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Seasoned/Senior Hunt Test?

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themaninblack3

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
I am new to the hunt test world and have only ran my dog in 2 started test for line experience which he blew out of the water. Someone please tell me in great detail what I will have to be prepared for in a seasoned and/or senior hunt test... Line manners? Cheating the bank? Honoring? Please tell me anything and everything that I will need to prepare for as well as all of the things that I will not be able to do that will get my dog and I failed. All the way from walk ups to the time I take him off the line. Little background info. He has been through the basics, 3HC, FTP, TT, Pattern blinds, Swim by. He is currently running blinds with marks thrown in every now and then when I have help. We have worked a little on diversions but not too heavily. Just a little toss of a bumper from me when he's on the way back with a bumper. He is not great on blinds because once hunting season started we don't train as much but he will get to them one way or another. Sometimes he steps on them, sometimes he doesn't. By spring test season he will be good/great on blinds from what I can foresee.
 
#2 ·
Best thing you can do from the start is download the rule books from both HRC and AKC. lots of information on what you can and cannot do. also tells you want the judges need to look at. What part of the country or you from. Also join a local club and talk to members that have run all levels of hunt test.
 
#3 · (Edited)
Seasoned test:
Land double with blind outside of marks. You will shoot in the direction before running the blind.
Water double with blind outside of marks. You will shoot same as land blind.
Walk up or walkout. You can say 'SIT' or whistle when bird is thrown.
You are not penalized for cheating, etc.
You are allowed 1 controlled break
You will have a diversion on either land or water. Usually thrown significantly off the line the dog is coming in on.
No honor
Your dog can be on lead all the way to the line/bucket. Take lead off, have him sit, load your gun, and blow duck call to start test.
You may talk to your dog while at the line. You will likely be marked down some for trainability if you continually say 'Sit' and dog is rowdy.

Senior test:
Land double with blind. Diversion shot in the field to setup the blind when dog is returning from last mark or while walking to the line(if blind is run before marks)
Water double with blind. Diversion shot in the field to setup the blind when dog is returning from last mark or while walking to the line
Walk up or walkout. You can say 'SIT' or whistle when bird is thrown.
You are not penalized for cheating, etc.
Controlled breaks are at judges' discretion. You 'may' get called back, but I wouldn't count on it.
No diversion bird. Just diversion shot for the blinds.
Dog must honor on 1 of the series
Your dog must come off lead somewhere between holding blind and line. Judges usually have orange tape out where they want the dog off lead and you are under judgement.
Once you call for the birds, you may not say anything to the dog until the judge calls your number or says 'dog'. Any verbal communication is considered a 'controlled break'.

Typically(at least in the tests I have run), an AKC senior test is usually significantly tougher than an HRC seasoned test. Marks/blinds are longer with more factors. An AKC senior test is usually more in line with an HRC finished test, but with 2 marks instead of 3. Currently, the young dog I'm training is running HRC finished and AKC senior. He's doing master and Q level work in training. Just a word of advice, you want your dog running well beyond the level they are being tested at in training before you compete. If not, you are asking for failure.

Here's a link that compares the requirements for all 3 levels of testing in both HRC and AKC: https://crosscreekkennel.com/htexp.htm

Hope this helps.
 
Discussion starter · #4 ·
bamajeff said:
Seasoned test:
Land double with blind outside of marks. You will shoot in the direction before running the blind.
Water double with blind outside of marks. You will shoot same as land blind.
Walk up or walkout. You can say 'SIT' or whistle when bird is thrown.
You are not penalized for cheating, etc.
You are allowed 1 controlled break
You will have a diversion on either land or water. Usually thrown significantly off the line the dog is coming in on.
No honor
Your dog can be on lead all the way to the line/bucket. Take lead off, have him sit, load your gun, and blow duck call to start test.
You may talk to your dog while at the line. You will likely be marked down some for trainability if you continually say 'Sit' and dog is rowdy.

Senior test:
Land double with blind. Diversion shot in the field to setup the blind when dog is returning from last mark or while walking to the line(if blind is run before marks)
Water double with blind. Diversion shot in the field to setup the blind when dog is returning from last mark or while walking to the line
Walk up or walkout. You can say 'SIT' or whistle when bird is thrown.
You are not penalized for cheating, etc.
Controlled breaks are at judges' discretion. You 'may' get called back, but I wouldn't count on it.
No diversion bird. Just diversion shot for the blinds.
Dog must honor on 1 of the series
Your dog must come off lead somewhere between holding blind and line. Judges usually have orange tape out where they want the dog off lead and you are under judgement.
Once you call for the birds, you may not say anything to the dog until the judge calls your number or says 'dog'. Any verbal communication is considered a 'controlled break'.

