Scott Linden Outdoors

Awaiting their turn at the test!

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Just back from helping at our local NAVHDA chapter’s Natural Ability test and as usual, am energized and motivated as well as a little sunburned. The North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association (go here) is a fast-growing group with very clear and sound goals: create better bird dogs through training and sharing of breeding-critical information; and make better bird dog owner-handlers.

Designed for dogs 18 months of age and younger, the NA test is simply that: an assessment of the pup’s natural traits in areas that will ultimately be developed into finely honed hunting skills. That’s not to say you unclip the lead and cross your fingers, as one of the traits being tested is what NAVHDA calls “cooperation,” or a willingness to work with – and for – its handler-owner. But it’s also not about how a good trainer can turn a puppy into a hunting robot.

Here’s a typical test day: 20-minutes in a field salted with chukars, where three judges watch for a dog’s hunting desire, bird finding ability, eagerness to work for the owner, and use of nose. The young dog must point, but isn’t required to remain steady to flush, nor retrieve. Today we watched a Pudelpointer, Small Munsterlanders, German shorthairs, and a Viszla.

A full spectrum of styles was on the agenda: the darting, agile Pudelpointer’s hunt was countered by a more relaxed and very typical Munsterlander, tail feathering even on point with an elegant wave. There was intensity and energy, flowing beauty and moments of pandemonium … but hey, they’re puppies!

A wing-clipped pheasant is then released to run at least 100 yards, the pup asked to track it without having seen the release or run. This test of a dog may seem unreasonable for youngsters, but when you consider the need next time you wing-clip a bird, you’ll appreciate the dog’s obedience and use of nose, even if at this age both are a bit rough around the edges.

Finally, we head for the water, where all that’s required is the dog swim short distances twice. A versatile dog retrieves on land and water, and pups must simply demonstrate that they aren’t afraid to get wet.

It’s the après-swim session that holds the most potential for drama. While waiting his turn, I kept company with a first-time shorthair owner. When I told him the swim was followed by a testicle count, he blanched. Once assured it was his dog’s the judges would count, he relaxed, but not much.

Yep, so buyers and breeders know what they’re getting, NAHVDA dogs’ physical attributes are noted (most folks would expect at least a dinner from the guys administering this feel-up). A careful evaluation of coat, a count of teeth plus bite analysis (overbite, butt bite, etc.), and a look at eyelids (problematic for some dogs) is also done. Only then is the young versatile dog ready for recess and restoration of his dignity.

Following the test, scores are read to the entire assemblage. And since dogs are judged against a (high) standard, not each other, everyone can “win.” Or not. In this test, one dog was awarded a “Prize 1,” the highest score, several received Prize 2, and one a Prize 3. All passed, as it were, some with higher scores than others. Those scores, along with judges’ comments and notes on conformation, are then published in the NAHVDA magazine and website for all who might be interested, either as buyers or potential breeders, for example.

Why bother testing the young dog? It’s one indication of a breeding program’s soundness … seeing as the pups are still very much “in the raw” and genetics still dominate behavior and particularly physical conformation. Tests also clue an owner to whether the dog is worth developing into a finished hunter. Scores also help owners set training priorities.

But most importantly, a NAHVDA test motivates owner-handlers to train for the right skills and traits at the right time. This is one exam where “teaching to the test” makes sense, because the test is so well conceived.