Hunt Test Run Down

Post by **Greg Jennings** » Mon Oct 11, 2004 4:03 pm

All,

I attended a hunt test hosted by the Indy Britt Club at the Farmland Conservation Club this past weekend.

Everyone was very cordial, the lunch provided be club members was terrific and the test was well run.

The location is convenient to Muncie. I recommend staying at the various hotels on 332 near Ball State University. If you get off that drag, things degrade quickly. It is also where Wal-Mart, Mierer's, and all the restaurants are located. I can heartily recommend "Damon's" for a nice dinner. It's just to the east of the Menard's.

One head's up: the rifle and pistol range is right next to the bird field and was in heavy use while we were there. I kept my pup back at the club house and only ventured with him to the bird field when things had settled down.

Best regards,

Post by **Ayres** » Mon Oct 11, 2004 4:32 pm

MMMmmmm... "Damon's"

They had one of those here in Champaign but it got tore down for some unknown reason. I loved the onion brick (shoelace onion rings fried and stuck together in a brick-like state).

Justus is going on 6 months old and I've started him on birds (he shows QUITE a drive!), so I would assume that I'll begin learning all about field trials and hunt tests very soon.

Here's a question on the top of my list: How do you find out when these tests and trials will take place and the rest of the details? Is there a good website that lists all the trials and tests around an area?

Rusti's Mom · Post by **Rusti's Mom** » Mon Oct 11, 2004 5:19 pm

Go to www.akc.org and click on "events". Scroll down to see what kind of event, hunt tests, field trials, and whether it is for pointing breeds, spaniels, flushers, retrievers. I downloads all AKC santioned tests all over the country for a specific date. Have fun.
Pat

Post by **Greg Jennings** » Mon Oct 11, 2004 7:20 pm

Here is a hunt test near to you. If your V-boy is 6 months by the date of the event, you're eligible to run.

The Junior Hunter event is very easy. Your boy need only find birds and hold them long enough for you to be in something like shooting range.

Equipment wise, about all you need is a cheap, reversable orange/yellow band collar and a starter pistol...both of which you can almost certainly borrow.

Give it a whirl, you'll enjoy it and so will your pup.

Best, Greg

----------------------------

German Shorthaired Pointer Club of Indiana
Saturday, October 30, 2004
Held at Glenns Valley Conservation Club
Waverly, IN
Entries Open: Thursday, September 30, 2004
Entries Close: Wednesday, October 27, 2004
Event Status: Approved
Judging Panel Status: Approved
For additional information contact:
Mrs. Deanne Bertram, Event Secretary
5335 S. 800 East
Zionsville, IN 46077
(317) 769-5325
jason_annabarile@insightbb.com

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Competition Types Offered

Hunting Test HT Pointing Breed View Judging Panel Judging Panel Status: Approved
Entry Fee: $35.00

Post by **Ayres** » Mon Oct 11, 2004 10:58 pm

He'll be 6 months old on October 27, just in time.

I just might be there. We'll have to see how he does with his training between now and then. I just ordered a pigeon trap to get quick cheap birds without having to make the drive out to the quail farm and pay $3 per, so hopefully I'll have him on birds by the end of the week again.

And, looking at the map.. Waverly is very close to Mooresville. My grandparents live there. That would be an easy trip.

icefire · Post by **icefire** » Tue Oct 12, 2004 11:43 am

I would like to offer a bit of caution here, obviously there are different opinions on this subject. I would avoid (and this is from experience) entering un broke dogs in any type of stake. in JH and in some puppy stakes you do not have any control over your dog and it is real easy for your dog to chase down and catch the pen raised birds. 2 bad things happen, one, the dog catches birds and two, the dog starts to make a connection between a field trial/hunt test situation and not being corrected which leads itself to a trial wise dog. I think it is better to wait, till the dog is completely trained, then run it. if that means missing some puppy stakes or skipping JH that is ok. not telling you what to do, just offering something to think about.

Post by **Ayres** » Tue Oct 12, 2004 1:23 pm

What do you mean by "broke"?

And, I'll enter Justus based primarily on how he does with his training over the next few weeks.

He's already established point and held for a few seconds, we just have to spend some time using the bird launcher. And as for commands, he is very obediant with the "here" command, so, like I said it will just depend on how he does over the next few weeks.

icefire · Post by **icefire** » Tue Oct 12, 2004 1:47 pm

a broke dog is one that is trustworthy on birds meaning it points and holds point until released by the handler. that release (the way that i do it) is either here to heel and we leave the immediate area or a physical and vocal release to retrieve. if you are running your dog and it finds a bird and goes on point great, but a young/untrained dog is not likely to hold while the bird flushes and will probably try to chase it down. with big wild birds this is not usually an issue but with pen raised quail or chuckar or even pheasant, it is pretty easy for most dogs to catch them. this is a problem because once a dog learns that it can catch birds, it becomes much more difficult to steady the dog up later. been there, done that, have the scars. now, there are some out there who do not mind their dog catching birds. that comes down to opinion. in my opinion you are doing both you and your dog a disservice by allowing it to do so. now, if you are only going to hunt with your dog, not quite as big of a deal. if you are serious about an fc or mh then you have to realize that these are games and you have to be anal to win the game. when i am doing retrieving exercises wth my broke dogs, if the bird is not absolutly dead i will either not allow them to retrieve or i will shoot the bird again until it is absolutly dead. now, in a hunting situation, things are a bit different unless you paln on trialing the dog you hunt with, then you need to be that careful even when hunting. again, just my thoughts on the matter.

