Navhda

[Kona dawg]

This is confusing to me. I am looking at a pup that the sire is a natural ability prize 1, 112 and utility prize 2, 200. This is greek to me. Is this pretty good or can any average gun dog do this? Wanting a real hard going pup and not familiar with navhda qualifications. I have read the navhda page but still dont know whats what

[Debf]

How old was the dog when he ran UT? How much experience does the handler have? How many times did they run in the UT?

[Kona dawg]

Dont know. Here is a link to him. It is zeke. I am wondering if he is more show dog than field
http://www.thunderhillkennels.com/Thund ... _Stud.html

[AzDoggin]

Dont know. Here is a link to him. It is zeke. I am wondering if he is more show dog than field
http://www.thunderhillkennels.com/Thund ... _Stud.html

Jeff Paulus is very well respected among wirehair folks. If he says the dog hunts, then the dog hunts.

That said, you stated that you wanted a "real hardgoing pup." Even Jeff's description of Zeke doesn't sound like what you are after, although take at look at Zeke's daddy - there is some serious competitive firepower in there!! In general, the so-called "NAVHDA" dogs are valued for cooperation and versatility. Jeff described Zeke as a "medium range" dog. If you want a "hard charging" wirehair, there are a couple of breeders in the west I would refer you to. PM me if you want some other names.

Fuzznut is a member on here who is a national authority on what you can get in wirehairs. Maybe she'll be along as well - or you can PM her.

[utprizewire]

http://www.bonepointkennels.com

Another person to contact is Jeff Funke at Three Devil's Kennel's.

I've got a dog with some Thunderhill's stuff. Very driven dog and real natural, tough easy to train. Shot alot of birds over him. Talk to Kelly at Bone Point he should be able to help you out. PM me if you have any questions.

UT

[Georgia Boy]

Not sure if you have checked out the Deutsch Drahthaar (German Wirehair) but if you are interested I have a litter coming up out of some of the top performing and producing dogs there are. If this interests you I would be glad to answer any questions you may have.

[Debf]

Turn's out I can answer a few questions about Zeke, I've seen him work a few times. He's is a very nice dog overall - built very well, very good coat, I like his size (~60 lbs), and he has a wonderful temperament. As someone else mentioned there are some very powerful field dogs in his background, his sire was also the sire to the NFC/NAFC from last years GWPCA National field trial. I always liked what I saw but, I didn't get to watch him work too often & never saw him in the field. As for the prize II, the water at the test site is extremely bad right now due to drought in the area. The site is thick with mud & just about any dog that didn't train there a few times...didn't do very well that weekend. The three in the duck search is what knocked him out of a prize I, he had the maximum score in all other areas of the test and Ed (the trainer/handler) only had five weeks to get him ready so Zeke must learn quickly.

Which breeding you are considering? I know of two that have taken place.

[Kona dawg]

Dan Griffith at grassland kennels. Bitch is maya.

[campgsp]

Natural abilities test is a test of the dogs natural instincts. Trainable, desire, etc. It's what is bred into the dog. Like a junior hunt test adding water.
UT is a finished dog. Like a master hunt test adding water. If you are familiar with akc tests just add water retrive/ duck search and its simple.
Best way I can describe.
Prizes are based on total points earned in each category, hunting training retrieve etc. A prize 1 being the best overall score and going down. Its not competition its all based on a single dogs abilities.
I hope this helped you.

[campgsp]

oh for any average dog to do this I believe yes. With proper training anything can be possible. As long as the dog loves water though. Kind of hard to pass if the pup won't take a swim.

[Debf]

Dan Griffith at grassland kennels. Bitch is maya.

This should be a really good breeding.

What do you want a GWP for? Hunting, trialing, or both? It is very difficult to find a GWP that is competitive in field trials -- it can be done but, the people I know around here that trial wirehairs go through a lot of dogs to find one can run (& win) with all other breeds. It may be better to go to a kennel that specializes in that type of GWP if it is a priority for you. On the other hand, if you primarily want a hard hunting dog - this breeding should give you everything you want & more.

[Ms. Cage]

As for the prize II, the water at the test site is extremely bad right now due to drought in the area. The site is thick with mud & just about any dog that didn't train there a few times...didn't do very well that weekend. The three in the duck search is what knocked him out of a prize I, he had the maximum score in all other areas of the test and Ed (the trainer/handler) only had five weeks to get him ready so Zeke must learn quickly.

+1 Zeke is a very solid dog. Zekes field trial training is done by Matt Etter . Zeke was brought to Ed Erickson to prep for the UT in 5 weeks. We would highly consider a pup from Zeke...

[Kona dawg]

Thanks for everyone's replies. It's nice to hear from people that have seen zeke first hand.

[Hattrick]

[quote][/quote]oh for any average dog to do this I believe yes. With proper training anything can be possible. As long as the dog loves water though. Kind of hard to pass if the pup won't take a swim.

Not true most average dogs don't do well in NAVHDA. Its one of the harder titles in the dog world just shy from the german titles from my exsperence.