| 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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August 2005 Test Photos and Event Summary
| The
Greatland Chapter completed its second NAVHDA Test event the
weekend of 6-7 August at Falcon Ridge.
Six dogs ran in Natural Ability, four in
Utility Preparatory, and two in Utility. Of those 12 dogs, nine
received NAVHDA Prizes and one Utility Test dog qualified for the
NAVHDA Invitational in 2006 with a Prize I. One dog ran the NA
twice (once each day), and one dog ran the UPT one day
and the UT the second day, so there were actually ten
dogs that participated over the weekend. |
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Click here
for Summary Test Results from NAVHDA International web site
(Scroll to the bottom for Greatland
Chapter results)
Click below for detailed Test Scores for the Greatland
Chapter Test on
August 6th
August 7th
(These files may be oriented vertically
using the rotate function in your .pdf viewer)
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The
judges for the weekend included Dick St Amant, Jim
Applegate and Pat Saunders. The weather was superb with
the possible exception of temperatures a bit higher than
we would have liked. The turnout of chapter members
(and non-members!) willing to help out with running the
test was excellent. We had great bird planters, gunners,
field marshal, facilities and equipment managers, and
all the other jobs it takes to make these tests run
smoothly. |
| This was the chapter's second year of running NAVHDA
tests, so we had the chance to apply plenty of lessons
learned from last year. It also helped us improve the logistics of test
set-up and field management. |
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We now have a new apprentice judge. John Haddix
earned a Prize in the UPT with his dog Kuiu, so he
qualified for entry into the NAVHDA Apprentice Judge
Program and was able to get a day of apprenticing
completed on Sunday, along with Pete Nelson who
qualified at last year's test.
The chapter now has four qualified Apprentice Judges. |
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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 Search for the
Duck and
Retrieve of Duck.
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Dogs entered in the Tests ranged in age from a 4-month old Wirehaired Vizsla named Copper to several dogs
with significantly more experience to their credit. |
| Gunners and bird planters were key to the success of
the event. Our thanks to Buck Kuhn, Maggie Lindsey, Hod
Colburn, Pat Mahoney, and Jon Marcott for their tireless
assistance. The
gunners put plenty of birds on the ground and, most
importantly, kept the
event safe for everyone involved. |
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The grounds used for these tests received high marks
from the judging team. Gary's facilities at Falcon Ridge
are well-suited to NAVHDA testing and were in great
shape for this event. |
The highlight of the test was a maximum score Prize I in
the Utility Test by Jenny Horstman's Drahthaar, Gabby.
They are now qualified to participate in the 2006 NAVHDA
Invitational.
Well done to Jenny and Gabby!! |
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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. |
| Water was an issue for everyone, dogs and people,
during these tests. A 20-30 minute field search in
unseasonably hot weather (for Alaska) meant that
handlers carried plenty of water and made frequent use
of the water "tanks" strategically placed around the
fields by Gary Thompson, owner of the grounds. |
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VHD breeds represented in this test included one
Wirehaired Vizsla, three dogs Wirehaired Pointing
Griffons, five dogs categorized by NAVHDA as German Wirehaired Pointers and
one German
Shorthaired Pointer.
Participants in the Test came from as far
away as the Ketchikan area (800 miles away), the
Fairbanks area (325 miles north). The Greatland
Chapter serves the entire state of Alaska and Western
Canada, and currently boasts around 30 members. |
| The Greatland Chapter benefited enormously from the
experience and knowledge of the NAVHDA judging team that
conducted the Tests. All three
judges worked tirelessly to ensure that the tests ran
smoothly and that every dog and handler was treated
fairly and objectively. The
scoring reports and debriefing sessions at the end of
each day 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
eighteen months in existence. This requires some members to
fill multiple roles. Some, like John Haddix, ran his dog,
Kuiu one day,
served as an apprentice judge the next day, and acted as
a Test Event staff member throughout the weekend. |
| 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. |
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The Greatland Chapter now has four 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 Apprentice
Judges are Pete Nelson, John Haddix, 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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