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You may not know it at the time but there is an alterior
motive for the help they are giving. Clubs are notoriously always
understaffed. They may have a fall hunt test planned, but no
one has volunteered to run the event or plant birds. ANY warm
body that wants to get involved is appreciated. And you know
rarely will you find a person at these events that you're not
willing to share a beer with.
As I have said earlier there are no winners at a hunt test
only a pass or fail score. So unlike field trials, everyone tries
to help everyone else. And you will see that at training days
as well as the actual test.
Next step
So you went to the Bird Dog & Retriever News website www.Bdarn.com
clicked on clubs and went through all the breeds and found a
club in your area to get involved in, went out to the training
day now what.
The next step is to find an event in your area. You can do that
by turning to our calendar of events at the back of this magazine
or on our events page on the net. In the calendar of events we
always list a contact person and phone number if available. Give
the number a call. Tell them you're new at this and want to sign
up for the event. Do this at least a month before the event.
They will walk you through the procedure and make sure you have
a map to the event and make sure all goes well.
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The paperwork
There is a simple entry form to enter any pointing breed hunt
test on the web at:
www.akc.org/pdfs/AFN999_1003.pdf
You will need to send this with your entry fee, about $30, to
the test secretary typically about two weeks before the event.
To find all dates and addresses you can go to the AKC website
event search at: www.akc.org/dic/events/search/index.cfm
There you will find deadlines and addresses.
The paperwork's done, now what?
You SHOULD get confirmation either in writing or a phone call
from the event secretary the week of the event. If by Wednesday
you don't, give them a call. Don't wait til Thursday or Friday,
many times by then they are on the road or hard to contact. In
the confirmation you should get your running order and brace
mate.
What's a brace mate?
Unlike the flusher events we talked of last issue. Pointers run
in braces or groups of two dogs. You will know the type and name
of dog and the handler. So if your dog had a recent fight with
a Gordon and is uncomfortable around them, and you're paired
up with a Gordon, you may want to make a call to change your
running order. It's a pain, but running orders can be changed.
The night before
Things get hectic the day of the event so I like to pack the
truck early. First thing you will need is a leash and collar.
Second is a blank gun. Don't have a gun? First time I ran I didn't
either. I talked nice and |
borrowed someone's that was there. But you should spend
the $75 and get yourself a starter pistol. But shop around a
bit, mine is a bit heavy.
OK you have gun WITH SHELLS, collar and leash. That's all you
need for the event. But trust me you have much more to pack.
If you don't have a good crate you'll need one sooner or later,
so go out and get a good one. You'll find 90% of the time at
a test is consumed by waiting. And your dog will be much more
comfortable in a crate. Next thing you should make sure you pack
is an orange vest, everyone wears one, and it's a fashion statement.
Throw in a good pair walking boots. I happen to like wearing
an old pair of tennis shoes. The event is a walking event. But
I can get around better in tennies.
Finally, your going to be there perhaps half a day so throw in
some water, both for you and the dog. A lawn chair is a must.
And a few snacks don't hurt.
The day has arrived
So you're ready to run. Most events start at 8 A.M. but check
your paperwork. Unlike flusher events in pointing events the
judges typically do not have a meeting with all the entries before
the event starts. So if you're running in the tenth brace don't
worry if you don't show up until 9 AM. If you figure 20 to 30
minutes a brace you should be pretty close, but DON'T BE LATE!
With pointing hunt tests there is a gallery; that's people wat
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