Water Phase

March 21, 2009

Buckeyes Plantation
Jersey, GA

First training day with the local NAVHDA chapter. Some folks were preparing for the upcoming Natural Ability test and they invited us along. The water phase posed no problem. Tessa had a blast in the pond.

NAVHDA Test Rules - NA:

"A truly versatile hunting dog must possess the desire and confidence to swim. The water test should take place at a spot offering easy, gradual access to deep water. The handler will be provided a selection of training dummies. The handler will be instructed to throw a dummy into water of sufficient depth for the dog to swim. The dog is expected to make a forward moving entry into the water and swim twice. For a complete and fair evaluation, the Judges may ask for the dog to be sent into the water more than twice. The dog’s swimming speed and style are of little importance. A dog that leaps into the water will not be scored any higher than the dog that enters without hesitation in a more deliberate manner. Dogs that retrieve the thrown object will not receive higher scores. The retrieve is immaterial - the importance here is whether or not the dog has the desire and self confidence to swim twice. Dogs requiring game as an enticement to swim will be moved to the end of the line and called back after all other dogs are tested. If game must be used to entice the dog, the game must be dead. When dead game is used, the maximum attainable score will be a “2.”