I hope it’s ok to post this here. I signed up for a hunt test at the end of the month. My pup just turned 11m old. I’ve never done a hunt test. My pup is in the same boat as me. I’ve talked to the fella who started the group and he’s been super helpful. My fear is. My pup is good here at home with recall. But being she’s not allowed to wear a e collar and in a different environment. I’m not sure what she’s going to do. She’s also never ran with another dog. She’s not aggressive. But it does take her a couple mins to realize they aren’t going to kill her lol. I was told she will have to back the other dog. She’s never backed anything. Lol. I’ve had her on quail. But just her. Any advice on what I can do before this hunt test to get her ready. I appreciate all the help.
Newbie to hunt tests.
- Thread starter llbliss
- Start date
I can definitely do that. I’ll work on as much as I can. And just do a full send.
Mosby
Well-known member
If it's an AKC pointing dog hunt test the dog can wear a GPS collar...just not an e collar. Some handlers put a gps collar on a dog during a hunt test to make the dog think they have a collar on and thereby some level of control. Some dogs are collar savvy and behave a bit more when they feel the weight of a collar around their neck. If you go this route, check for approved devices.
Train your dog to recall to both a whistle and an e collar. Whistles are allowed in AKC hunt tests but it's helpful to have a dog trained to both IMO for hunting.
Find a local trainer to help you work your dog on backing (or all of the above). Consider putting your young dog in a JH hunt test which would not require the dog to be steady or back another dog.
I ran my Pudelpointer in the NAVHDA NA test 2 years with no experience prior. Best thing about it is the months we spent preparing for it really built a solid bond between him and I. Everyone will there will be supportive and your dog will be amazing no matter what happens. Have fun and don’t sweat.
I believe that the AkC junior test is 2 single marks land or water followed by two singles marks of the other, assuming you are called back for the second series. No dog honoring at the junior level. Your dog will run by itself. I believe you can use a whistle to handle the dog. Google AKC jr hunt test and I’ll bet you can watch one. You might get a live flyer for one of the marks. A duck or a pheasant. I believe that the dog has to retrieve to hand.
LC Smith
Well-known member
The JH test for AKC is pretty simple and easy. You get to hold them at the line. They only do one mark/retrieve at a time. They are pretty short marks being usually about 40-60 yards. I had one mark on his final series that was 122 yards, but it was still pretty simple. How well does your GSP do with water marks/retrieves? In the tests I have run there was one mark that landed in the water and one mark that was tossed onto the opposite bank. The dog had to swim across the water and then make the retrieve on the opposite bank. In JH they don't ding you for running the bank on the return if that is how the bird is tossed in that particular technical pond. There are a ton of really good JH videos on YouTube. The dog needs to retrieve to hand. Most JH judges are pretty liberal on just how big of a "step" that is for the handler to get the bird from the dog.