Greeting Big Sky NAVHDA Chapter Members
I hope everyone is in dog training mode, or dog playing mode in prep for this upcoming hunting season. It seems that I start dreaming of Sharpies and Pheasants the day the last season closes. It makes for a long winter.....
We will be having our Annual Membership Meeting on Saturday May 28th at Mary's Midway Casino & Restaurant 372 Vaughn South Frontage Road Great Falls, MT . This is in conjunction with our Spring Test which will be held at Sissy and Dave Girtman's, just North of Great Falls. That test is a Natural Ability Test and will be on Saturday May 28, and Sunday May 29.
Items on the agenda for the annual meeting include nominating and electing a new president and vice president. As you know, Scott Henry resigned at Christmas and Gary Whitman has assumed the temporary duties as President. Thanks Gary and Scotty for the easy transition and hard work.
We need a new NAVHDA tent, as ours was destroyed in a wind storm last test. If anyone could research costs of event tents and bring information to the meeting it will help. Gary, Scotty and I can't do it all.....
We will continue to have club sanctioned training days in May and throughout the summer, please go to http://bigskynavhda.blogspot.com/ for training dates and times. Thank you Scott for organizing, training, and provide a great training ground.
The spring test is almost booked up. So if you are late getting in your entries, I would suggest filling it in quickly.... First come, first serve. If anyone would like to volunteer at the test, I can always use help, so please email me at leslie@lowe.ca. We also enjoy fresh baked goods for lunch and breakfast, so if you can help with that, we would love it.....
We are taking entries for the fall test. It is in Ronan, Mt during the weekend of September 3, 4 and 5th. We will offer UT, UT prep and NA. We are only taking 22 dogs, so get your entry in early. Email me for more information.
Remember to pay your yearly club membership. I have attached a test entry and club membership form to this email.
Cheers
Leslie Lowe
(406) 730-2151
leslie@lowe.ca
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
BIG SKY NAVHDA
MARCH 1, 2010
NEWSLETTER
As I sit at the computer to write this, we have not seen the sun in four days. It's Superbowl Sunday, and
everywhere I look the frost has built onto the trees and kennels, buildings, windbreaks, everywhere! It doesn't
seem like winter is ever going to end. I have a new pup that I'm starting, and he keeps dragging his junk in the snow drifts when we are out in the field. I'm thinking ice buildup on my peepee would not be good, and shiver in sympathy for him. So for now we are working in the areas that are somewhat free of snow and concentrating on things that will make the training easier for him and I later. People often ask me "What can I do to train a new puppy in the winter"? Well, let's see. One of the things I teach in the house is come. I do this with treats for a new puppy. I teach our new paragon his/her name by repeating the name and giving a treat when he comes to me. I work on crate training by saying "kennel" and tossing a tidbit in the kennel. When they go in, I give a treat to them in the box also. Pretty quick when they come in the house they run into the kennel waiting for the treat. Then we start telling them to kennel without throwing a treat inside, only giving the treat when they go in and wait. We also start to give them a treat every other time and start to phase out the treat everytime. I also start my retrieve work in the house, tossing a wadded up sock or toy, if he brings it back I give him all the praise in the world, making he knows that he's the best. I'm just holding him and praising him, then I lift him up and he usually drops what is in his mouth while saying "drop". If he does not give it up, reach back to his flank and the little piece of skin between belly and leg just lift gently while saying "drop". When he does give him a tidbit and more praise. I keep the time short, 3-4 retrieves is plenty. REMEMBER, this is a game! If he does not develop a retrieve, or is slow in picking it up there is NO PRESSURE! If he runs around you with the toy, move the sessions to a hallway, or build a lane by laying some chairs on their side so he has to come by you to get out. If your pup is bigger than the chairs, put a light line on him and gently reel him in, giving him tons of praise before you try to take his toy. You can also start on deep water retrieves using the bathtub, but that is a whole nother chapter and takes a very understanding wife...
