Spring is right around the corner….

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Rocky Mountain Chapter members…

The new year is on us and your NAVHDA Chapter is gearing up for another busy spring and summer. The Chapter’s annual meeting was Jan. 14 and I wanted to share the highlights with you.

  • Membership renewals are now due. Dues and test fees remain the same for 2016.
  • Our Spring Test will be May 21 and 22. Our Fall Test will be August 20 and 21.
  • If you’re testing this year, don’t wait to sign up. You can download the test entry fee at http://www.navhda.org/sites/www.navhda.org/files/assets/Test_EntryFrm.pdf
  • Training days are the first Saturday of the month from March through June, plus August. Early training days are subject to the weather – and we will reschedule if we can. Right now, we’ve scheduled training events for March 5, April 2, May 7, June 4 and August 6. Remember, you must be an active member ( 2016 dues paid) to participate.
  • The Chapter’s financial health bears watching. We lost money on both tests last year. The Board will be looking at ways to raise funds and cut costs without reducing the quality of your training and testing experience.
  • We’re considering holding a Handlers Clinic to help handlers better understand how their dogs are judged during a test so they can train to meet the standard. Handlers Clinics can draw interest from other states and may help with fundraising. Please let us know if you’d be interested in attending a Handler’s Clinic this year.
  • Likewise, we will consider hosting a Snake Avoidance clinic. These are also very popular. Please let us know if you’d consider training your dog to avoid rattlesnakes.
  • Our bird supplier is in flux, as Steve Secor of Field Trial Game Birds has sold his operation. We’re working to finalize a plan to provide birds for training and test days. Bird cost will be a consideration.
  • Many thanks to outgoing Board members President Phil Booghier, Vice President Dave Shickle, Treasurer Liz Dyer, and Directors of Fundraising and Promotions Lowell and Buffy Kaufhold, for their selfless service to the Chapter. These are the folks who helped make things run the past two years.
  • The Board welcomes several new members to our ranks this year. Please say thanks to Daniel Sprague, Sara Heesacker, Sherry Holt, Angela Fresquez for their willingness to volunteer their time in support of your Chapter.
  • The Board adopted several revisions to our By-Laws. You can review them on our By-Laws page. If you’re testing a dog this year, please review our Standing Rules, which describes how test entries are handled.

Thanks and we look forward to working with you in the coming months!

Sincerely

Theo Stein

President

 

MAY 2 TRAINING DAY: Mock Test volunteers needed

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NA FIELD RETURNMOCK TEST ON MAY TRAINING DAY

With our May test less than three weeks away, we’ve have had several members with Natural Ability level dogs ask if we could hold a mock test. Mock tests are great for new handlers to gain an understanding of the testing environment in a low-pressure atmosphere. However, mock tests require volunteers.

Based on demand, we will run a mock test for NA dogs on May 2, but we need everyone who participates to double as volunteers. That means when not running a dog, each of us will need to support others by planting birds, acting as field marshal, handling tracking birds, manning the popper gun, and preparing equipment. PLEASE RSVP HERE BY TUESDAY APRIL 28 IF YOU WANT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE NA MOCK TEST

Before the NA Mock Test, the May 2 Training Day will begin with a brief meeting of Utility/Utility Prep/Invitational handlers for a group discussion on what training they will pursue during the day. This group may also wish to hold a mock test, which will require a significant commitment of time and energy from all involved handlers. The UPT/UT test scenarios are more involved and require more birds and equipment at the water search/heeling/steady by blind/retrieve of duck sequences.

For a UT mock test, we need 8-10 knowledgeable individuals to commit to staff the effort for the entire morning to set up and hold a mock UPT/UT level test. A UT Mock Test will need bird planters, gunners, duck search planters, and set-up for the launchers and heeling course.  IF YOU ARE A UPT/UT LEVEL HANDLER PLEASE RSVP by TUESDAY APRIL 28 TO RESERVE BIRDS AND INDICATE YOUR WILLINGNESS TO VOLUNTEER.

SO:
• RSVP BY TUESDAY APRIL 28 here to order birds for training day
• RSVP BY APRIL 28 to indicate if you’re willing to help run a NA or UT mock test.
• RSVP if you plan to attend.

The weather could warm up by next weekend, so bring plenty of water for your dogs and water/sunscreen/bug spray for you. Needless to say, make sure you’ve administered your preferred tick dope to your four-legged friend.

Thanks much and see you next weekend.

