Navigating the Path to Natural Ability Breeders Award: A Breeders Journey to the Breeder Award

Starting Out

The North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association (NAVHDA) is dedicated to the growth of versatile hunting dogs. Earning a NAVHDA Natural Ability Award isn't just about the badge; it’s about showcasing a steep commitment, a wealth of knowledge, and a genuine love for pointing dogs.

The Heart of NAVHDA and Natural Ability

NAVHDA aims to preserve and promote the abilities of hunting dogs. The Natural Ability Test is essentially evaluating young dogs based on their instincts, skills, and potential as hunting companions. Puppies must run the test by 16 months of age in order to receive a score.

Tests are carried out in settings that mimic real hunting conditions and scenarios, evaluating all the qualities necessary for a proficient versatile dog. Dogs are judged against a standard so this is not a competitive event.

Evaluating the Essentials

The NA test is comprised of four phases and the test covers several key areas:

Tracking: Dogs must follow a scent trail, showcasing their instincts to focus on tracking a flightless pheasant.
Field: Use of Nose, Search, Pointing, Desire to Work, Cooperation & Gun Shyness
Water Dogs must show a keen desire to enter water and swim. Water Entry, Desire to Work & Cooperation
Physical Attributes: Teeth eyes and coat are evaluated.

The Natural Ability test has a maximum score of 112 points.

According to NAVHDA statistics, consistent training and assessment can increase a dog’s Natural Ability Test score by up to 25%.

Paving the Way to Breeding Excellence

Selecting Your Stars

The journey begins with choosing the right breeding pair. Key factors to consider are:

Genetic Health: This is crucial as health issues can reduce performance and longevity.
Temperament: A dog’s behavior matters greatly, particularly its sociability and trainability.
Hunting Ability: Breeders need to assess instincts to breed dogs that excel in the field.

A well-structured breeding plan increases the likelihood of producing dogs that not only pass the Natural Ability Test but excel. A puppy who comes from parents who are tested is more likely to be bred well enough to pass this test.

Nurturing Early Skills

Socialization is vital in the early stages of a puppy’s life. From the moment they’re born, exposure to various smells, sounds, and environments helps shape their future abilities.

Training should be instinct-focused. For example, teaching puppies to retrieve toys right away reinforces their natural tendencies. Breeders and owners can practice with simple tasks, gradually introducing complexities. A pro tip: use different types of toys to encourage diverse retrieving instincts.

Diving Into the NAVHDA Breeder Awards

What is a NAVHDA breeder award?

The Breeder Awards of NAVHDA were established by the organization's executives to promote and recognize selective breeding.

Criteria required to earn the breeder award

Breeder to be a NAVHDA member

The producing Dam (mom) of the litter must be NAVHDA-registered

The litter must be registered with NAVHDA

At least FOUR (4) puppies from the same litter must qualify (Prize I,II, III) with a minimum point total of 360 (average of 90 points per dog)

Dogs must be tested before 16 months of age

No dogs must be graded as shy or aggressive in their test.

Experience on Test Day

Test day combines excitement and nerves. For breeders, it showcases all the hard work leading up to this moment. How well prepared is the dog? Does the bond between dog and trainer shine through?

While the surroundings may offer surprises, a well-prepared and confident dog will adapt. After the test, breeders analyze the performance, reflecting on which training methods worked and where improvements are needed.

Embracing Award Recognition

Natural Ability Breeder Award

Achieving the NAVHDA Natural Ability Breeder Award is about more than accolades—it's about growth. Many breeders share that the challenges they faced taught them the most. This award embodies a commitment to ethical breeding practices and responsible dog ownership.

Yet, it’s not just recognition; it opens doors. Customers often trust breeders with this accolade, and it can be a stepping stone to educating others on the importance of testing or buying dogs from proven lines.

The Continuous Journey of a Breeder

The path to becoming a NAVHDA Natural Ability Breeder Award Winner is marked by hard work, dedication, and a passion for versatile hunting dogs. Earning the award emphasizes not only the dogs' skills but also the breeder’s commitment to ethical practices, quality training, and community involvement.

Breeding versatile hunting dogs is not just a profession; it's an art. Every dog bred has the potential to become an exceptional hunting companion. The journey involves both challenges and triumphs.