The Big Sky NAVHDA group held it's annual meeting on Jan 16th at Perkins restaurant in Missoula to kick off the new year. Attendance was good, with about 20 members showing up. Sheri Garcelon started the meeting calling those in attendance to order. We had no old business to go over. The treasurer reported we had $1283 in the kitty, and that dues were due for the year. We then had elections, and the results are as follows:
President Scott Henry Vice President Tom Healy
Secretary/Treas Gary Whitman Test Secretary Leslie Lowe
Dir of Training Phil Parsneau Cooking Dir Gerry Good
Board of Directors Dawna Miller, Rae Brown, Randy Bakker,Tom Healy, Scott Henry
Promotional Committee: Dawna Miller, Rae Brown, Greg Curtis
On a personal note I wish to express our gratitude and appreciation from the Big Sky Chapter to our outgoing President/ Test Secretary Sherie Garcelon, Vice President Gerry Good, and their spouses Jerry Garcelon and Terri Good. Without your efforts in the past years the Chapter would not still be here, and we as a chapter know and appreciate all of your hard work and dedication. We Thank You and will strive to continue to grow and prosper as a chapter because of your leadership.
Dates for training days were set and are as follows:
March 13, 27 April 10, 24 May 8, 22 June 12, 26 July 10, 24 Aug 7, 28
Locations will be posted on the website, bigskynavhda.com, and also bigskynavhda.blogspot.com.
We will be training at several locations in the state, and hopefully will make it easier for people to attend. We will be starting training days at 9:00. We will have birds for sale at the training grounds but will not have any crates to lend, so if you want birds to take home bring a box or crate. We will be selling pigeons for $4.00, chukar for $10.00, and ducks for $10.00. We will also send out a questionnaire pertaining to what you would like to work on at the training days, and will ask those of you interested to fill it out and bring with you on your first training day. Our goal as a chapter is to help you with your training needs, and to work to bring out your hunting partner's full potential as a versatile hunter.
The Big Sky Chapter will be hosting 2 tests this year, one in the spring and one in the fall. The spring test will be held May 29, 30, 31. This will be strictly an NA Test. We will have openings for a total of 30 NA pups, split into three days of testing. We will be holding the test on Dave and Sissy Girtman's grounds in Vaugn, about 12 miles north of Great Falls.
Our fall test will be held on Sept 4, 5, 6. This will be a full test featuring NA, UPT, and Utility. We will be holding this test by Conrad, MT. We are anticipating this will fill early, so if you are considering entering your dog or pup, don't wait till the last minute. We are already getting applications for both tests!
Our entry fees this year are:
NA Chapter Members $125 Non Members $150
UPT Chapter Memebers $150 Non Members $175
UT Chapter Memebers $150 Non Members $175
One more thought on testing, we try to accomadate people that are coming in from out of state, region, and country first in their requests of days to be tested, and fill in the rest with people of a more local nature. We try to work with people, and the test secretary has a busy time ahead. With this in mind, please get your applications with your fees in to Leslie as soon as possible to guarantee your spot in the tests. It is not too early to be thinking about the fall UT test NOW. We will refund your deposit if you withdraw up to thirty days before the test, after that it will be refunded if we can fill the spot, if not your fee will be forfeit.
I will be bringing our newest arrival to the training days starting next month, PM Shocks Most Rikki Tik, (call name Mick) and you can follow what is happening with him. We started with his retrieves in the house, advanced to outside on a sash cord, and he is reliably retrieving anything I toss for him. Again we are keeping the sessions short, and quitting with him wanting more. We have also pulled the flight feathers from a few pigeons and tossed those for him on the sash cord and he is retrieving them back to hand. We are only doing this about once a week, so we don't have any issues with him refusing a bumper, anticipating a live bird. Our next issue is to get him pointing his birds and not just jumping in and grabbing them, so stay tuned....
