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The Mental Side of Dog Handling

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Protective Clothing & Gear for Hunting Dogs February 15, 2023
Tips for the NAVHDA Utility Test January 16, 2023
How to Start Training for Hunt Tests/Field Trials With Your Bird Dog March 31, 2023
Preparing for the NAVHDA Invitational October 8, 2022

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I had the honor of volunteering as an Invitational

I had the honor of volunteering as an Invitational photographer in Ohio. I was in the field for two days and although I walked a lot, I love watching the dogs work.

As a photographer in this context, I don’t take a lot of risks. The last thing I want to do is have a dog be thrown off by my presence. If I’m standing close to a backing dog for example, and he’s eyeing me and looking like he’s about to break, I will stop taking photos. Unfortunately I can’t turn the shutter sound off on my camera and sometimes it feels too loud.

The lighting is often not ideal and the high grass tends to get in the way of focusing where I want.

Despite these challenges, I got a lot of nice photos - here are some of my favorites. It’s also interesting to walk with the judges and watch how they conduct each brace.
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#navhdainvitational #photographer #dogphotography #gsp #weimaraner #vizsla #gwp #uplandhunting

This summer, I spent some time reviewing the small

Back from a whirlwind week at the NAVHDA Invitatio

Back from a whirlwind week at the NAVHDA Invitational. As usual, it was an amazing time, filled with many laughs, long days, and good dog work.

It’s hard to understand the relentless pace if you haven’t experienced it yourself. Up at 5 every morning, on the grounds by 6:15, opening ceremony at 6:45, head to your respective area around 7, and the day marches on from there. The day’s scores are read around 6:30pm, after that, you have very little time before you need to go to bed to do it all over again. But it’s still fun, and worth it.

If there’s one thing I learned this week, it’s this: Persistence pays off.

I was not the only one who tried this test for a second (or third) time and was rewarded. And people don’t care if it’s your first or third attempt. They just want to cheer for you.

Zara is the oldest vizsla to ever earn a Versatile Champion title at 9 years, 11 months. She was also the oldest dog to run this year, although there have certainly been years with several dogs who are 10+. Moral of this story? If you want something, go get it.
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#navhdainvitational #birddogtraining #vizsla #persistencepaysoff #uplandhunting

Zara is a Versatile Champion!!! When I joined NA

Zara is a Versatile Champion!!!

When I joined NAVHDA six years ago, I had no idea that we’d ever make it this far. This title represents a long, long journey with many ups and downs.

First of all, thank you to Stacy Horst, Blake Horst, Brian Dietz, and my husband, Chris Fernando, for encouraging me to try this test again. After we didn’t pass last year in New Mexico, I was set on being done. The four of them were convincing me to try again as soon as the test was over when we were out there. I was hesitant at the time, but I’m obviously thankful we gave it another shot. ❤️

Thank you to my NAVHDA friends who believed in me and encouraged me way back in the very beginning, especially Scott and Kyley Caldwell, Steve Greger, Nate Davidson, and Mike Neiduski. There are many more Tarheel members, too. This NAVHDA community is simply the best.

Thank you to Stacy and Blake Horst, who were really instrumental in helping Zara earn her first Prize 1 level duck search to qualify for the Invitational. They also helped Zara learn how to honor in the field (several times…. 😬) and were really supportive in our Invitational training. Especially last year, it was so nice to have some friendly faces in New Mexico when I didn’t know a lot of people.

Thank you to everyone who helped us train this summer, especially Gretchen Stephenson, Suzann and Joe Novak, Ozzie Osborne, Jon Kohan, Shoua Lor, Tony Lor, Heather Wallace, and Grayson Guyer. Thanks to the whole crew in Maine Huber and the Sebasticook Chapter, Jason Carter, Elise Wright, Sarah Bodine and the Yankee Chapter. I’m know I’m not naming everyone - but if you had a hand in our training, however small, know I am thankful.

Thank you to my husband, Chris - although he’s on the sidelines most of the time, knowing he’s always got my back is the best feeling.

Thank you to Jane Baker and Laura Miller for breeding an enthusiastic, driven, biddable girl who, despite a late start and my many amateur errors, is still managing to knock it out of the park at nearly 10 years old.

VC Trailside’s Tzar of Fairlington MH THDN DJ CGCA TKN

New podcast episode - The Intermediate/Advanced Le

New podcast episode - The Intermediate/Advanced Level - What is Needed to Reach It?

This episode is not about one specific organization. Instead, I discuss the differences between the beginner/puppy level events and the intermediate/advanced levels. I go into the main components that you need to work on in order to be successful at the upper levels.

Good luck to everyone running the Invitational this week!
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The Accidental Bird Dog Podcast is sponsored by @onxhunt, @bossshotshells, and @toyota. We are part of the @herupland family of podcasts.

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#accidentalbirddogpodcast #dogpodcast #dogsports #akcfieldtrials #fieldtrialdog #hunttests #navhda #nstra #huntingdog #birddog #ukcfieldtrials

On our way to Ohio for the NAVHDA Invitational!

On our way to Ohio for the NAVHDA Invitational!

No matter the outcome, fun will be had!

2023 vs 2022 (swipe ➡️). A little more white

2023 vs 2022 (swipe ➡️).

A little more white on her face, but she still looks as good at 9 as she did at 8. 👵🏼
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#vizsla #gettingolder #grayhair #birddog #huntingdog #fitdogs #ldw

The other day, I went to the lake to work on casti

The other day, I went to the lake to work on casting commands with Zara. This type of handling would allow me to communicate with her when she's in the water during the Invitational.

When I got to the lake, someone was fishing in the spot I wanted to use. I went to a different spot, but it didn't work well because the water was shallow and Zara couldn't hear my whistle through all her splashing. I started to get really upset because I haven't been able to put the time into this training that I wanted. Last year, I promised myself that I would train these commands if I went to the Invitational again. I started training on land a few months ago, but then she got injured and we had to take a break. I restarted at the beginning of August, but it's been hard to find a suitable pond close to my house. And now it's September and I just haven't done it. If I send her on a blind retrieve and she's out in the water or on the opposite shore, any time I give her a whistle command, her default response is to come back to me, not obey it.

I think casting commands are a great tool to have in your tool box and if I'd had that tool last year, we may have passed. But now I've made peace with it. If that's the reason we don't pass the Invitational, then so be it. Hopefully we won't need them. I certainly feel more prepared than last year and I know she's fully capable of passing. I can't control every variable. I feel grateful that we've even gotten this far, especially given the fact that she got injured earlier this summer.
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#birddogtraining #navhda #navhdainvitational #vizsla #uplandhunting #waterfowlhunting #blindretrievetraining

New podcast episode is out! #15: UKC Field Trials:

New podcast episode is out! #15: UKC Field Trials: Gun and Open Classes. This is part two of my conversation with Grayson Guyer (@losthighwaygundogs) and we discuss how each class is judged and the differences between the two. Grayson is a wealth of knowledge on this topic and I enjoyed learning more about these trials. I hope you do as well.
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The Accidental Bird Dog Podcast is sponsored by @onxhunt and @bossshotshells. Our newest sponsor is @toyota! We are part of the @herupland family of podcasts.
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#accidentalbirddogpodcast #dogpodcast #dogsports #akcfieldtrials #fieldtrialdog #hunttests #navhda #nstra #huntingdog #birddog #ukcfieldtrials

Base photo by @jimmycobbphotos

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