I have been working Ringo (he is now 6 months old) on birds and have had him in a mock JH test.  This is my first time training a dog for hunt test or even hunting.  I was advised for now to just take him in the fields and let him find birds, flush and shoot the starter pistol and then let him chase them (but not catch them).  All this would help build drive and make it fun for him. So, here are some questions I have:

1)  I have read the rules with JH and was wondering how much work people put into their dogs before they enter them for JH testing? 

2) Also, can the dogs drag a check cord in the test?  and can the handler use the check cord to keep the dog from potentially catching the bird? 

3) Now here is where I will really show my ignorance, but at what point do you fire the starter pistol in the test?  It says, when you get within reasonable gun range.  What is a reasonable gun range?

4) Also, how much verbal encouragement can you give the dog during the test?

Please too, any other advice on preparing a dog for a JH test would be greatly appreciated.  There are some tests coming up in Central Texas in February and I would love to be able to enter Ringo. 

By the way, in the mock test he found all the birds in the field, pointed very well, and held the point until I got up to him.  That said, if the bird had run or flown I am sure he would have chased the bird. He was also working very fast and needed very little guidance from me on direction or where to look. I walked briskly the field and he worked both sides and a good ways out from where I was walking. I tried to guide him to likely cover for the birds (they were scattered in the field and were not planted so we did not know where they were located), and kept him moving.

Bev - If you'd like to email me directly at drose@desertrosekennel.com I'd be glad to help with all your questions. But to answer what you've posted here:

For JH, when I judge, what I expect to see is a pup who hunts independently, checks objectives (bushes, trees, etc) smartly and uses the wind to his advantage. When I say "hunts independently", I do NOT mean a dog who is simply going for a walk. Unfortunately, I seem to see a lot of that lately. I do not penalize (as some judges who think only in terms of field trials do) a dog whose range is close as long as he is truly hunting and demonstrates to me that he understands that he is out there to find birds. He should show passion for hunting.

When he finds a bird and points, you as the handler have to identify it as a point for the judge. Raise your hand, say "POINT" and make sure the judge heard you. As a judge, I want to see the point and be able to count to three at least. To me a point needs to be fairly staunch, even as a junior. I need to see some intensity and while quivering or maybe a little flagging is permissible at this stage, I do not want to see the whole back end wagging. That is not a point. Neither is simply standing there (see this a lot - where the handler finds a bird and stands still until the dog comes over, wondering what is going on. The dog stops and the handler yells "POINT". Riigggghhhhhthtt) As soon as I've gotten to the count of three (this is me, not every judge is that way), then it really doesn't matter what happens next. If the dog bumps and chases, no problem at this stage. If he does that, as soon as that bird is in the air, you fire your blank. If the dog holds point, you move in, flush the bird and blank it as soon as its in the air. If you can't get the bird to fly and you've really tried, as for permission to blank when the bird is on the ground. You'll need to wear an orange hat and that's usually the best way to get a resistant bird up - throw your hat.

I personally would not let your dog do a lot of chasing - that just sets up a problem you'll have to fix later. But it won't be penalized in JH. I also would not let him flush as that too will be a problem you'll have to fix later.

No the dog is not supposed to drag a check cord in a hunt test. He needs to be at least under some kind of control without you physically restraining him. I have allowed (with prior permission requested by the handler) a handler to grab the collar prior to flushing the bird to prevent a chase and go backwards in training. That's a matter of interpretation of the rules, so if it is something you really want to do, you need to ask. Don't be surprised if the judge says no.

As for verbal reinforcement, I would sure hope no judge would be too harsh if you get verbal positive reinforcement when the dog is doing it right. If you really have to "hack" - aka, holler a lot to get the dog to listen - you will be dinged on trainability.

As to how much prep to do, would your dog make it through what I described above? Can he locate a bird on his own and hold point long enough for you to call it and the judge to agree? If not, you need to stop allowing him to flush until you get to that point. If he does hold at least a few seconds, you probably can run JH now.

Other than what is described above, as long as he can run with a bracemate and not get himself in trouble either by fighting or constantly wanting to play with the other dog (which tells the judge he is more interested in playing than hunting - not a good thing), JH is very easy to pass.

Jean

Desert Rose and Trey -

Thanks for the input.  After having run the mock JH test and reading the rule book I was pretty sure Ringo could pass.  The person who judged the mock test was really good and she loved my boy.  He was pointing like a pro and holding.  She had also told me about calling Point and waiting for the judge.  The only reason I was using the check cord then was to keep him from going after the bird or catching the bird.  There was no problem with playing with the other dog.  He did follow for a while, but then got more interested in the hunting game and finding birds than the other dog.  There are some JH tests coming up in February that I will enter him into.  My breeder should also be at those tests so I can get some guidance from her and her son too.

I will get the orange vest and hat (I had read about it in the rule book). If I have any more questions I will certainly ask.

Thanks again for the quick and very helpful response.

Good luck Bev.  Have fun!   

Thanks for all the advice.  Ringo is entered in JH tests the last two weekends in February.  I am confident he will do well.  I will let you all know how it goes.