Back in the Saddle: Preparing for the NAVHDA UT Test

Cleo at Steady by the Blind

This posts title is a bit misleading because we never really leave the "saddle". Were always busy with the girls working towards some type of goal. It's good for our sanity and theirs as well. Well directed GSP energy creates happy GSP's. Happy GSP's eat less of my stuff like expensive flip flops keeping me happy which in return makes Jim happy and then were all happy. I love it when were all happy.

The title is more accurate in a sense that I've been a legit crappy blogger as of late. I've been training for some Muay Thai competitions and the thing that has suffered the most has been this blog. Which sucks BUT after this July I'll be way more dedicated to keeping this blog up to date. This is when I put down my bourbon and lemonade slushy and cover my tye dye t-shirt wearing heart and raise the other hand and pledge to do a less crappy job for all of you readers.....so help me god.

Master Hunter Bling and a happy Jimbo

Now that we have that out of the way a quick spring recap and then onto the UT update. We ran the girls in some AKC Hunt Test braces this spring. Luna was our little super star bypassing Juniors and Seniors and jumping right into the Masters division and passing her first brace at the age of 13 months. By 15 months of age she completed 5 of the required 6 braces. We will finish off her title this coming fall as soon as the seasonal tests become available again. Cleo also did a pretty darn good job in Masters and only has 2 more braces to earn her respective title.

Luna also had her first heat cycle followed by a crazy growth spurt. She is close to an inch taller than Cleo now and maybe four inches longer. Her chest is dropping and we feel she is going to fill out a bit more. She's turned into quite a hellacious tank. My little pupper is all grown up. ***This is when the sad trombone music plays***

Luna returning from her Duck Drag

Cleo being sent on a duck drag. Jim telling her to Track Track Track Track....

Cleo bringing back the bounty

This time last year Luna was a 16 week old puppy and therefore missed out on a good portion of the UT work we put in with Cleo last year. We introduced her to ducks at 18 weeks of age and tried to lay a good foundation for her with mini searches and tracks but we knew the real work would start this spring. This past Friday and then again on Sunday we began formally introducing her to the sequences of the Utility Test. Both Luna and Cleo are scheduled to test in the UT this coming September at the Delval Chapter.

Cleo being sent during the steady by the blind sequence

Luna staying steady during her turn

We kicked training off for the dogs with some duck drags. Cleo has historically done a fantastic job with drags and did so again this weekend. We set a small drag up for Luna on Friday and after a successful first time out he increased the distance on Sunday. She had no issues with the track and we quickly moved onto the Steady by the Blind sequence. The steady by the blind sequence is where the wheels came off the cart for Cleo last year when she tested in UT. Up until that point she had knocked her field work and duck search out of the park with 4's. Needless to say we will be spending more time in this area of the test for her this time around. She did a pretty nice job during training this weekend so we feel were off to a good start. Luna did an exceptional job considering she had never been exposed to this segment of the test before. She heeled wonderfully, sat quietly and retrieved her bumper delivering it to hand.

Luna's duck search

Luna getting to carry her duck back to the truck

Is that Cleo or the Swamp Thing??

After some mud puddle four wheeling we made our way over to the duck search pond. Our friend wanted to see if we could get Luna to go out without a visual. He kayaked out the receiver off of one of his Dogtra remote release traps and hid it on an island across from the area we would send Luna from. The receiver can either quack or beep to be located. If needed we could use the quacking to coax Luna out farther into the pond. Jim brought Luna up to the shoreline for her first real duck search and sent her out. She swam out a ways and then returned not entirely sure what was expected of her. Jim called her over, set her back up and resent her and then our friend hit the receiver with the quacking. It was like fireworks went off in her head and she moved right out into the water, past the island and across the pond to the other side. After about 15 minutes she started making her way back with a duck. Success! It was a great first time out for her.

Water Serpent....Jim's favorite

Kerry Lucas receiving a duck from her girl Indy after a very nice duck search

Occupying my time while waiting for the dogs to return.

Cleo also had a successful duck search. She milled around for a minute or two after being sent but then took off across the pond. It took about 10 minutes before she appeared with her mouth stuffed full of duck. It was a positive and progressive day of training. We'll stay focused on water work for the next couple of weeks and hopefully be a well oiled machine by test time. Below are some additional pics of our and our friends dogs during training.

Cleo and Luna's older sister Grace owned by Keith and Kerry Lucas. I'd LOVE to know what was going through her head.

Indy also owned by Keith and Kerry Lucas jumping a tree on a duck drag

Luna's duck drag hand off

Bonnie's crazed duck game face! Bonnie is owned by Bob G

This is Cleo with the hammer down barreling towards the water. 

Cleo and Luna's father Maximus owned by Bob G

I do love me some dragonfly pics

Miss Grace AKA The Duck Stalker

Be sure to check us out and like us on facebook: Adventures of a German Shorthaired Pointer

NAVHDA Natural Ability and Utility Test Results

The big day finally arrived and yesterday we drove down to our home chapter (Del Val) and tested 6 month old Luna in her NAVHDA Natural Ability test as well as running Cleo in her Utility Test. We had a pretty darn good day. Luna received a prize one and Cleo earned a pretty respectable prize two.  Jim did a great job handling the girls and I thought he showed a tremendous amount of poise for being not only a first time UT handler but running both girls in the same day.

