<P>I have a female Chessie with an HR title. I will be running her in HRCH test this fall. I am thinking of running her in A.K.C. test also but have never been to one. What training do I need work on, or add to run in these test. I was thinking of starting at Senior level. She does excellent on multiple marks and walk ups. Is very good on land blinds out to 150 , 175 yards, but still needs some improvement on water blinds, but is improving every time out. </P>
A.K.C. Test
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<P style="MARGIN: 0px">Duxbak</P> <P style="MARGIN: 0px"> </P> <P style="MARGIN: 0px"> In a AKC senior test your dog will need to honor another dog. I am not familiar with the other tests you have run. The senior div. is ussually pretty fool and will last all day if you get called back after the land test. I wish I could be of more help where are you running at?</P> <P style="MARGIN: 0px"> </P> <P style="MARGIN: 0px"> Bassman </P>
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I am mostly an HRC person myself, but I have run a few AKC Senior and Master tests. Expect long water entries, especially on blinds. Expect them to have you send your dog on a blind with an obstacle (dead limbs, etc.) on the line to see if the dog will go over or around. You can't talk to your dog until the judge calls "dog" (releases your dog). No saying "here", heel", "mark" etc. You are expected to stand there silently and stoically. If your dog has a hair trigger, practice with someone saying "dog" before you release pup. Expect really poor marks; i.e. hand-thrown, low arcs, barely visible, etc. They generally shoot a popper from the field before throwing to get the dogs attention. Expect a bubba gunner from somewhere near (20 yards) the line. You will not be shooting a gun, but you will be given either a wood gunstock (with no barrel or action), a real gun taped shut, or a wooden cutout of a gun to hold, and point if you want to. Don't ever, ever, ever talk to your dog while it's out in the field; whistles and hand signals only. Straighten-up whistles will be counted against you, so don't use them. Terminology is different. An AKC walkup is not anything like an HRC walkup. An AKC callback is not the same as an HRC callback. <br> <br> Good luck. Oh, one word of caution; while handler whining and complaining about the club, tests, judges, etc. is common at HRC tests, it is NOT common at AKC tests. If you whine and complain at an AKC test, you will probably be treated as though you had a disease; i.e. you will not make many friends. Personally I think this is a good thing.<br>
<P>The senior test is a handling test. Although the rule book says a good mark and no whistle is high marks, I have had judges refuse to give me a call back because the dog I was running passed the bird and took one whistle to stop him and bring him back. When asked what the problem was, I was told I failed to show the dog would handle. If I would have stopped the dog, gave a couple overs or a back, then I would have shown he would handle. That has happened two times. I would work hard with your dog and run master and save my time & money running senior. In AKC you actually have to train the dog to pass a test. Most of the time, it does not represent a typical hunting situation. It is more of a game than anything else. Not much consistancy in any of the tests. I have run JH with longer single marks than master with multiple short marks. It's up to the judges to set up the test and make the call. Orion is right about any negative input. AKC does not want to hear it. Starting next season, I will only run tests when actually needed by a friend or client that is looking for the title for breeding purposes. Tired of games! Bring on the birds and hunters. I enjoy getting those dogs ready. Jim</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0px">If you can get there, there is a very large AKC hunt test in Hambden this weekend. 14849 Rock Creek Road (state route 166) in Hambden. It's the Buckeye Retriever Club property, but their test was last weekend. The Labrador Retriever Club will be borrowing the grounds this weekend. There are 230 dogs entered total! There will be a little over 50 Senior dogs to watch and they will start to run on Saturday around 9am. </P> <P style="MARGIN: 0px"> </P> <P style="MARGIN: 0px">I love the HRC program and prefer it to the AKC program. Kevin and Jim clearly have had some bad experiences, and they do happen. Once you get into the hunt test game you need to start keeping a "little black book" of judges' names. List all the one's you have run under or those whose tests you wandered over to see. Talk to the handlers in the gallery who are running the test. What did they say? What did they say about the series you did get to see? I try to run under judges I know set up fair, challenging, creative tests. If anyone on here went to the Buckeye Retriever Club's hunt test last weekend (and I know there were a few) then you saw good tests. One set of master judges ran ten dogs through their test and only passed ONE DOG!!!! They conferred, altered the test, and ran the entire flight through the new and improved test, except for the dog that passed. Some dogs still screwed up; they broke, they howled and barked while the birds were in the air, they blew off their handler who promptly called them in from running the blinds (neither of which was over 100 yards).</P> <P style="MARGIN: 0px"> </P> <P style="MARGIN: 0px">The previous week there were some hard a$$ judges who take great pride in fooling dogs. I did not run their test because I know them and don't care for their philosphy. I did not see there test, but I knew most of the dogs and handlers who ran it. Of the roughly 35 dogs that ran, only 6 were given qualifying scores by the judges. Of the roughly 28 handlers who ran, all of them were given ulcers and migraines by the judges. No one should have to spend money to be put through that kind of aggrevation over a dog!</P> <P style="MARGIN: 0px"> </P> <P style="MARGIN: 0px">The next AKC Hunt Tests in northeastern Ohio won't be until October 1-2 and 8-9. I know the judges will be solid for those two tests. </P>
<P>90% of what I do is ducks and geese. The only reason I was thinking of running A.K.C. test was for breeding purposes. The dog that I will use as a stud has Canadian, A.K.C. and HRC. titles. I was told that with the A.K.C. title the pups would be more appealing and be of more value. </P>
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