Moose my intent was not to talk you out of NA testing but to rather give you an idea that the Na test  is to give the breeder what information they need to digest in breeding plans  for natural ability and to give a handler an idea of what they need to focus on in further training of there young  dog.  I have witnessed dogs that FAILED TO PASS A NA TEST AND YET RECEIVED A PRIZE 1 IN UTILITY TEST.

 Ribons   themselves don't make great hunting dogs.

 Have a merry X-mass everyone!!!

They are not required to be steady for the NA test so the is no reason to whoa them. I haven't even taught our 6 & 3 year olds whoa but then I don't use a check cord either, so I probably don't know what I'm doing

I think one of the best things you can do is attend a Handlers Clinic. It is suprising what people THINK the judges are looking for and what is really being judged.

I have seen people FF their puppies just to get them to do the swimming part of the NA test, that does not show natural ability to me and I would not want a pup out of one of those dogs.

Just a few rambling thoughts as I wait to go home for Christmas

What chapter on the west side will you be testing with?  I will be prob testing in the spring with my pup in the southwest chapter.

The water is the easiest part of the test as pretty much anything goes.........all the dog has to do is go in to swim depths twice and for the most part come out when you ask him to.   The water portion is just confidence to go in trainability if the dog will listen to you.  They don't need to bring the bumper back or swim for a set time, nothing.  You can give them 30 different commands the judges don't care; just as long as he will swim and not ignore you when you call or whistle him out.

Speaking of whistle you can use a whistle during all portions to call your dog back if you like vs "come".  The judges will have you call the dog back a time or two checking the dogs attention and willingness to obey.   I use a whistle.

I find this so hard to believe. That in a catagory that is based soley on cooperation a hanlder can given any command as much as they like. Cooperation ends once a command has been given. The judge then needs to judge obedience.
During the track in NA what commands are allowed and how often can a handler give them?
I put my dog 's on a track and say 'search". And during the drag, the only other command I give is "drop", once the dog is sitting next to me.
Are other handlers doing more?
I use a whislte,sparingly, during the field portion but only to show the dog's natural cooperation level and willingness to follow a command.In NA or UT little handling ought to be needed,except in those times when everything just seems to be going wrong, which is when a skillful handler shows what they're made of. I feel that handlers who give comands often should be told to be quiet. is this not true in NAVHDA?
Enquiring minds want to know.
Obviously I put waaaay to much pressure on my dogs. I will not change how I train but it does change the playing level.

Clicker training is just a fancy way of talking about a method of training that has been around for a long time.  It is called operant conditioning.  You give the dog something they desire at the moment they do something you want them to do.  However, when training you cannot always treat them at the precise moment they do what you want.  So instead you substitute the clicker or a word like "Yes" to indicate to them that they are doing what you want and something good will happen like a treat shortly.  All this goes back to the work that Skinner did many years ago.  It works for dogs, dolphins, humans, etc. It is simply another method in the trainers bag of tricks.  A good trainer will use what works for them and the dog they are training. I always recommend people who are training their dogs to keep an open mind to training methods and if one doesn't work try another.