Cleo on point with Jim in the middle and Jake Bean and Robert G gunning

I once caught a fish this big!

Cleo did a great job in the field. She ran big and it took over 2 minutes for Jim, the gunners and the judges to reach her on her first point. I was so nervous I had to turn and look the other way. It was the longest 30 minutes of the day for me but she stayed nice and steady and had a great run. Luna kept the sentiment going and also did a great job making us super proud of our puppy.

Luna on point

The two things everyone worries about on test day are the track for the NA test and the duck search for the UT test. Those always seem to be where dogs get themselves into trouble. Luckily Luna had no issues with the track. Cleo had a super interesting duck search but in the end it all worked out. Our biggest fear was that she wouldn't immediately go out and search that she would mill around the shore for a few minutes before expanding. Much to our relief after 35 seconds she headed out to the furthest part of the pond. After 9 minutes the judges instructed Jim to call her back and he did. Not 20 seconds later she found a wild duck and it took off across the pond with Ms. Sassyspots in hot pursuit. To make a long story short she eventually got her duck and delivered it to hand and we breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Luna Lu AKA Shark Girl

Geneva convention of dogs

This was my favorite picture from the entire day. I wonder if he saw any remnants of my flip flops or jade plants in there. I mean there had to be residual cat poop or SOMETHING...... 

The wheels kind of came off the cart for Cleo when we got to steady at the blind. For some bizarre reason when Jim walked away she stood up and barked at him four times. She has NEVER done anything like that and I couldn't even begin to fathom why. But just to keep the self destruction going (I mean why stop there) she went and retrieved the duck and then dropped it twice before handing it over to Jim. Our hearts pretty much sank and we knew she blew it. She also dropped the duck during the drag which was always one of her most solid parts of the test. It was frustrating to know she had done so well earlier and then stumble somewhat at the end. But regardless we really were happy with the prize 2.

So here is your official WARNING.....I'm about to have a bleeding heart moment. In fact it's incredibly rare. Five bucks says hell is freezing over at this exact moment at the melting of my black little heart. So either run to your TV to watch the news reports of icebergs in hades or sack up and get some kleenex cause were about to get real people.

I'm thankful. Like really flippin thankful. Jim and I were blessed to get hooked in with such a great NAVHDA chapter who's members really rallied around us to help us achieve the goals we set. We have been nothing short of fortunate to have spent the spring and summer training with this group of people.

Flash back moment to Luna working with Bob G when she was only 13 weeks old.

Thank you so much to the folks who came out and gunned, organized, supported, and cooked an amazing lunch for everyone. What a great group of people they are. The judges also deserve a big shout out as they lost a day they could have spent with their families or working their own dogs. Without them we wouldn't get to do what we love. Thank you Larry Lawton from NY, Glenn Basko from NJ and Chip Holcher from MD. You were good judges and we appreciated your insight and thoughts at the end. Also thank you to all you readers. You guys and gals ride the highs and lows of this fun sport with us and for that I'm thankful as well.

As for us and the pointer sisters were going to enjoy hunting this fall. Most likely we will go for a couple of Cleo's master hunter braces and then go for that UT prize 1 in the spring or fall.  I wish part of earning a prize 1 in NA means you have to behave but Lu's already dashed those prayers by trying to eat a frog tonight and then foaming at the mouth profusely. What a jerk. Anyhow like us and follow us on facebook at Adventures of a German Shorthaired Pointer and I'm gonna stop being all sappy. Back to my hardened facade. I got a fight to train for. :)

Rock Tavern, NY NAVHDA Training Day

Frank, Danny and 5 1/2 year old Britt Diego

When Jim and I started on this crazy bird dog adventure two years ago our breeder Bob Corsaro required us to run our GSP pup Cleo in a NAVHDA Natural Ability Test. At first Jim and I were a little turned off that we were required to test the dog but in reality it was a blessing in disguise. Knowing that we had to test her and not wanting to be unprepared we sought out how to train her. Very quickly into that process we realized that we loved it and a new hobby/obsession was born. 

AJ - A beautiful 8 1/2 month old DK pup

When we first began researching NAVHDA (North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association) we heard mixed reviews. The normal negative feedback was that it was clicky, some people were snobby and there was prejudice against certain breeds. Jim and I joined but did so guarded. Our experience with NAVHDA is that its full of knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and helpful people who will go out of there way to hep you and your dog achieve the goals you have set. We have experienced none of the things we were warned about and have found it to be a great asset to our training. Today we drove close to 3 hours to Montgomery, NY from Bucks County, PA to train with the Rock Tavern NAVHDA Chapter.

AJ and his owner Frank on a Pheasant Track

Oak and his owner Rick also on a Pheasant Track

We spent the day working the younger dogs in preparation of their Natural Ability Test. They worked on pheasant tracks, getting the pups in some water and lots of field work. Cleo who is working towards her Utility Title also got to dabble with a duck search or two, staying steady by the blind, duck drags and walking at heel ect. It was nice day for training. See below for some pics.

