Well things didn’t turn out like I had planned, but the OK_NAVHDA Test this past weekend wasn’t a total collapse. My 5-month-old pup earned a NA Prize II and really made a strong showing considering she played second fiddle to the older dog’s preparation. The two year old was a different story though. We started in the field Sunday morning and she worked the area flawlessly pointing six birds. The only trouble was she broke with the flush on five of them, even tried to take my hickey and whoa her. I was almost beside myself because I had worked her religiously over the last 6 months on all phases of the test. Even worked steadiness on Friday afternoon with out a hitch. I considered that part the least of my worry. Because of that wreck she received a score of 1 on steadiness and no prize. We finished out the day with 180 points with Prize I scores in all other phases of the test except obedience, which was directly tied to the steadiness issue. No prize, but I felt as though she was a winner because she pulled it together and made a strong showing otherwise. Not bad for a couple of NAVHDA rookies and at least I feel like the rest of my training is in place. Hopefully a little maturity and a change in my steadiness training will make a difference. I want to thank those of you that have provided input to several of my questions and hopefully my next update will be about that Prize I.
Coveyrise64
NAVHDA UT and NA Test
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Coveyrise64
- Rank: 5X Champion
- Posts: 760
- Joined: Sat Nov 20, 2004 12:57 am
- Location: Oklahoma
Coveyrise,
I can feel your pain. Last month I took my 13 mo. old girl for her NA. We ran 1st at 7:30 a.m. after an early morn shower, with an extremely heavy dew and fog thick enough to make it very difficult to see her past 50 yds. It was so wet out that the birds wouldn't fly even if you lifted them in the air 4 or 5 ft. with your foot. Even with the wet conditions, she pointed 8 birds solidly and held point, with 1 of them being a Chukar held over from the night before. When I moved to flush it, the Chukar ran 30 yds. around a corner of the grass and down field 70 yds. Well, the judge ordered me to call her off and move on and when I released her she started to track the bird, so I called her again and the Sr. Judge told me hush and let her figure it out... well, she tracked the bird the 100 yds to yet another staunch point. The Sr. asked me to go and flush for her and bring her back while they consulted. When I got back, they informed me that if I was willing to accept it, they already had a tracking score for her as they had seen the birds path and she had been flawless in following it up. I, of course, said yes through my gushing pride. I helped with the birds for the rest of the dogs for a couple of hours while we were waiting to do the waterwork....
and then it happened.....
we got to the water, I pitched the dummy for her, without hesitation she started to walk into the water, like normal, and she just stopped..... she came back out and I asked her to go again and she walked right into the water again and just stopped.... afetr that she came out and refused to go in again, even with a bird after being recalled. She had been in the river and the lake everyday for 2 mo.s solid without so much as a hiccup and had fun doing it, but whatever was in her mind that day, she just shutdown and came up and hid her head under my knee. I praised the heck out of her, I was still proud as all get out. The judges told me she was onto a 112 Pz.1 up to that instant. As funny as it may sound, I think she was more disappointed than I was.
I can feel your pain. Last month I took my 13 mo. old girl for her NA. We ran 1st at 7:30 a.m. after an early morn shower, with an extremely heavy dew and fog thick enough to make it very difficult to see her past 50 yds. It was so wet out that the birds wouldn't fly even if you lifted them in the air 4 or 5 ft. with your foot. Even with the wet conditions, she pointed 8 birds solidly and held point, with 1 of them being a Chukar held over from the night before. When I moved to flush it, the Chukar ran 30 yds. around a corner of the grass and down field 70 yds. Well, the judge ordered me to call her off and move on and when I released her she started to track the bird, so I called her again and the Sr. Judge told me hush and let her figure it out... well, she tracked the bird the 100 yds to yet another staunch point. The Sr. asked me to go and flush for her and bring her back while they consulted. When I got back, they informed me that if I was willing to accept it, they already had a tracking score for her as they had seen the birds path and she had been flawless in following it up. I, of course, said yes through my gushing pride. I helped with the birds for the rest of the dogs for a couple of hours while we were waiting to do the waterwork....