Typically(at least in the tests I have run), an AKC senior test is usually significantly tougher than an HRC seasoned test. Marks/blinds are longer with more factors. An AKC seasoned test is usually more in line with an HRC finished test, but with 2 marks instead of 3. Currently, the young dog I'm training is running HRC finished and AKC senior. He's doing master and Q level work in training. Just a word of advice, you want your dog running well beyond the level they are being tested at in training before you compete. If not, you are asking for failure.

Here's a link that compares the requirements for all 3 levels of testing in both HRC and AKC: https://crosscreekkennel.com/htexp.htm

Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Great rundown! This is exactly what I was looking for. They do not detail it like this in either of the rule books which I have ready a couple of times each. I also already set my mind to training a level above before running the test I'm entering. Good stuff thanks!
 
#8 · (Edited)
KeystoneDekeChesapeake said:
BamaJeff, I felt like I was cheating reading your breakdown. :D Appreciate the insight immensely.
Click to expand...
No problem. Some of those items, I learned the 'hard way' :D. Glad it was helpful. One other item that I didn't spell out. You can usually handle on 1 mark. If you have to handle on any more, you are very likely out. Also FYI, you are allowed to handle on the walk up and diversion in an HRC test. That is not considered a test of marking, it's considered a test of steadiness/control respectively. In AKC senior test, the walkup is usually the first mark in either land/water test and is part of the marking test. You can still say 'SIT' or blow sit whistle, but a handle would count against you.
 
Discussion starter · #9 ·
bamajeff said:
No problem. Some of those items, I learned the 'hard way' :D. Glad it was helpful. One other item that I didn't spell out. You can usually handle on 1 mark. If you have to handle on any more, you are very likely out. Also FYI, you are allowed to handle on the diversion mark. That is not considered a test of marking, it's considered a test of steadiness
Click to expand...
Great to know! Myself as well as others on this forum greatly appreciate the legwork involved in providing the detailed info you did.
 
#13 ·
themaninblack3 said:
Who shoots the flier? Handler or someone else?
Click to expand...
In AKC, all shots/simulated shots are made in the field. The handler holds a non-working/fake gun and the dog swings with the gun. In AKC, there is typically sound(duck call) from each gun station before the shot to get the dog's attention, but in HRC there is no sound. The dog must mark off the gun barrel.
 
Discussion starter · #14 ·
bamajeff said:
In AKC, all shots/simulated shots are made in the field. The handler holds a non-working/fake gun and the dog swings with the gun. In AKC, there is typically sound(duck call) from each gun station before the shot to get the dog's attention, but in HRC there is no sound. The dog must mark off the gun barrel.
Click to expand...
Okay. This is some very helpful info especially for a HT newbie like myself.
 
#15 ·
bamajeff said:
No problem. Some of those items, I learned the 'hard way' :D. Glad it was helpful. One other item that I didn't spell out. You can usually handle on 1 mark. If you have to handle on any more, you are very likely out. Also FYI, you are allowed to handle on the diversion mark in an HRC test. That is not considered a test of marking, it's considered a test of steadiness. In AKC senior test, the walkup is usually the first mark in either land/water test and is part of the marking test. You can still say 'SIT' or blow sit whistle, but a handle would count against you.
Click to expand...
Isn't the diversion a test of CONTROL? How could it test steadiness when sometimes the dog is running or swimming?
 
#19 ·
senior tests are much harder I have ran blinds where the line to the blind was 20 feet to a flyer station that sucked the dog that way and made it hard to get them off to continue to pick it up . also don't forget don't talk to your dog after calling for the bird. also I wouldn't advise running 2 tests the same week end I did it wit my young dog and he was so amped up the 2nd day when I got him out of the kennel the 2nd day his eyes told me we were toast and we were he was nuts and went out on the 1st series. it took a long time to finish his title. that was after going 4 x4 in junior . my point is don't get too greedy and take your time
 
#20 ·
bamajeff said:
No problem. Some of those items, I learned the 'hard way' :D. Glad it was helpful. One other item that I didn't spell out. You can usually handle on 1 mark. If you have to handle on any more, you are very likely out. Also FYI, you are allowed to handle on the walk up and diversion in an HRC test. That is not considered a test of marking, it's considered a test of steadiness/control respectively. In AKC senior test, the walkup is usually the first mark in either land/water test and is part of the marking test. You can still say 'SIT' or blow sit whistle, but a handle would count against you.
Click to expand...
the walk up is a mark . The Diversion is not. SO best if you do not handle if possible on a walk up. The bird is right in front of you if the dog is walking at heal as it should be. This is for both HRC and AKC. Most of the time in Senior, the walk up will be part of the double marks.
 
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