[Misty Marsh]

O.K, I've been meaning to ask this question for some time now and after a conversation with a coupple good pro's I'm ready to ask the question to the RTF masses. You see I have a pretty talented little dog who has had a great year in both he Derby & HT scenes and I was told by a coupple pro's that "the best thing I could do with her is to stop doing HT's", now my question is, it possible to do both sucessfully, and if so what adjustments to my training do I need to do? MY guess is train for FT's white coats, distance etc.. and run the odd HT's as they come almost cold turkey!

 

[ducksoup]

You have it right --train for FTs and run both FTs and HTs -- just change up for HTs before running (gunners wearing camo etc.)

 

[Angie B]

I voted yes, but I do think it's the exceptional animal that can step up from a MH to AA stakes and be competitive.

The lower stakes, derby and qual, absolutely but not so with the Open and Am. The dogs really have to be exceptional markers and be able to fight factors for long distances.

Even if you train as if your running FT's it's still tough.

Angie

 

[Bob Gutermuth]

I think it depends on one's definition of success. Going from master to Qual and back is not a major deal. If you are aiming for an FC AFC forget the hunt tests except outside of field trial season.

 

[Howard N]

I had FC AFC MHR Whitewater Quacker Tracker

Roy McFall has FC AFC Hiwood Jaguar MH

It can be done. Train the white coat distances and concepts. Come back and get your MH with a 6 year old. Don't confuse a younger dog. The whitecoat game is so tough that giving mixed signals on something as mundane as trial vs. hunt test can screw up your under control trial dog. BTW, I don't see that it's bad to do one or two hunt tests a year with your trial dog at most any age. It can be a nice laid back break for both of you, just don't seriously campaign a trial dog in hunt tests.

 

[Terry Thomas]

Both Rex Bell and John Cavanaugh have dogs that have done it.

 

[Roger Perry]

There are quite a few dogs that are either FC or AFC or both FC/AFC that have a JH, SH, or MH after their name. I train for field trials but run a couple of hunt tests per year. The only time I shorten up the distances is if it is too hot to run the dogs on long marks or blinds.

 

[Buzz]

I have a friend who trains exclusively for FT. He has a young dog that had some derby placements but not too much luck in the Am and qualifying yet, but has made it to some 3rd and 4th series with her. He got a wild hair and went to a HT for the fun of it. He ran her in master and she got a pass. Actually, he says that she was the only dog running that test that did everything clean and without any cheating at all. Granted it's not a title, just a single pass, but he said it was very easy. The only thing he thought was tough was having flyers shot right in her face while she sat remotely with him in a blind. Heck of a breaking test...

The funny thing is, he didn't talk at all about FT while he was there. Everyone figured he was new to the sport because they hadn't seen him around, so they were trying to be helpful and give him advice. They explained to him that FT folks show up with their dogs quite often, but that they can't do the HT type stuff because their training is so different. I guess he had a hard time staying quiet at that point, but he did not comment. I'd bet that it's a lot easier to go from training for FT to running master tests than it is to go the other way.

Don't know if he intends to run any more, he just did it to see what a master test was like... He had a great time.

 

[Guest]

These are owned by Larry and Anna Calvert FC AFC CFC CAFC Jazztime MHR (deceased)
CFC-CAFC-GMPR-MHR Jazztime Last Chance v Pekisko
FC-AFC-CFC-CAFC-MHR Jazztime Albertawind v Pekisko
WR Jazztime Empty Wallet
SR Jazztime Northern Exposure

Cindy

 

[ErinsEdge]

Come back and get your MH with a 6 year old. Don't confuse a younger dog

I agree with this statement if you want to be AA competitive or if you have a young dog, run the HT at the end of the season before hunting. I can only think of a few FC/AFC's that did it the other way around and I know one owner that said he wouldn't do it that way again because of line manner issues and watching the birds go down. (MH then tried FT). When they are older you can do both.

 

[Jackson]

Absolutely ,Phil Millers Hunting Hills Tinman derby list,open all 2 place,jams and several other all age placements. Tin is allso a master hunter with a Master national pass and a nice calm dog.

 

[BillJensWorkingLabs]

Sorry for being ignorant. Im still learning about FT, but can someone explain in detail why a Masters Test and a AA are so difference.

I know in a field trail they wear white and in hunt test they wear camo.
I know in field trails there is no duck calls for marks.
I know that field trails shoot then throw the bird. And in Hunt test they blow the call release the bird and shoot.
Oh and field trails are a much longer distance.

How much more am I missing?

-Bill

 

[Marty Bullington]

Hunt Tests are against a standard. Field Trials all but one goes home with their tail kicked. Been on both sides of the fence. You can have a bobble in hunt tests. That bobble can send you home in FT. I think that the concepts are much more brutal in FT. I have run both but settled to FT just because I love the competition. Both are much fun! Good Luck either way!

Marty

 

[Pete Marcellus]

AFC HRCH Oak Branch's Duchess of Jiv (Daisy), HRCH at 10 mos., 220 HRC points at 16 months, 2 for 2 master passes at 16 months, started field trial training at 17 months, 1 derby point, Qual 2nd at 30 months, AFC at 3 1/2 years.

It can be done. Helps to have an exceptional dog. One thing that has happened though, since training for field trials, she creeps badly at hunt tests. I plan on trying to get her GRHRCH, she needs the 2 grand passes.

I'm training one of her offspring now and plan on running Diesel in some hunt tests. He is being trained for field trials though.

Pete

 

[FOM]

Come back and get your MH with a 6 year old. Don't confuse a younger dog

I agree with this statement if you want to be AA competitive or if you have a young dog, run the HT at the end of the season before hunting. I can only think of a few FC/AFC's that did it the other way around and I know one owner that said he wouldn't do it that way again because of line manner issues and watching the birds go down. (MH then tried FT). When they are older you can do both.

I'll second this advice.....about blew Bullet's gasket and a MH title is not worth it when the goal is FC/AFC, maybe once he is older and can handle it, but NEVER EVER again for me! Still trying to work through an issue that reared it ugly head at the one and only HT we ran.....mumble, mumble....

Lainee, Flash and Bullet

 

[Goldenboy]

One extraordinarily successful field trial person that I know runs an occasional hunt test with her dogs. She uses them as a reward for good training as she considers them as purely an enjoyable venue for the dogs. We have run a few hunt tests with absolutely no hunt test training and have done well. A dog who can be competitive in most qualifying stakes should hammer virtually every master level hunt test.

Hunt tests can be a fun time for the well trained field trial dog. A challenge? No way.

 

[HarryWilliams]

Train for Trials and use the Hunt Test as a trial-like training day. I run NAHRA, one of the reasons I like it is because you can talk to your dog on line (sit, hear, heel as the birds are going down). Handle if you don't get the line you want (cheaty). It can provide a training opportunnity. Of course there's always NO HEEL. HPW