A few weeks ago on an eighty degree day
perhaps a hundred dogs died in South Dakota. It was one of the
hottest pheasant openers in recent memory. There were a dozen
reasons why: the heat, pushing a dog too hard, no water, the
enthusiasm of the day, wanting to get the most out of the money
spent on the opener and perhaps the most important dogs not in
condition.
If you are like most hunters/dog owners your dog rarely gets
out other than an occasional ride to the lake or to fetch a
stick. Besides from November 1 until September there is no bird
work to do, so what are the alternatives. The best alternative
I know is getting active in hunt tests.
No you don't need to make the tens of thousands of dollars investment
in dog trailers, horses and pro |
fessional trainer. Hunt tests are designed
for the little guy, the hunter type, the guy or gal that would
like to make their dog a better performer and get some quality
dog work in the off-season.
Most people don't know where to start! Yea I know you can do
as I suggested, just drive out to an event and see what all the
hub bub is about. But I thought I'd start a great series of
articles taking you through running the hunt test. So in a series
of about a dozen or so articles over |
the next few years you'll learn first hand about Ron
and Scooby running the Junior, Senior and hopefully Master Spaniel
hunt test series and hopefully we can follow Jenny as she progresses
through the Junior, Senior and Master Pointer hunt tests series.
I'll also walk you retriever people through the retriever Junior,
Senior and Master Retriever Hunt Test series.
When I spoke to other people about it, I have yet to hear that
anyone has done such an elementary project. But there's a lot
to learn. And not just for the novices. The pointer people never
attend spaniel hunt tests and vice versa. So there's even something
for the event coordinators to learn.
What is a hunt test?
First of what all what is a hunt test? A hunt test is simply
a test to verify you dog has some basic skills expected of that
breed. And unlike a field trial, where there is one winner, EVERYONE
can win at a hunt test event. What we are TESTING for is basic
field skills.
Who can enter a hunt test?
If you have a registered dog you can run in a hunt test. If your
dog is not registered, you can apply for an
|
