Learn about hunt tests and field trials and how to get started with your pointing dog.
Want to get involved in hunting events with your pointing dog? I have lots of written and audio content about the different types of field trials and hunt tests to get you started.
Curious about what it’s like to transform a pet dog into a skilled bird hunting companion? In my memoir, The Accidental Bird Dog: My Journey with an Extraordinary Vizsla, I share my evolution from someone with no interest in hunting and a reluctance to own a dog to a passionate participant in bird hunting events.
Looking for guidance to kickstart your journey? I offer personalized virtual coaching sessions tailored for pointing breed dog owners, designed to help you excel in hunt tests and field trials. We’ll identify where to start, set achievable goals, and navigate your training with support.
Zara is my 11 year old Hungarian vizsla. When we first got Zara as a puppy, my husband and I had no intention of training her for hunting. When Zara was two years old, I entered her in a Junior Hunter Test at her breeder’s encouragement. With little training, she did exceptionally well and I found myself amazed watching her natural ability. Soon after, I decided that I wanted to train her to a more advanced level and that began a long journey that has taken me places I never imagined. Thanks to her, I’ve become passionate about all things related to performance dogs, hunting, and dog sports.
I found it really difficult in the beginning to find good resources. My goal is help people new to the hunt test/field trial world figure out the best way forward with their dog so you can be successful and enjoy seeing your dog do what it was bred for.
“Prior to bringing my GSP puppy (Elsa) home I had vaguely planned on running her in a NAVHDA Natural Ability test but I didn’t start seriously thinking about it until she was around 7 months old. Once I started reading more in depth about the different sections of the test I realized I was in WAY over my head, it was clear that pointing dog training was going to require resources that I was struggling to find on my own. I jumped at the opportunity when I saw Terry Ann was offering virtual coaching services (as I did not want to send my dog away) and this was a game changer in terms of results and our future plans.
By the time I started working with Terry Ann we were on a pretty tight timeline and I still hadn’t managed to get any meaningful training done with Elsa. She recognized the need to get things rolling quickly and helped me select a local trainer to do bird and gun introduction with, navigate my first NAVHDA training day and provided me with additional learning recommendations. And of course answered my truly endless list of questions.
Terry Ann helped guide us through an intense period of training in about 7 weeks. I started with a dog who loved water but had never seen a game bird, tracked anything alive or even hunted a field. We ultimately walked away with a Prize II, 105 points. Most significantly Elsa received full points in pointing, use of nose and tracking – none of which would have happened without Terry Ann.
Beyond that I have now jumped head first into all things pointing dog with Elsa and am so excited to continue working with Terry Ann this year. She’s helped me plan out my testing and trial season for the spring, set reasonable goals for the year and is even helping me on my journey to keeping some training birds in my suburban backyard.”
Kelsea, GSP owner
I was interviewed by Vicki of Show Dog Prep School talking about my book, bird dog coaching, and more! Watch the recording here.
I was recently interviewed by Mike Yashko for the Bird Dog of the Day Podcast. We talked about my journey with Zara, my book, and my plans for my puppy. Listen here.
To commemorate my five years as a NAVHDA member, I wrote an article for Versatile Hunting Dog, the NAVHDA magazine. Read it here (page 10).
