Junior Hunter Test

[BirddogBenelli]

We have a great group of people who are interested in training bird dogs.  I plan on entering Benelli into her first JH Test at the end of April.  I know that she will need to pass the test on 4 different occassions but somebody tell me what each "test" entails?  I haver heard a few different things?  Any help would be great

[blabman]

 Junior hunt test.
There will be 2 single marks on land and 2 single marks on the water or having your dog go thru the water. Your dog must deliver the bird to your hand.

[BirddogBenelli]

No problem!  Thanks.

[BirddogBenelli]

Is anybody taking their dog to Waseca during April 25-26 for the hunt test?  i believe it is the Southern MN retriever association.  This will be the first hunt test for my dog, really looking forward to it.  Maybe try to find a few morels when i am there too!

[blabman]

Is anybody taking their dog to Waseca during April 25-26 for the hunt test?  i believe it is the Southern MN retriever association.  This will be the first hunt test for my dog, really looking forward to it.  Maybe try to find a few morels when i am there too!

I will be running my dog in Wisconsin that weekend.
Good luck to you. Try not to get nervous, and remember to breathe.

[BirddogBenelli]

I am a little nervous about the upcoming event.  I was not aware they use actual live birds.  I have only had my dog on live birds when she had her adult teeth inside of her very small jaws and she wasn't able to retrieve the grouse with a small mouth and big teeth.  I am hoping she will be ok.

[BirddogBenelli]

Well this weekend didn't go very well at all.  I got to the grounds, got one of the judges to give me a dead duck.  Went off the grounds and my dog would not pick it up.  she would smell it and then come back to me..I was just heartbroken.  Over and over she wouldn't pick it up...Again, heartbroken...I was already registered for both days and she wouldn't pick up the bird.  Rather than embarrass myself, I told my fiance we were going home and checking out of the hotel early.  i then realized it wasn't my dogs fault.  I had never had her retieve dead birds before.  I got home and within 10 minutes I had her retrieving to hand.   

Overall a very big educational event.!

[Cody Gruchow]

i had the same problem with my dog, but it was with the retreiving dummy, he would retreive the bumper perfectly but once i threw the pheasant dummy he wouldnt pick it up, so i made him sit and put it in his mouth and made him hold it, now he loves that dummy, will retreive it all day. dont know if thats what you did when you got home or not?

[Spinach]

Don't worry about it, you learned a great lesson and will know next time. Don't get discouraged at all. You did the right thing by leaving and stopping the dog from learning bad behavior or making mistakes.

Good luck and keep us posted on the progress. I love hearing stories like this good or bad....... Thats how the rest of us learn too.  

[BirddogBenelli]

No, she has regular bumpers and she also has dokken duck, pheasant and 2 grouse dummies.  when I got home I used the actual dead duck that I got from the event and within 10 minutes she was retrieving to hand.

[Cody Gruchow]

well now you know what to expect i guess, learn the good from the bad.