Message from the Chapter President
The Eagle Rock Chapter of NAVHDA was sanctioned on January 1, 2019. Thank you to the members who had the vision to see that a NAVHDA chapter was needed in East Idaho. Your drive and dedication have been turning heads across the country as one of the newest chapters in NAVHDA.
Whether you are just looking for a new hobby in which your whole family can be involved, or looking to learn how to train your new hunting companion, you have looked in the right place. We had a spectacular year filled with training days in the field and on the water, two Natural Ability tests and one Utility test, as well as a “Meet the Author” night with Andy Wayment.
With upcoming classes, clinics, and experienced members’ knowledge, this is the place for anyone with a passion for the pointing breeds. We do not train your dog. We help you train your dog. It has been one of the most rewarding experiences for many of us. We have BIG plans for 2020!
So, if you just want to join the club for the social environment or you would like to train your dog to the highest level, this is the place for you. Welcome!! Give me a call to discuss any questions you might have. You are heartily invited to attend our next Training Day to see if our NAVHDA Chapter is what you are looking for.
Sincerely,
Sean Allen
Chapter President
Upcoming Events
Upcoming Event – Utah Handler’s Clinic
The Wasatch Mountain chapter will be hosting a spring handler’s clinic. When the date is announced and more concrete details are available, we will notify all Eagle Rock members.
Club Training Days
The chapter will resume training days in January. While the conditions may be less than tropical, it’s important for members who have upcoming NA and UT tests to get back in the field while their dogs are still fresh off hunting seasons. Training days will initially be comprised of both NA and UT-level field drills, and will begin to focus on one or the other as specific NA and UT tests approach. There is also a possibility that the chapter will have access to an indoor training venue that will allow us to work on basic obedience drills.
Remember: Training days are a cooperative project. To the extent you help, that’s the extent to which you receive help. Bring what gear you have, and be ready to help when it’s someone else’s turn to run a dog or do a specific drill. We’re going to be doing more this year to make training days a social occasion as well, an opportunity to get to know your fellow Eagle Rock members.
Watch for announcements of training days as they are scheduled.
NAVHDA International News: Special Youth Rates for the NAVHDA Annual Meeting
The NAVHDA Youth Committee would like to formally invite all families with youth to come and join us for the 2020 NAVHDA International Annual Meeting in Portland, Maine. The “Youth – Full Registration – All Access Pass” during the ticket purchase process for youth attendees allows them to listen in on all the speakers, presentations and be part of the entire meeting including Saturday’s banquet meal cost. Saturday afternoon there will be a youth meet and greet at the youth booth following the delegate meeting from 4:30 – 6:00 where NAVHDA youth from all across the country can meet, make survival bracelets and share stories. Please encourage your members to come visit the future of NAVHDA as I know they would enjoy sharing their stories. Be sure to select the “Youth – Full Registration – All Access Pass” when purchasing tickets through the Eventbrite ticketing page. Register with Sebasticook Chapter of NAVHDA and find out all the details here of the meeting. https://whova.com/web/navda_20age2001/
2020 Chapter Dues
Don’t forget to renew your membership for the coming calendar year. Memberships are for the calendar year. If you joined Eagle Rock NAVHDA after September 30, 2019, your membership is good through the end of 2020, since chapter activities went on hiatus with the start of the hunting seasons. You can renew by clicking here. (Just go to the store on the site and you’ll see an item for “2020 Membership.”) 2020 is going to be an even better year, as we gain experience as a chapter and find more members willing to jump in and help with the work of the club.
NAVHDA International Membership Required
Chapter members are required by NAVHDA to also be members of NAVHDA International in order to participate in local chapter activities. NAVHDA maintains this is an insurance-related requirement. Chapters have in the past worked around this requirement by having individuals who are not members of NAVHDA International sign a waiver releasing the chapter from liability in the event of an accident. However, it is a good idea to join NAVHDA International in any event. You’re supporting a great organization that is furthering the development of the versatile breeds and helping to bring youth into versatile hunting dogs and hunting. Since you must be a member of NAVHDA International in order to test a dog, it just makes sense to have a membership. You can join NAVHDA International here: https://www.navhda.org/join-navhda/
Member Profile
Name: Jake Nyenhuis
Home: Pocatello
Age: 28
Originally from: I’m originally from the Chicago area. I enlisted in the Marines at 18, did a deployment in Afghanistan and some other areas. When I got out of the Marines, I got out West just as soon as I could. I knew I wanted to be out here for the bird hunting.
Occupation: My education is in sports nutrition, but I work as a hearing aid technician at the Veterans Administration.
Dog: Viszla, “Hugo” (3 years old.)
Favorite species to hunt: Sharptails, but I love them all. A combination day with Huns is the perfect day. I’m still fairly new to the West, so I’m looking for more chukar opportunities.
Other interests: Really, pretty much anything outdoors. I’m kind of a gym rat as well, and I spend a lot of time working out. Training this dog and hunting over him has become a passion for me and takes up most of my free time. I’m still pretty new to it, but I’m fortunate to have a great mentor in Josh McPherson, my dog’s breeder at Hillbillie Kennels in Utah, and an experienced trainer who’s generous with his time and advice. Because of him, I’m a big fan of the Gibbons-West method of training. My copy of “Training with Mo,” which explains the Gibbons-West training method, is heavily marked up.
What brought you to NAVHDA? The people. Being fairly new to Pocatello and the West, I was attracted to NAVHDA for the opportunity to associate with like-minded people who genuinely want to hunt their dogs, and make them as good as they can. I really appreciate the fact that NAVHDA is a cooperative and not competitive environment. That social aspect of NAVHDA counts as much as anything for me.
Training Tip: Steady to Wing, Shot and Fall
Everyone’s dog “loosens up” over the course of the hunting seasons. If you’re getting ready for UT this testing season, or if you’re just ready to take your dog to the next phase in its path to a finished gun dog, it’s important to remember that steady to wing, shot and fall is a three-part training sequence: stead to wing, steady to shot, and steady to fall. Don’t try to train it as a single event. Once you have your dog steady to each part of the steady phenomenon, you can put them together for a dog that stays steady on the flush, the shot and the fall.
This series of articles by renowned trainer Carol Ptak, and saved as a single PDF, does a great job of breaking down the separate components of training for steady to wing, shot and fall. You can download it here.
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