Sunday, March 14, Kaia, Lyn and I attended our second Hunt Test Training Day at Whistling Wings Hunting Retriever Club in Fall City. Vee went with us too but she didn’t run any tests. She’s getting to the age where she’s content just to watch the young dogs and maybe hang around the camp kitchen erected for the hard working ladies that volunteer to feed the gang of dog people who show up for these events.
Kaia began to get excited already as we drove down the rutted gravel road to the farm that serves as training grounds for WWHRC. There was no question that she remembered her first practice hunt last month.
We got signed in and took a little walk to air the dogs before the real fun started. Kaia is running in the Started Group which is the first of three groups that dogs are sorted into, according to their skill level. HRC hunt tests are not competitive events. Instead of competing against each other as dogs do in field trials, HRC hunt tests judge each dog against a set of standards that are established for each skill level. The standards are set for 4 levels:
Started Hunting Retriever (SHR)
Hunting Retriever (HR)
Hunting Retriever Champion (HRCH)
Grand Hunting Retriever Champion (GRHRCH)
Tests are conducted, several times per year by different local clubs within the HRC. “The Grand” is a national event held twice yearly.
It takes a very talented dog and a very dedicated handler to reach the higher levels in this sport. Most of the people and dogs who participate are hunters but, there are a number of participants who never hunt. They find more than enough satisfaction in running hunt tests with a well trained dog.
Kaia did very well in the started dog group. Her retrieves were close to flawless and she displays a drive and focus that made me very proud to be her handler. I, on the other hand, have a lot to learn about this sport. It seems obvious that I wasn’t bred for this kind of stuff and I’ll just have to learn it the hard way.
It’s inspiring to work with such an enthusiastic animal and the great folks that help run these events. We saw Labs, Chesapeakes, Goldens, and even a couple of poodles showing off their stuff at different levels. I’m already looking forward to the practice next month. If you have a retriever you might want to get involved with HRC. It’s FUN!
Kaia began to get excited already as we drove down the rutted gravel road to the farm that serves as training grounds for WWHRC. There was no question that she remembered her first practice hunt last month.
We got signed in and took a little walk to air the dogs before the real fun started. Kaia is running in the Started Group which is the first of three groups that dogs are sorted into, according to their skill level. HRC hunt tests are not competitive events. Instead of competing against each other as dogs do in field trials, HRC hunt tests judge each dog against a set of standards that are established for each skill level. The standards are set for 4 levels:
Started Hunting Retriever (SHR)
Hunting Retriever (HR)
Hunting Retriever Champion (HRCH)
Grand Hunting Retriever Champion (GRHRCH)
Tests are conducted, several times per year by different local clubs within the HRC. “The Grand” is a national event held twice yearly.
It takes a very talented dog and a very dedicated handler to reach the higher levels in this sport. Most of the people and dogs who participate are hunters but, there are a number of participants who never hunt. They find more than enough satisfaction in running hunt tests with a well trained dog.
Kaia did very well in the started dog group. Her retrieves were close to flawless and she displays a drive and focus that made me very proud to be her handler. I, on the other hand, have a lot to learn about this sport. It seems obvious that I wasn’t bred for this kind of stuff and I’ll just have to learn it the hard way.
It’s inspiring to work with such an enthusiastic animal and the great folks that help run these events. We saw Labs, Chesapeakes, Goldens, and even a couple of poodles showing off their stuff at different levels. I’m already looking forward to the practice next month. If you have a retriever you might want to get involved with HRC. It’s FUN!
