# Navigating NAVHDA



## BellaVT (12 mo ago)

We're thinking of preparing Bella for the NAVHDA Natural Ability test this summer. She'll be 16 months old on Jun 17, and if I understand right, this means we can test her any time before this. We'd hope to do some more specific training with her before then, probably at NAVHDA training days. 

There are two NAVHDA chapters that seem plausible. The Southern Adirondac Chapter is about 1 hr 40 min away in New York, and the Southern New England Chapter is about 2 hr away in Connecticut. Both are close enough that we can definitely go, although I wouldn't be too excited to do the drive every week to train. Both offer the NA test early in early June. Does anyone have experience with one or both of these chapters? 

I think the regular training sessions aren't starting at either chapter until April, although I did notice that the Connecticut chapter seems to be offering a Winter Training session starting in February: Calendar | Sne NAVHDA. I presume this one is indoor training only? If anyone has done this particular session in the past, did you find it worthwhile? 

I'm also a bit confused about the different memberships we would need. If I understand right, we first need to register the dog with AKC (which I did last week). Then we need to also register the dog with NAVHDA? Then buy a national NAVHDA membership, then join a local chapter? Does the order of doing this matter? Does my wife also need a membership if she wants to come to the training days? 

Thanks!


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Personally I would visit with both chapters. See if you prefer one over the other, and join the chapter you feel most comfortable with.
People have had good, bad, and somewhere in the middle experiences when it comes to different chapters/clubs.
It’s not just navhda, the same can be said for local AKC clubs.
I’m a member of a AKC Weimaraner club. I’ve never owned a Weimaraner, and have no intentions of ever owning one. They are a very welcoming club. Run well organized hunt tests, and monthly training days. On the other end of the spectrum, there are some clubs I won’t even run a dog at one if their venues.


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## Dan_A (Jan 19, 2021)

I just joined the Foothills NAVHDA chapter here in NC. They were very helpful in providing me the information around the process. Basically you would need to join the national NAVHDA and then join one or multiple local NAVHDA chapters if you would like to train with them and attend their events. Foothills chapter had a nice rule where you can come to the first training session without joining to see if you like it first. Check to see if the chapters you are looking at also have a rule like this. It seemed joining the national NAVHDA prior to that was essential; however, so that is your basic entry starting point from my experience.

I took Ellie to her first real training session in December, but just missed the 2nd opportunity here last week. The training grounds for us are 1.5-2 hours away and they like to start at 8am which means lots of coffee lol. I look forward to Ellie's next training session and she better get better with her gunshy biz, just purchased a O/U shotgun so that means she needs to get with the program or else I'll be limited to the disc shaped spinning birds without her!

Let us know how your experience goes when you get out to visit one or both of the chapters you are looking at!


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## gunnr (Aug 14, 2009)

All correct. Join the national organization, then the "local" organization. 
There is quite a bit to the Natural Abilities Test. Make sure you get the "Green Book", if they're still using it, and a copy of the test. Your dog will be graded against a standard, not other dogs. It's not really a test that you want to go into blindly. 
No your wife does not need a membership to attend NAVHDA Trials. Pre-Covid, they were open to the public to observe. They were shutdown on testing in 2020, but were able to get back up and running in 2021. One of the areas they, and other clubs use, is 15 minutes from my house.
The particular event you linked to is an indoor event. It is also near a very large field trial and hunting area. It would appear that they just need a large enough facility to setup training tables and such.


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## BellaVT (12 mo ago)

Following up on this, we ended up going to several training days at the Southern Adirondac NAVHDA site in New York State. They're a good group with great people, although it involved more 2 hour drives at dawn than would be preferable. We never made it down to the chapter in Connecticut because the training days were scheduled on the same Saturdays. Our impression from talking to people was that Connecticut chapter was also good, but a lot more formal. 

We successfully completed the NA test there yesterday, with a Score of 100 Prize 3. The prize was limited by Bella's performance in pointing. She's good at finding birds, but doesn't have much if any urge to point them. She'd rather go straight for the grab or the flush if the opportunity is there. She had a solid clear point on a last extra bird (which somewhat surprised us) which allowed her a 2 out of 4. Probably this is something we can train through, but it seems clear it's not her natural inclination. 

She was also (fairly) docked a point on the for "Cooperation". Despite being very responsive to directional commands while in the field, she was resistant to being leashed when we finished each section. This wasn't typical for her, but I think it's because I rarely try to leash her suddenly like that. Given that we also don't do a lot that involves groups of strangers surrounding her, I think she was suspicious that something was up. I probably should start practicing that more so it's smoother in the cases where it's necessary.

This leaves us trying to figure out how to continue with her pointing training. The main suggestion seemed to be pigeons in launchers, followed by more pigeons in launchers. There aren't any good close options for this, though, unless we get our own launchers and start raising pigeons. I continue to think the issue isn't that she likes catching birds so much, but rather that she really likes chasing birds that fly. But given that this is one of her main joys, we're reluctant to move immediately to punishing her for chasing them. 

Since it's a better post with a picture, here's a photo of me (on the left) and Bella posing next to a friendly GSP participant and handler at the site of the water test. Bella was great at entering the water and retrieving the bumper despite the fact that I managed to bop her on the head when twirling the bumper before tossing it in the second time:


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Not uncommon for pointing dogs to love to chase. Pigeons in launchers teach them they can not catch, and so they start pointing, and start holding the point longer.


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