MARCH 1, 2010
NEWSLETTER
As I sit at the computer to write this, we have not seen the sun in four days. It's Superbowl Sunday, and
everywhere I look the frost has built onto the trees and kennels, buildings, windbreaks, everywhere! It doesn't
seem like winter is ever going to end. I have a new pup that I'm starting, and he keeps dragging his junk in the snow drifts when we are out in the field. I'm thinking ice buildup on my peepee would not be good, and shiver in sympathy for him. So for now we are working in the areas that are somewhat free of snow and concentrating on things that will make the training easier for him and I later. People often ask me "What can I do to train a new puppy in the winter"? Well, let's see. One of the things I teach in the house is come. I do this with treats for a new puppy. I teach our new paragon his/her name by repeating the name and giving a treat when he comes to me. I work on crate training by saying "kennel" and tossing a tidbit in the kennel. When they go in, I give a treat to them in the box also. Pretty quick when they come in the house they run into the kennel waiting for the treat. Then we start telling them to kennel without throwing a treat inside, only giving the treat when they go in and wait. We also start to give them a treat every other time and start to phase out the treat everytime. I also start my retrieve work in the house, tossing a wadded up sock or toy, if he brings it back I give him all the praise in the world, making he knows that he's the best. I'm just holding him and praising him, then I lift him up and he usually drops what is in his mouth while saying "drop". If he does not give it up, reach back to his flank and the little piece of skin between belly and leg just lift gently while saying "drop". When he does give him a tidbit and more praise. I keep the time short, 3-4 retrieves is plenty. REMEMBER, this is a game! If he does not develop a retrieve, or is slow in picking it up there is NO PRESSURE! If he runs around you with the toy, move the sessions to a hallway, or build a lane by laying some chairs on their side so he has to come by you to get out. If your pup is bigger than the chairs, put a light line on him and gently reel him in, giving him tons of praise before you try to take his toy. You can also start on deep water retrieves using the bathtub, but that is a whole nother chapter and takes a very understanding wife...
The Big Sky NAVHDA group held it's annual meeting on Jan 16th at Perkins restaurant in Missoula to kick off the new year. Attendance was good, with about 20 members showing up. Sheri Garcelon started the meeting calling those in attendance to order. We had no old business to go over. The treasurer reported we had $1283 in the kitty, and that dues were due for the year. We then had elections, and the results are as follows:
President Scott Henry Vice President Tom Healy
Secretary/Treas Gary Whitman Test Secretary Leslie Lowe
Dir of Training Phil Parsneau Cooking Dir Gerry Good
Board of Directors Dawna Miller, Rae Brown, Randy Bakker,Tom Healy, Scott Henry
Promotional Committee: Dawna Miller, Rae Brown, Greg Curtis
On a personal note I wish to express our gratitude and appreciation from the Big Sky Chapter to our outgoing President/ Test Secretary Sherie Garcelon, Vice President Gerry Good, and their spouses Jerry Garcelon and Terri Good. Without your efforts in the past years the Chapter would not still be here, and we as a chapter know and appreciate all of your hard work and dedication. We Thank You and will strive to continue to grow and prosper as a chapter because of your leadership.
Dates for training days were set and are as follows:
March 13, 27 April 10, 24 May 8, 22 June 12, 26 July 10, 24 Aug 7, 28
Locations will be posted on the website, bigskynavhda.com, and also bigskynavhda.blogspot.com.
We will be training at several locations in the state, and hopefully will make it easier for people to attend. We will be starting training days at 9:00. We will have birds for sale at the training grounds but will not have any crates to lend, so if you want birds to take home bring a box or crate. We will be selling pigeons for $4.00, chukar for $10.00, and ducks for $10.00. We will also send out a questionnaire pertaining to what you would like to work on at the training days, and will ask those of you interested to fill it out and bring with you on your first training day. Our goal as a chapter is to help you with your training needs, and to work to bring out your hunting partner's full potential as a versatile hunter.