and then it happened.....
we got to the water, I pitched the dummy for her, without hesitation she started to walk into the water, like normal, and she just stopped..... she came back out and I asked her to go again and she walked right into the water again and just stopped.... afetr that she came out and refused to go in again, even with a bird after being recalled. She had been in the river and the lake everyday for 2 mo.s solid without so much as a hiccup and had fun doing it, but whatever was in her mind that day, she just shutdown and came up and hid her head under my knee. I praised the heck out of her, I was still proud as all get out. The judges told me she was onto a 112 Pz.1 up to that instant. As funny as it may sound, I think she was more disappointed than I was.
Bruce Shaffer
"If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten"
Mark Twain
Bruce, Raine, Storm and GSP's
Almost Heaven GSP's
"In Search of the Perfect GSP";)
"If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten"
Mark Twain
Bruce, Raine, Storm and GSP's
Almost Heaven GSP's
"In Search of the Perfect GSP";)
I have ran alot of dogs in n/a,and I had a couple of dogs who did some great tracks while in the field.The judge who decided to use your dogs track while in the field should be applauded,as a track
in the field is rarely used.
That is one rare navhda judge,as he judged what he saw,he did not just keep score.
I would run under him again if you get a chance.
By the way who was the senoir judge?
in the field is rarely used.
That is one rare navhda judge,as he judged what he saw,he did not just keep score.
I would run under him again if you get a chance.
By the way who was the senoir judge?
Snips,snips wrote:Grant, if you are doing Kage, he has to do it before 16 mo. You need to do one before the end of Oct. if I am correct.
For it to count, you are correct. Kage can run in NA at any age, but there will be no prize awarded after 16 mos.
Larue,larue wrote:I have ran alot of dogs in n/a,and I had a couple of dogs who did some great tracks while in the field.The judge who decided to use your dogs track while in the field should be applauded,as a track
in the field is rarely used.
That is one rare navhda judge,as he judged what he saw,he did not just keep score.
I would run under him again if you get a chance.
By the way who was the senoir judge?
The Sr. judge was Dave Trahan from "On Point Kennels" and yes, he was a fantastic Judge. After the bar-b-q and scores were read, he came over and talked to me for some time about her overall performance in the field work and about the water. We talked through the scenario to see if we could figure out what shut her down, as she had never hung up like this with water except the normal first intro to water, and gave me some ideas to go on and work with. He did make me feel pretty great about her fieldwork, he told me not to bother with the NA and to start working towards her UT and that as long as I resolved the water issue, I was going to see high scores with her! Maybe an Invitational
(Grant, We need a crossed fingers emoti 
)Bruce
Bruce Shaffer
"If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten"
Mark Twain
Bruce, Raine, Storm and GSP's
Almost Heaven GSP's
"In Search of the Perfect GSP";)
"If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten"
Mark Twain
Bruce, Raine, Storm and GSP's
Almost Heaven GSP's
"In Search of the Perfect GSP";)
Grant,
If you've already paid for the test, go run it. It's a great time and will give you a good benchmark for where you are at in training to work from and the Judges will be able to tell you what they see and feel needs work. Then start training for your UPT and UT.
Then you will need that crossed fingers emoti too!
Bruce
If you've already paid for the test, go run it. It's a great time and will give you a good benchmark for where you are at in training to work from and the Judges will be able to tell you what they see and feel needs work. Then start training for your UPT and UT.
Then you will need that crossed fingers emoti too!
Bruce
Bruce Shaffer
"If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten"
Mark Twain
Bruce, Raine, Storm and GSP's
Almost Heaven GSP's
"In Search of the Perfect GSP";)
"If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten"
Mark Twain
Bruce, Raine, Storm and GSP's
Almost Heaven GSP's
"In Search of the Perfect GSP";)