Why NAVHDA ?

There are things I have done as an upland hunter that have heightened my knowledge and passion for all things uplands. In no particular order the ones that had the biggest impact include purchasing my first real bird dog, joining a local Pheasants Forever Chapter as a board member, and most recently joining and participating with a local chapter of the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association (NAVHDA).  

NAVHDA is a training and hunt test organization founded in 1969 with a stated goal to foster, promote, and improve versatile hunting dog breeds across the United States and Canada. A hunt test has some similarities to field trialing with some distinct differences.

In field trials, dogs compete head-to-head with other dogs. As an example, if 10 dogs compete, they will be ranked from 1st through 10th place. In a hunt test, a dog's performance is judged against a known standard. Although, at this point, I have never participated in a field trial, I think the hunt test format lends itself more easily to collaboration because the dogs are not competing directly against one another. 

 In theory a dog going through a Utility Test in Wisconsin would be judged the exact same way as a dog going through the same test in Texas. Each test has 3 judges who evaluate the dog's performance and ultimately give the dog 1 score. The dog receives a Prize I, Prize II, Prize III, or no prize. There 4 different hunt test dogs can participate it in. For further info on scoring and the testing system check out the links.

https://www.navhda.org/about-the-navhda-testing-system

Aims, Programs,& Test Rules PDF

The scoring system can be confusing to newcomers and in fact NAVHDA offers a 2 day Aims and Rules Clinic to help members get a solid understanding of the testing system. Don’t have the extra time available? Don’t let that stop you. NAVHDA has some of the most supportive and welcoming people as members. 

One of my few regrets as an upland hunter is not joining NAVHDA sooner. I avoided joining until I had a bird dog for 7 years because I was intimidated, thinking I didn’t have enough knowledge to participate and the members would look down upon me.   Please don’t make the same mistake. 

When I joined NAVHDA I found a community of passionate upland hunters and bird dog lovers. Members are willing to help one another with training dogs, answering questions, and exchanging information about hunting. Notably, NAVHDA has broadened my friend and network group in the upland community. 

An unforeseen benefit has been the addition of “training season” Before NAVHDA hunting season would come and go. With the exception of a day here and there the dogs and I would do little training in the off season.  Now, April is looked forward to as the beginning of the “training season”. We keep busy for the majority of the year with hunting, training, and testing. Not only are our dogs better conditioned, we have a stronger bond with our dogs who perform better in the field. Long and short, it has made it easier to participate in the upland lifestyle year round. 

Participating in training days and volunteering at hunt tests has given me the opportunity to rapidly increase my knowledge about hunting dogs. This year alone, I have been able to observe and, at times, assist with the training of 20 to 30 dogs in addition to my own 2. Being exposed to so many different dogs, handlers, and training challenges has given me a much broader perspective than I could have gained by working only with my own dogs 

By far the most important and unexpected benefit I have experienced is discovering an activity both my daughter and I share a passion for. When I showed up at the first training day at my local NAVHDA chapter my daughter begrudgingly came along with me and our young Epagnuel Breton. At the time I had no plans of testing Bucky, but instead was looking for a little extra help with training him. 

A chapter member named Jayme encouraged Addy to run Bucky in the NA test. Between April and August of that year Addy discovered her own passion for bird dogs as she worked hard getting Bucky and herself ready for the test. Chapter members such as Rob, Dave, Jacob, Ann, Peggy, and Brian to name a few shared their knowledge and supported her. 

In mid June 2024 Addy was surprised she got into an NA test at a nearby chapter. She wasn’t sure she was ready but knew she might not get into another test. We woke up at 4:00 AM and drove 2 ½  hours where we spent the day outside in miserable weather. The good news was it rained most of the day which kept the hoards of mosquitoes off of us. Addy was just hoping for any Prize level whatsoever. I will never forget the look on her face when the judges started reading the scores off. “Nose 4, search 4, water 4, pointing 4, tracking 4, desire 4, cooperation 4 for a perfect score and a Prize I.

Fast forward to today Addy handled Bucky to a Prize II Gun Dog Test and is working towards the Utility Test. We love dog training together and she has become a trusted training partner.