The Big Sky Chapter will be hosting 2 tests this year, one in the spring and one in the fall. The spring test will be held May 29, 30, 31. This will be strictly an NA Test. We will have openings for a total of 30 NA pups, split into three days of testing. We will be holding the test on Dave and Sissy Girtman's grounds in Vaugn, about 12 miles north of Great Falls.
Our fall test will be held on Sept 4, 5, 6. This will be a full test featuring NA, UPT, and Utility. We will be holding this test by Conrad, MT. We are anticipating this will fill early, so if you are considering entering your dog or pup, don't wait till the last minute. We are already getting applications for both tests!
Our entry fees this year are:
NA Chapter Members $125 Non Members $150
UPT Chapter Memebers $150 Non Members $175
UT Chapter Memebers $150 Non Members $175
One more thought on testing, we try to accomadate people that are coming in from out of state, region, and country first in their requests of days to be tested, and fill in the rest with people of a more local nature. We try to work with people, and the test secretary has a busy time ahead. With this in mind, please get your applications with your fees in to Leslie as soon as possible to guarantee your spot in the tests. It is not too early to be thinking about the fall UT test NOW. We will refund your deposit if you withdraw up to thirty days before the test, after that it will be refunded if we can fill the spot, if not your fee will be forfeit.
I will be bringing our newest arrival to the training days starting next month, PM Shocks Most Rikki Tik, (call name Mick) and you can follow what is happening with him. We started with his retrieves in the house, advanced to outside on a sash cord, and he is reliably retrieving anything I toss for him. Again we are keeping the sessions short, and quitting with him wanting more. We have also pulled the flight feathers from a few pigeons and tossed those for him on the sash cord and he is retrieving them back to hand. We are only doing this about once a week, so we don't have any issues with him refusing a bumper, anticipating a live bird. Our next issue is to get him pointing his birds and not just jumping in and grabbing them, so stay tuned....
Sunday, January 10, 2010
NAVHDA
BIG SKY CHAPTER
Janurary Newsletter
It has been a while since I have sat down and composed a newsletter to all of our chapter members. Some of you know me, some do not, so I will introduce myself. I am Scott Henry and I have been involved with NAVHDA,and the Big Sky Chapter for a while in various ways. This chapter has a rich history and has been an integral part of NAVHDA testing and training for years. Our chapter has now reached a crossroads and the future is uncertain,
so we are asking for your help to determine the possible directions of the chapter.
I have talked to our President, Cherie Garcelon, and she is ready to pass the torch onto a new president. We will be having a meeting at Perkins in Missoula, on Jan 16, 2010 at 1:00 p.m. to discuss a wide range of issues and for an election of officers. We are also seeking to have a new set of board members elected. We will need to have these positions filled:
President Promotional Director
Vice President (3) Board Members
Secretary/Treasurer Cooking Director
Test Secretary
Director of Training
We will also be discussing a wide range of topics including, but not limited to:
Dues and Dues Increase Fund Raising Efforts
Training day Schedule Outdoor Show
Spring Test Chapter Fun Days and Hunts
Fall Test Breeder Involvement
I would urge anyone that is interested in any or all of these positions, to show up and volunteer your talents. If you are interested but are unable to attend, please contact Cherie Garcelon @ 406-726-3270 or toomanybaddogs@blackfoot.net, or Scotty @ 406-627-2383. This is an opportunity for all of us to voice our opinions, and be heard. This is also the opportunity to give back to the organization that has given so much to all of us.