Theo Stein/Secretary

[email protected]

 

April Training Day

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By Craig McLaughlin
April’s Training Day is just around the corner, and we are planning another full day of training drills that will help members raise the level of their dog’s performance in the field.Once again, the Natural Ability level dogs will be addressed as a group; this pack will run through basic obedience drills to help enforce their attentiveness in the field, including recall, exposure to birds in the field, and tracking.  The warming weather should allow us to work on introduction to the water as well, and with any luck we may have most of these young athletes swimming by day’s end.

Utility- and Utility-Prep level dogs and their owners have the steepest hill to climb to be successful by summer’s end – these dogs are working on obedience, and control as their owners work to channel and shape their natural instincts into usable behaviors that will ultimately mold them into usable hunting companions.  Obedience in retrieving, steadiness in the field, and a self-confident duck search are all extremely important aspects of a Utility Dog’s training. We will focus on each of these in April, starting off the day with an interactive session on force fetch.Since the March training day, we have received many of comments from our members that are training UT-level dogs – they are interested in the “how-to” details of force fetching.  Force fetching is the ultimate drill in obedience for you and your dog, and while it is not a pleasant routine to travel through (taking weeks to complete), the process of force fetching yields a more obedient and cooperative hunting partner.  However, force fetching takes determination, requires good timing, and definitely takes patience to complete.

Force-fetching is best done as the primary/only retrieving  regimen; your dog will be easily confused by playing fetch, searching for ducks, or practicing duck drags during the weeks that you are working on force fetch – so it is best to take a break from all retrieving activities until after the force fetch period is complete.Steadiness in the field is a challenge for many versatile dogs, and we will run drills that allow members to build steadiness using a variety of methods and equipment, including the training table, release traps, check cords, and tethered birds.For dogs that are not entrenched in force fetch, we will conduct some drills that build young dogs’ desire and confidence in searching for ducks, using live ducks, small water bodies, initially exposing the dogs to ducks, and gradually building their skills by introducing them to larger areas and thicker vegetation.

Members who are taking their UT/UTP dogs through force fetch can find additional options to work their dogs during the day, including drills in heeling, and steadiness by the blind – neither will interrupt the flow of force-fetch or create training issues if practiced by a dog which is in the process of being force fetched.

We look forward to another strong turnout in April, and recommend that you RSVP and place an order for birds early, to ensure that we have a ready supply on hand to support the day’s activities.

2015 Fun hunt

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Save the date!

Join us on April 18, when we head to Colorado Clays in Brighton for a fun afternoon of wing shooting. If you’ve never been to Colorado Clays, you owe it to yourself to come test your skills on their gorgeous course, which is located in a mature cottonwood grove along a prairie creek. Crossing shots, tower shots, shots from a platform – and those dastardly rabbits!

Take the Bromley Lane exit from I-76 and go 6 miles east to Lanewood Street.
Brats, Burgers and prizes after the shoot!
Win Cabela’s gift cards and Rounds of clays!

Where: Colorado Clays (13600 Lanewood St, Brighton Colorado 80603)
When: Saturday April 18th at 1:30pm to 5:00pm
Cost: $60.00 per shooter

For more information please check out the Clinics/Seminars/Fun Hunts page.

It takes a chapter….

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Rocco retrieve

Running in the NAVHDA Invitational is guaranteed to be a nerve-wracking experience. But when you’ve got the first dog running the first field on the first day and he starts finding wild birds – the blood pressure is bound to rise.

Fortunately, Rocco handled these surprises with aplomb, no doubt because of the hours of training and mentoring we enjoyed as members of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of NAVHDA.

Can a first-time gun-dog owner train a pup all the way to  VC? With a little help from his friends – you bet!

Our chapter is extremely fortunate to have a number of experienced handlers – breeders, judges, trainers and long-time hunters – who can help you and your dog achieve your goals, whatever they are. Maybe you’re hell-bent for the Invitational. Maybe you just want to see your dog learn to fulfill his or her potential.

For me, the first-timer, this meant uncountable hours saved because of mistakes I didn’t make, clues I didn’t miss, and frustration that never took hold because so many chapter members were ready to help.

To Chapter VP Dave Shickle, former President Cheryl Aguiar, Director of Judging Brian Thoman – and most of all Training Director Craig Mclaughlin of Scarecrow Kennels- THANK YOU! Here’s another RMC VC because you cared enough to help.

Rocco point