Cleo returning from a successful duck drag

Sophie the DK retrieving a bumper

Pop and his Britt Diego on the way to the lake

8 1/2 month old AJ on Point

14 month old Oak in the field on some birds

Sophie on point

Today was a great day of training. We met so many nice people and got to watch a great group of dogs do what they love the most. It always makes me feel good about the world when perfect strangers can work together and help each other. If your unsure about joining a local NAVHDA chapter give it a shot. You'll be amazed at how much you can learn and how friendly everyone is. 

Cleo returning from a duck search. She felt is easier to run down the road then to swim back. 

Cleo had a so so day. She did some things well and other things not so well. If you have been following this blog the past year Jim and I have been on a quest to test Cleo and have her place in a UT test. She has been scheduled to test next weekend. As of this afternoon we decided to pull her out. It's a tad bittersweet but for the best. Cleo is an amazing dog. In fact the only down side to her is Jim and I. She is a much better dog than we are trainers. Cleo is our first hunting dog and from the get go we have been aggressive to do as much as we possibly could with her as far as testing and hunting. It's what she loves and what we love too. The past year has been amazing as far as learning experiences and we owe so much to Bob Corsaro for his guidance. But in the end she just wasn't ready. Her fieldwork is good, she stays steady by the blind, she heels like a champ and her ducks drags are normally perfect. But she needs more water work. We would have been setting her up for failure next week if we ran her. We are by no means abandoning our goal we are just going to hunt her all season and enjoy her and get back on the horse come spring. Hopefully one year from now I'll be blogging how we went to the UT test and kicked its ass and took its name.  As an aside, Cleo smelled so awful on the 3 hour ride home is was borderline unbearable. She smelled like the swamp thing. And even after a solid bath she still seems a tad bit stinky. Gross. But such is life with a hunting dog. So stayed tuned for hunting adventures and the silly sassy things she always does. Also if you get the chance check Cleo out on facebook. Her page is titled: Adventures of a German Shorthaired Pointer. On facebook we post extra pics and updates that don't always make the blog.

Fieldwork: The Saga Continues

Once again we ventured to New Jersey this morning to train with Bob Corsaro in preparation of Cleo's NAVHDA Utility Test. The test is coming up quick! There is about 6 more weeks to train until it's showtime and the deadline is fast approaching. Jim and I arrived a little early this morning and we got the chance to watch two 8 month old DK brothers train for their NAVHDA Natural ability test. We first saw the pair when they were only four months old so it was a blast seeing their progress.

The first pup up was Chase who is pictured above with his owner Anthony and his daughter. When we showed up he was in the process of working on a pheasant drag so I didn't get the opportunity to photograph him in action. But I will say that he did a real nice job. For an NA test it always seems to be the track that gets people in trouble. Bob started these pups off weeks ago tracking dead pheasants and today they graduated to live ones. They are well on the way to their big test day which is the same weekend as Cleo's UT test in September. I did however get to tag along and watch Chase on some planted quail. See the pics below.

Chase's brother and litter mate Boss had a good day of training as well. I was at least lucky to see Boss complete several tracks before heading out to find some quail.

In the picture above Jim and Frank Hulsman use two leads attached to a live pheasant to drag it out into the field for Boss. The leads ensure that Jim and Frank's scent stay off the area where the bird has been drug.

Above is Richard Rojo, Boss's owner giving him praise after successfully tracking the pheasant. Once Boss did well with the pheasant being drug on the lead Bob had Frank and Jim release the bird without any leads. Working together they straddled the pheasant as it ran along just like they will do in the actual NAVHDA NA test. Boss had no issues and found the pheasant rather quickly. I also got a chance to watch Boss work the field, see below.

Cleo also worked the field today with mixed results but before any of that occurred Frank helped us out with a duck drag.

Jim instructing Cleo to "track".

Cleo on the return

 Cleo had a flawless duck drag today which has been consistent for her. However the wheels came off the cart in the field. We've had issues getting Cleo fully steady. As my father would say it's been an albatross around our necks. As soon as Jim released Cleo and instructed her to hunt em up she took off like she was fired out of a canon. She found her first bird, pointed, and then crept when she should have been steady. Agh! So aggravating.

On the second bird it only went more down hill. She found the bird, pointed, crept and then when the bird flushed she ran halfway across the field after it. The word that comes to mind is frustrating.

Her last bird she did better. She pointed and held and when the bird flushed and flew Bob and Jim were close enough and she didn't run.

It's almost like she regressed over the past couple of weeks. Today is without a doubt the worst she has done in the field in a really long time. Bob called Jim on the way home and Jim is going to take her back up tomorrow along with some pigeons. I guess its time to start reinforcing her whoa command. I will say that when we came home Jim put her on the table and worked whoa with her. She did great. We put a pigeon on a string and she did phenomenal. All I can say is what the heck Cleo?! I know you can't have a good day everyday so we will be back at it tomorrow! Stayed tuned for updates and be sure to check out Cleo's facebook page called Adventures of a German Shorthaired Pointer.