I would like to take this time to talk about what I feel is the main emphasis of the Navhda philosophy. Basically Navhda is a grass roots organization that promotes the ethics of the hunt and conservation of wildlife through the use of a well trained dog. NAVHDA itself helps to promote this by experienced people teaching others to train their own dogs. Whether your goal is to have a family companion/hunting partner, or to reach for the very pinnacle of the testing program, the Invitational, it is an attainable goal. If you are having a problem in an area of training, someone else has had that very same problem and has found a solution. I have tested at a lot of different chapters, and talked to a lot of different people and have always felt welcome and a shared purpose in the dogs.(Although I sometimes have had a diffence in opinion about their choice of breed...). Above all else we need to keep in mind that this is an organization built on volunteers. I would encourage everyone to get involved in a test and see the amount of work that is involved, and step up and put your talents to work. NAVHDA is also a great opportunity for wives and children, at our last test in Ronan, there were as many ladies handling the dogs as men, and at the last Invitational, there were two handlers under the age of 17, as well as female and male handlers. And last but not least, this is an organization geared to produce true versatile hunting partners, able to work upland and waterfowl, through good breeding and training. This is also a tool to be used for responsible breeders to improve on their breeding programs. If you're looking for your next versatile hunting partner, what better place to start than by seeing what the different breeds do in testing and training? Enough of my soapbox for now... Scotty
BIG SKY CHAPTER
Janurary Newsletter
It has been a while since I have sat down and composed a newsletter to all of our chapter members. Some of you know me, some do not, so I will introduce myself. I am Scott Henry and I have been involved with NAVHDA,and the Big Sky Chapter for a while in various ways. This chapter has a rich history and has been an integral part of NAVHDA testing and training for years. Our chapter has now reached a crossroads and the future is uncertain,
so we are asking for your help to determine the possible directions of the chapter.
I have talked to our President, Cherie Garcelon, and she is ready to pass the torch onto a new president. We will be having a meeting at Perkins in Missoula, on Jan 16, 2010 at 1:00 p.m. to discuss a wide range of issues and for an election of officers. We are also seeking to have a new set of board members elected. We will need to have these positions filled:
President Promotional Director
Vice President (3) Board Members
Secretary/Treasurer Cooking Director
Test Secretary
Director of Training
We will also be discussing a wide range of topics including, but not limited to:
Dues and Dues Increase Fund Raising Efforts
Training day Schedule Outdoor Show
Spring Test Chapter Fun Days and Hunts
Fall Test Breeder Involvement
I would urge anyone that is interested in any or all of these positions, to show up and volunteer your talents. If you are interested but are unable to attend, please contact Cherie Garcelon @ 406-726-3270 or toomanybaddogs@blackfoot.net, or Scotty @ 406-627-2383. This is an opportunity for all of us to voice our opinions, and be heard. This is also the opportunity to give back to the organization that has given so much to all of us.
I would like to take this time to talk about what I feel is the main emphasis of the Navhda philosophy. Basically Navhda is a grass roots organization that promotes the ethics of the hunt and conservation of wildlife through the use of a well trained dog. NAVHDA itself helps to promote this by experienced people teaching others to train their own dogs. Whether your goal is to have a family companion/hunting partner, or to reach for the very pinnacle of the testing program, the Invitational, it is an attainable goal. If you are having a problem in an area of training, someone else has had that very same problem and has found a solution. I have tested at a lot of different chapters, and talked to a lot of different people and have always felt welcome and a shared purpose in the dogs.(Although I sometimes have had a diffence in opinion about their choice of breed...). Above all else we need to keep in mind that this is an organization built on volunteers. I would encourage everyone to get involved in a test and see the amount of work that is involved, and step up and put your talents to work. NAVHDA is also a great opportunity for wives and children, at our last test in Ronan, there were as many ladies handling the dogs as men, and at the last Invitational, there were two handlers under the age of 17, as well as female and male handlers. And last but not least, this is an organization geared to produce true versatile hunting partners, able to work upland and waterfowl, through good breeding and training. This is also a tool to be used for responsible breeders to improve on their breeding programs. If you're looking for your next versatile hunting partner, what better place to start than by seeing what the different breeds do in testing and training? Enough of my soapbox for now... Scotty
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