If you’re purchasing a Wirehaired Vizsla for hunting,
you will want to ascertain not only the hunting ability of the sire
and dam, but also the breeder’s commitment to raising hunting
dogs. One of the most
prominent organizations that tests dogs for their hunting ability is
the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association (NAVHDA). NAVHDA posts the test
results on their Website at http://www.navhda.org/.
Most of the Wirehaired
Vizsla breeders encourage new owners to join a local NAVHDA chapter
(there are over 75 throughout the
USA) and have the new dog
tested. At a minimum,
the Natural Ability test should be considered. This test is for dogs up to
16 months in age.
Another benefit of joining a NAVHDA chapter is the
friendships formed.
Asked any NAVHDA member and they will tell you that many of
their hunting partners are someone they met at a chapter
function.
Below is some information taken from the NAVHDA Web
site that explains their testing program along with links and
instructions on how to navigate the NAVHDA Website and view the
tests.
 Who is
NAVHDA
The North American
Versatile Hunting Dog Association (NAVHDA) is a legally recognized
nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering, improving, promoting,
and protecting the versatile hunting dog in
North
America.
Definition of a Versatile Hunting
Dog
NAVHDA
defines a versatile hunting dog as: “A versatile hunting
dog is
bred and trained to dependably hunt and point game, to retrieve on
both land and water, and to track wounded game on both land and
water."
According to NAVHDA, a versatile dog should exhibit a
fine nose, staunch pointing and the desire to search for, track and
retrieve game in a cooperative manner. A versatile dog needs to
further prove his independence, stamina and quality of nose by
transferring his search for, and retrieving of game, to the water.
The NAVHDA testing program provides an opportunity for dogs to
exhibit these characteristics while remaining obedient and in
control at all times. True versatile dogs should perform all tasks
with enthusiasm and be willing to work with, and for, their
handlers.
NAVHDA: A
Standard Method of Evaluating Performance in the
Field
Underlying these aims is the desire to serve the
interests of game conservation, prevention of cruelty to animals,
and the gun dog hunter by helping the hunter to train his dog to
work before and after the shot, on land and in water.
NAVHDA is complements the activities of sporting dog
breed clubs and field trial organizations. It was created to
supplement the activities of those clubs by providing a proven,
standard method of evaluating the performance of all versatile
hunting dogs, consistent with North American hunting practices,
regardless of breed.
NAVHDA Testing
Program
In
1969, NAVHDA established a system of comprehensive tests that truly
measure all aspects of work for the versatile
hunting dog breeds.
The NAVHDA system provides for testing at various stages of
maturity. Performance records are kept and made available through
their Test Information Service since they provide
invaluable information for both breeder and buyer alike.
Four
Tests (click to go to
NAVHDA's Aims, Programs, Test Rules
booklet)
NAVHDA chapters sponsor four kinds of
tests:
The Natural Ability (NA) test, which
is designed to evaluate the inherent natural abilities of young dogs
and gain insight into their possible usefulness as versatile gun
dogs. It rates seven important inherited abilities: nose, search,
tracking, pointing, water, desire and cooperation.
The Utility Preparatory Test (UPT)
measures the dogs’ development midway through their
training toward the Utility Test.
The Utility Test (UT) evaluates
trained dogs in water and field, before and after the shot, as
finished versatile hunting companions as well as many other specific
tasks.
The Invitational Test is the highest
level of testing and held once a year. Only dogs who have achieved a
Prize I in Utility during a given year are eligible. This limits the
entry to exceptional animals who have demonstrated a high level of
training and tests their skills in the advanced work. Dogs which
pass the test are awarded the title of Versatile Champion
(VC).
Criteria Based Testing
Program
To be truly meaningful, tests for versatile hunting
dogs must meet certain criteria. They must be conducted in an
environment which reflects actual hunting conditions and situations.
They must test the important qualities of a good versatile dog.
Judges must be knowledgeable, consistent and objective. All testing
and evaluation is to be within the context of judging dogs as
useful, productive hunting companions. NAVHDA tests have been
designed with these requirements in
mind.
