represented in this test included one
Spinone, three Wirehaired Pointing Griffons, eight
Drahthaar/German Wirehaired Pointers and two German
Shorthaired Pointers. Here, a Spinone named Muggles
gets a word of encouragement from Keith Lindsey, one of
the event gunners. |
| The Greatland Chapter benefited enormously from the
experience and knowledge of the NAVHDA judging team that
conducted the Handlers Clinic and the Tests. All three
judges worked tirelessly to assist chapter members with
test event management and to provide invaluable
suggestions for training and handling our dogs. The
debriefing session following each test event were an
excellent source of feedback and tips for follow-on work
with our dogs. The judges left no questions unanswered,
and very little escaped their attention in the field. |
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The Greatland Chapter is relatively small after only
six months in existence. That required many members to
fill multiple roles. Some, like Pete Nelson shown here
with Sadie during a water break, ran a dog one day,
served as an apprentice judge the next day, and acted as
a Test Event staff member throughout the weekend. Many
other chapter members filled event staff roles while
attending the Handlers Clinic and for the two following
days of testing. |
| Regardless of each dog's performance, there was
clearly a bond between every dog and its handler that
made teamwork happen in the field and in the water.
Here, Muggles gets a congratulatory hug from his back-up
handler after completing the NA water event. |
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The Greatland Chapter now has three apprentice
judges who have begun the process of learning the NAVHDA
judging system. Developing the skills necessary to
"read" a dog, manage handlers during a test, use the
NAVHDA Test scorecard properly, provide effective
feedback to handlers regarding their scores, and pay
close attention to safety in the field are all elements
of the apprentice program leading to eventual
qualification as a NAVHDA Judge. These new Apprentice
Judges are Pete Nelson, Polly Divens and Roger Hull. |
| In the end, it was all about the dogs. We saw
extraordinary performances, and performances that "need
work". We had experienced handlers and those with little
to no experience, but with a strong desire to bring it
all together for this one event. There were
disappointments when dogs faltered, and elation when our
dogs exceeded our expectations in the execution of
skills we had barely known how to train for.
These versatile hunting dogs can be almost magical in
their sensing of what we ask them to do, and their
willingness to move from one scenario to another like an
actor changing costumes to play multiple roles. |
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