LAST SPRING AND SUMMER I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO TRAIN AND HANDLE FOUR OF THE PUPS FROM “BELLE’S” LAST LITTER IN THEIR NAVHDA NATURAL ABILITY TESTS. THE DOGS THAT I TESTED WERE TWO OF THE FEMALES, ROAN AND MARTA, AND TWO OF THE MALES, ROCKY AND CRAZY. I STARTED TRAINING IN MARCH AND THE FIRST OF THREE TEST WEEKENDS WAS AT THE WISCONSIN RIVER CHAPTER TEST IN MID MAY. WE HAD A GREAT WEEKEND.BOTH OF THE FEMALE PUPS, ‘ROAN’ AND ‘MARTA’ HAD AWESOME DAYS AND BOTH EARNED PRIZE I. MARTA WITH A PERFECT SCORE OF 112, AND ROAN WITH 106. ROAN FAILED TO POINT 2 OUT OF THE 14 FINDS SHE HAD IN THE HUNT PORTION OF THE TEST. HER ONLY FAULT WAS TOO MUCH ENTHUSIASM WITH SO MUCH BIRD CONTACT.

THE NEXT WEEKEND FOR TESTING WAS AT THE MINNESOTA CHAPTER TEST IN EARLY JUNE. I WENT ON SATURDAY TO WATCH THE UTILITY DOGS RUN THEIR TEST. ON SUNDAY ROCKY GOT HIS CHANCE AT THE NA TEST, UNFORTUNATELY HE DIDN’T POINT THAT WEEKEND AND DIDN’T QUALIFY FOR A PRIZE.

WE HAD ONE MORE CHANCE AT THE KETTLE MORAINE CHAPTER TEST IN MID JULY. BOTH ROCKY AND CRAZY WERE SIGNED UP TO RUN ON SUNDAY. BOTH DOGS DID VERY WELL IN BOTH THE FIELD AND WATER POTIONS OF THE TEST. IT ALL CAME DOWN TO HOW THEY WOULD DO IN THE TRACKING PORTION OF THE TEST. CRAZY RAN FIRST, HE HAD A HARD TIME AT THE FRONT OF THE TRACK, THE BIRD JUMPED ABOUT 10 FEET AND THE DOG COULDN’T LOCATE WHERE IT RAN AFTER IT LANDED. WE DIDN’T THINK HE WOULD GET A GOOD SCORE. ROCKY RAN A LITTLE LATER AND HE NAILED HIS TRACK. ALL THAT WAS LEFT WAS TO WAIT FOR SCORES TO BE READ. NEIL MARSHALL, CRAZYS’ OWNER, AND I WAITED IN ANTICIPATION AS THE JUDGES FINISHED THE SCORESHEETS. CRAZY RAN FIRST THAT DAY SO HIS SCORES WERE READ FIRST, HE PASSED WITH A PRIZE III, AND A SCORE OF 97. ROCKY’S SCORES WERE READ THIRD. HE ALSO PASSED, WITH A PRIZE II AND A SCORE OF 107.

QUALIFYING REQUIREMENTS FOR A NAVHDA NATURAL ABILITY BREEDERS AWARD ARE; FOUR PUPS FROM THE SAME LITTER MUST EARN A PRIZE, AND THEY MUST HAVE AN AVERAGE SCORE OF 90 POINTS.WITH THE READING OF ROCKY’S PASSING SCORE THAT ASSURED THAT I HAD PRIZED FOUR PUPS FROM THIS LITTER AND QUALIFIED FOR A NAVHDA NA BREEDERS AWARD. THEY HAD AN AVERAGE SCORE OF 106 OUT OF A POSSIBLE 112. ALL THE HARD WORK HAD PAID OFF. THIS WAS A GREAT LITTER OF PUPS AND THEY GOT THE AWARD THEY DESERVED. I HAD A GREAT TIME MEETING AND EXCHANGING IDEAS WITH ALL THE MEMBERS, JUDGES, AND VOLUNTEERS OF THREE DIFFERENT NAVHDA CHAPTERS IN MINNESOTA AND WISCONSIN.

NAVHDA MEMBERSHIP IS A GREAT WAY FOR DOG OWNERS TO LEARN HOW TO TRAIN AND HANDLE THEIR DOGS. THE TESTING PROGRAM IS A SOLID TOOL FOR MEASURING A DOGS ABILITY AND TRAINABILITY. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND PARTICIPATION TO NEW PUPPY OWNERS THAT ARE INTERESTED IN TESTING OR TITLING THEIR DOGS, OR WANT THE HELP AND ADVICE OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN THROUGH THE PROCESS OF TRIANING A DOG. MORE INFO IS AVAILABLE AT www.NAVHDA.org.