In addition, the NAVHDA record keeping provides an
accurate, complete performance evaluation on each dog tested. The results of these tests
for specific breeds are available through their Test
Information Service.
In order to eliminate direct competition between dogs,
entrants in a NAVHDA test are judged one at a time, by three judges,
with their performance scored against a standard. The only exception
to this is the Invitational Test, in which dogs are braced in the
field so each dog can demonstrate his willingness to back and work
effectively with another dog.
Prizes are awarded on the basis of numerical scores
achieved in the test. Each dog that meets or exceeds minimum
standards in all areas of work is placed in one of three categories:
Prize I, II or III. Prize I being the highest classification. If all
dogs entered in a NAVHDA test perform well, all can receive a
prize.
Test Report Booklet: How the Files Are
Organized
The Test Report Booklet consists of the NAVHDA test
results of all dogs tested in a given year. NAVHDA allows online
access to the Test Report Booklets - the booklets are in PDF
format. NAVHDA keeps
the last five years of testing records online which you can access.
In addition, NAVHDA has computerized test information
since the first test in 1969. For a moderate fee, NAVHDA offers
complete printouts of the tests scores, enabling breeders and puppy
buyers to evaluate animals used as breeding stock. More information about this
service is below.
The 5-year online test booklets are kept by the
current year (i.e. 2008) as well as the four previous years. The current year’s testing
records are by page which makes finding a particular dog difficult
since you have to visit numerous pages. If you know the date that a
particular dog was tested, you can narrow your search since page one
is the first tests of the year and the last page is the latest
tests.
Access to the four previous year’s booklets is much
easier since the booklets are consolidated and searching is simple.
For example, you can
pull up all the test results for a given year by breed.
Test Report Booklet: How to Access
Here are some instructions on how to access and read
the Booklets:
1.
Go to the
NAVHDA Website at http://www.navhda.org/.
2.
To view
the current year test result, go to “Testing” at the left menu,
click on the current year (i.e., 2008 Test Results). The link is http://www.navhda.org/testrslt.html. You will have
to search by page to find a particular
dog.
3.
To view
the tests for the previous four years, go to “Testing” at the left
menu, click on “Tests Report Booklets - year.” The link is http://www.navhda.org/tstrpt.html. Select a year and click on
it. You will be viewing
all the test results for that year. You will note the bookmarks
in the left side panel for ease of navigation and
printing.
Viewing a record may be overwhelming since codes are
used. Here is the official rundown on what it all
means:
Example: Somebody's Dog, VZ, 2.17,
106, II
The first information is the dog's name. This is followed
by the breed abbreviation, and a numeral which stands for the years or months
of age, depending upon the test type (NA test ages are given in
months, UPT and UT in years). The next number is the points the dog
received in the test (106), and the final information is the prize
the dog achieved (II).
Obtaining Complete Test Results Since the
NAVHDA Testing Started in 1969
Consistent with the North American Versatile Hunting
Dog Association philosophy of selective breeding based on their
testing program, NAVHDA has computerized test information since the
first test in 1969. The information is organized in three formats: a
dog report, a sire report, and a dam report. For a moderate fee,
NAVHDA offers complete printouts of the tests scores, enabling
breeders and puppy buyers to evaluate animals used as breeding
stock.
It is possible to obtain data on all tested dogs
within a particular breed, including information on any progeny that
are tested from a specific sire, dam or mating. These reports
contain the dog's name, NAVHDA registration or computer number,
sire, dam, sex, whelping date, color, hip dysplasia information,
breeder's and owner's names, test score, prize classification, test
date, testing chapter, dog's age at time of test, coat, temperament
information and any known or visible genetic defects. If the dog was
tested more than once, all test results will appear under the dog's
name.
Without a doubt, this report is by far the most
comprehensive information you could obtain about the breeding stock
of a dog. You must call
NAVHDA at (847) 253-6488 to order a report.
WHV
Test Facts
NA Test -- Tips for
Handlers
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