icefire · Post by **icefire** » Tue Oct 12, 2004 1:50 pm

here is another way to look at it. a lot of folks get ribbon hungry and want to get what ever they can as soon as they can even if it sets back their training. I would advise you to get ribbon hungry but only for blues (trials) and what ever color they give out for MH. wait, be patient, train the dog well and right, then show up with a dog that no one is familiar with, win and leave.

snips · Post by **snips** » Tue Oct 12, 2004 4:34 pm

Sorry to disagree here Ice, but there aren`t too many Broke dogs running Jr`s..I would get that pup pointing on his own, used to a bank and go give him some experience and have fun. Nothing better to socialize a pup. I don`t see it as the end of the world to catch a few birds, and I would not put any undo pressure tryig to steady the pup up just for a JH Test. Ayres, we will be n Amo Ind for the NSTRA Nat`l Dog of the Year Trial the last week of Oct. I know it`s not too far from Mooresville. Drop by and say Hi if you can.

icefire · Post by **icefire** » Tue Oct 12, 2004 5:46 pm

don't be sorry to disagree, i personally know people that encourage their dogs to catch a few birds. as i said it is an opinion thing. at one point i didn't see th big deal but then someone kind of opened my eyes on that one. at least for me. do as you wish and yes, a lot of really good dogs have caught birds. i was just giving my thoughts on it, that's all. no, i would not suggest that you run a broke dog in a JH stake unless you just want a different color ribbon, heck, i might even do that! i do not have an orange one yet. if your only goal is JH then go for it. if your goal is SH or MH, at least for me, that is what i focus on and i just think that the unbroke stakes set me back. at least with the way that i train they do. for other folks, maybe it doesn't. a lot of different ways to do things. and no, i do not suggest that he should try to steady up a 6 month old vizsla. mine i am just getting steady to wing at 1 1/2 years old. moved much slower with that dog then with my shorthairs.

Post by **Greg Jennings** » Wed Oct 13, 2004 8:40 am

My opinion, FWLIW, is that anytime I can encourage someone new to pointing dogs to get out to a positive environment like a hunt test, I do it.

I think that the potential of someone turning themselves and their dog into couch potatoes far outweighs the potential of their dog catching a bird at a hunt test.

If the birds won't fly or it rains, you can always scratch.

Stephen, here is another resource that you might find useful:
http://www.vizslaclubofillinois.org/ .

Best regards,

Post by **Ayres** » Wed Oct 13, 2004 11:31 am

I'm an active member of the Vizsla Club of Illinois. Everything happens way up north though, near the Wisconsin border, so I don't get to make much. I have been at the "Double Bubble" (specialty show and fun day at the Busch Farm) for two years in a row now though. The first time we went I convinced my girlfriend that we needed to get a dog. The second time we went I convinced my wife that Justus had the potential to be a DC if we put the work in him. He ended up placing fourth in the "wing-on-a-string" competition, and he was only ten weeks old.

http://www.gundogforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=314

I should be getting my pigeon trap in today and, if the rain ever lets up, I will be able to trap some birds and get Justus on some more this week and weekend. I would bet that even if we don't enter Justus, I'll probably go to that hunt test anyway just to get a flavor of things.

icefire · Post by **icefire** » Wed Oct 13, 2004 12:15 pm

well remember, regardless of any of the crap that i spew on here, the name of the game is having fun. that should be the first and greatest goal of what ever you do with your dog! anything else is just minor details.

Post by **Greg Jennings** » Wed Oct 13, 2004 12:31 pm

With all that said, my dog is bad to chase because he did catch wet birds at a practice hunt test before I knew better. I'd never been around pen-raised birds in my earlier bird-hunting life.

What we as owner/handler's have to keep in the back of our minds is, with everything considered, is this a positive thing for my dog or a negative.

If it's negative, we have to scratch. Period.

For example, in the hunt test this past weekend, it was dry, the birds were flying great but I still would have scratched my shorthair pup if he were the one running. Too much danger of making him gun shy from the rifle/pistol range next door to the bird field. Heck, I almost jumped out of *my* pants when someone unloaded a big clip on full auto over there.

Best,

Post by **Ayres** » Wed Oct 13, 2004 1:39 pm

Ok, I was dumb earlier. Justus will be 6 months old on October 29th. The 27th is when we give him his monthly frontline and heartguard.

He'll still be 6 months before the date of the event, just not before the last day of entry. Would he still qualify?

Post by **Greg Jennings** » Wed Oct 13, 2004 8:53 pm

Yes.

Regards,