When is the right time to do hunt tests?

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Jonjhawk
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When is the right time to do hunt tests?

Post by Jonjhawk » Thu Mar 24, 2016 9:45 am

I was just wondering what everyone's opinion on hunt tests are? When in the training process if at all should you take your dog to them?

shags
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Re: When is the right time to do hunt tests?

Post by shags » Thu Mar 24, 2016 10:20 am

Whenever the dog can do the work for a particular level.
For pointy dogs...
If the dog holds point for a few seconds and handles reasonably well, go to junior.
If the dog is greenbroke and will retrieve, Senior
If the dog is finished and polished, Master.

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Sharon
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Re: When is the right time to do hunt tests?

Post by Sharon » Thu Mar 24, 2016 12:14 pm

As shags said, but go anyway just to listen and learn without necessarily signing up your dog. Tests are so worthwhile in a variety of ways.
" We are more than our gender, skin color, class, sexuality or age; we are unlimited potential, and can not be defined by one label." quote A. Bartlett

MSU Aggie
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Re: When is the right time to do hunt tests?

Post by MSU Aggie » Thu Mar 24, 2016 4:18 pm

Agree with the advice above. I will usually try to get them ready for a junior test between 6 months and a year. It works well for me as it's basically the same training as the NAVHDA NA test.

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ulmer86
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Re: When is the right time to do hunt tests?

Post by ulmer86 » Sun Mar 27, 2016 12:55 am

I' am not trying to steal the post from jon seemed like a good spot to ask a few ? im new so if it would have been better to start a new post let me know so I do in the future
I been doing a lot of reading on the form/google searching and hunt test sound/look like they could be fun for both me and the dog
i' am new to pointing dogs so I always thought things like this were way above my level and never gave It a 2nd thought bf I joined the form .Just want to make sure I understand everything right

I have a 3 year old German shorthair he is AKC registered

? #1 even tho he is 3 I could do a AKC hunt test in the junior class or is that frowned upon using a 3 year old in the lowest class (would like to start out with the simples tasks to get a feel for it and not set us up to fail from the start)

? #2 for the NAVHDA I would have to become a member and get him registered for the NAVHDA and would have to test in the Utility Preparatory Test beings he is over 16 months
did a google search and there Is a few NAVHDA test closer to home so more the likely would go to one of them first and test the waters

? #3 I could not find what the entry fee for a test is... just looking for a average out of curiosity
Thanks for any and all help with my questions

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RoostersMom
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Re: When is the right time to do hunt tests?

Post by RoostersMom » Mon Mar 28, 2016 1:02 pm

The best advice (I think) I got was to avoid any chance of your dog catching pen-reared birds. That said, my dog did catch several birds during JH tests. I would avoid that in the future. I was also told (by the same pro) that you would put A LOT of pressure on a SH dog if your dog wasn't completely steady because so many of the SH dogs break on the retrieve/back. He advised to wait until you were ready for MH and just skip the SH series all together. I took his advice and passed with flying colors (we never had a "ding on training" but we did fail one test because he didn't find a bird).

Overall, I think this pro gave me good advice, the best being the "don't ever let your puppy catch a bird." That has proven to be really easy to see in dog differences (how easy they are to break) in the current dog that has never been allowed to catch a pen-reared bird. He has been super easy to break and super steady on all of his birds. The same cannot be said of my previous 3-4 dogs. I can almost always now pick out the dogs that he has in training that have been allowed to catch birds (either in hunt tests, training, or running puppy or derby stakes that have released birds) vs. the ones that have not been allowed to catch birds. It's amazing the amount of pressure he has to use on these dogs that just want a bird in their mouth again.

I'm not into the hunt tests, I am more of a bird hunter and now field trialing. The premise that you don't want the pup to catch birds is valid for me in both of the pursuits that I enjoy - hunting and trialing.

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ezzy333
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Re: When is the right time to do hunt tests?

Post by ezzy333 » Mon Mar 28, 2016 1:45 pm

I have never found a problem with a pup catching a bird. I agree you don't want it to continue too long but there are many pups that need to catch when they are young. That is why many trainer use clip wing birds so they can chase and catch. It is, in my mind at least, a minor incident that is blown way out of proportion. Granted, some may be easier to break but I find that directly in proportion to desire to find birds and not because they couldn't chase. In either case, there are so many advantages to running JR and SR that out weigh any negative aspect of doing any hunt test you can.

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Re: When is the right time to do hunt tests?

Post by cjhills » Mon Mar 28, 2016 2:23 pm

ezzy333 wrote:I have never found a problem with a pup catching a bird. I agree you don't want it to continue too long but there are many pups that need to catch when they are young. That is why many trainer use clip wing birds so they can chase and catch. It is, in my mind at least, a minor incident that is blown way out of proportion. Granted, some may be easier to break but I find that directly in proportion to desire to find birds and not because they couldn't chase. In either case, there are so many advantages to running JR and SR that out weigh any negative aspect of doing any hunt test you can.

Ezzy
I do not know what the advantages of running junior and senior would be to the dog.
I also do not have a issue with a pup catching a few birds.
In a hunt test situation if they are allowed to catch in the junior tests, they quickly learn in that situation with horses and people around they can chase and catch and it can be very difficult to stop in senior and master. For that reason I only do master. if I did senior I would have the dog at master level steady. You can collar the honoring dog while the pointing dog is retrieving in senior..........................................Cj.

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Sharon
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Re: When is the right time to do hunt tests?

Post by Sharon » Mon Mar 28, 2016 7:38 pm

"? #1 even tho he is 3 I could do a AKC hunt test in the junior class or is that frowned upon using a 3 year old in the lowest class (would like to start out with the simples tasks to get a feel for it and not set us up to fail from the start) quote

? #2 for the NAVHDA I would have to become a member and get him registered for the NAVHDA and would have to test in the Utility Preparatory Test beings he is over 16 months

....................................
#1 Sure. JUnior is a no pressure level. Age doesn't matter. Go and learn. Great for beginners. I started there and was able to advance to American Field Shooting Dog trials.

Everything you need to know.
http://images.akc.org/pdf/rulebooks/RHTPNT.pdf


? #2 for the NAVHDA I would have to become a member and get him registered for the NAVHDA and would have to test in the Utility Preparatory Test beings he is over 16 months

True. HUge start for a beginner.

http://www.navhda.org/testing/utility-preparatory-test

Jr. Test Cost? $30. + here in ON.
Last edited by Sharon on Mon Mar 28, 2016 8:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
" We are more than our gender, skin color, class, sexuality or age; we are unlimited potential, and can not be defined by one label." quote A. Bartlett

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ulmer86
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Re: When is the right time to do hunt tests?

Post by ulmer86 » Mon Mar 28, 2016 8:05 pm

Ok thanks for verifying that for me. Maybe I will see a few of you out there this season.

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