While Earning the NAVHDA Natural Ability Breeder Award is a significant accomplishment, it signifies much more: an ongoing journey filled with learning, growth, and a relentless passion for preserving the versatility of our canine companions.

Our Road to the NA award

We bred Ramona to Draco in Sept of 2023.

(Karpaten Ibris Ursa Blanka NAI X UKC CH NAT CH IN TCH Nosam's Dawn Of The Dragon NAI JH BCAT CA FITB)

While matching puppies with families, we noticed that we had several puppy families interested in having their dogs trained for hunting. This led to discussions about pursuing testing through NAVHDA or AKC. Unfortunately, we were one puppy short of the required four for qualification and all of the puppies were sold. This had been a long-standing aspiration of ours, but we couldn't secure that 4th commitment to testing. Although I usually find hunting homes for puppies quite easily, convincing families to commit to testing is not always simple. Many families fail to grasp the significance of this test for breeders. Despite this setback, we had three homes lined up and were still dedicated to assisting owners in preparing their dogs for testing and hunting.

We were happy that we at least had three even if we couldn't qualify for the award. Those were Rosie (female), Tripp (male) & Kobe (male). The puppies began to join their new homes at 8 weeks old to allow them to settle in, bond with their families, and adjust before training began.

However, we got word that Cruz's family ended up not being able to have a puppy due to life changes. Therefore we decided that instead of finding a new home for him we would just keep him here and begin to train him for his NA test before finding him a home. This secured our last and final puppy needed for the required four puppies.

At 4 months of age, Puppies came back to Nosam and training started. The first step to training was gun/bird/obedience introduction, which was completed in about 4 weeks of training.

After the initial training, the puppies were returned home to mature as there were no tests available until fall. Families were advised to maintain obedience training and continue preparing the puppies for success at home. Test day was scheduled for the end of September, and the four pups were gathered to focus on pointing, water work, and further obedience training in early Sept 2024.

We dedicated our time to training whenever possible, exposing puppies to birds, guns, and water as only one of the 4 puppies resided with us. It was crucial to ensure the other three were responsive to us in addition to their owners.

Test day arrived promptly, so we traveled from Kentucky to Missouri for the evaluation with all four puppies. This was a long 10-hour drive and was most of the puppy's first time being in the car for more than an hour or so.

Kobe was the first to run but had a subpar performance, and acted completely out of character. Scoring 89 out of the required 90 for the average and maximum possible 112 points. Such occurrences are common when puppies find themselves in unfamiliar surroundings, surrounded by new faces, and exposed to various stimuli all at once. After a 10-hour trip puppies can be quite amped once arriving at the test. This can be overwhelming for them, and they may often feel out of their element.

However, we took home 3 out of the four puppies with qualifying runs. Rosie achieved a 98 Prize III, Cruz earned a 108 Prize II, and Tripp scored a maximum of 112 points.

Recognizing Kobe's performance was below his usual standard, we decided on a retest. There were very few tests available and we emailed probably 10-15 clubs and finally secured one spot.

On the day of the original test, Kobe's behavior indicated he was highly stimulated and may not perform as well as the other three, who had more time to settle and relax before their evaluations.

We arranged for Kobe to retake the test in Georgia, giving us less than a week to work on his areas needing improvement. This adjustment aimed to provide him with more time to acclimate to the environment before the evaluation, ensuring a calmer demeanor. Alex and Kobe headed to GA and retested and Kobe passed with flying colors earning a 110 out of 112 which was the level of performance we knew he was capable of.

The whole journey was filled with a range of emotions and required a significant amount of effort from both the owners and us to uncover the genuine potential of these four puppies.

We are extremely proud to announce that we have received such a prestigious award.

I believe that every breeder should handle puppies from their breeding program through a testing program whether it be AKC or NAVHDA. This truly reveals the strengths and weaknesses of your program. How can you understand what you're producing if you don't personally handle your puppies?

We appreciate the owners who contributed to their pups' success and supported us as cheerleaders throughout the process. We hope to find many more owners moving forward who are willing to run their pups through the NAVHDA test system.

Meet the Pups