Gun Dog Forum

Wanted to thank all of you for your advice. Turns out my dog is smarter than I am . He did fine on the test and seemed happy to hunt up the birds then come when I whistled without hesitation. It was like he knew we were playing this really fun game and he even showed off his pretty point and retriev...

Thank you. We did well on the na test. He wouldn’t retrieve a bumper but was great at retrieving a bird from the water and, as you said, I’m hunting birds not bumpers. We passed I think because he did really well in the field, pointed whoa’d even and when he chased down a bird he brought it straight...

My dog is 13 months old and is very birdy. He was a little hesitant about water at first but now will dive in and swim until he can get to a bird in the water. In the field he will find a bird and hold point like a little soldier (he still breaks on the flush but one thing at a time). But he has ZER...

Thanks so much. This is all very helpful to hear. I too thought it was just an assessment of my dog as a hunting dog and a bit myself as a handler so we could work to improve. Today a navhda person told me it is very very important to do well in the na test and that I should drop out if my dog isn’t...

Hello and thanks for any help. My dog has fairly good recall MOST of the time. He comes to a whistle and/or to my call. However major distractions or a tough day can make him ignore the whistle and take off. It’s pretty scary. It’s only then I give him a ‘bump’ with the e collar. He turns around imm...