Hunting vs Hunt Tests & Field Tests

On Sunday, October 5th, Ranger entered his first field test. It was the NSDTRC(USA) Basic Retrieving and Tolling test. This test is supposed to be an instinct test for a young dog. Despite having two years of actual successful hunting experience, Ranger failed the test. This brings to mind for me a question, Why?

I actually was neither surprised that he failed the test, nor did I feel that the test was in any way unfair. I knew the rules and conditions going in and I was pretty sure that we weren't going to pass. That is why I entered this test instead of the higher level Working Certificate test, which cost $15 more.

The test consists of two very short land retrieves a short tolling session and two very short water retrieves. We didn't make it past the land retrieves. The question again, why? Here are my thoughts on the matter:

First and foremost, Ranger has not been force fetched. Most people who compete at the higher levels if Hunt and Field work will tell you that a forced retrieve is a must, but this test was supposed to be an instinct test, so the forced retrieve should not have been a factor here. However, had he been force fetched, I'm sure that he would have passed the test.

Next, we don't hunt by the rules. I live in the desert southwest. Duck hunting here is unlike the traditional duck hunting with which most people who live in places which actually have water are familiar. Our water is shallower, and narrower and harder to find. Duck hunting here is, well, different. A blind consists of an overhanging cottonwood or a stand of trees, but nothing more developed than that. If I had to describe our duck hunting I'd say it's sort of a hybrid of upland and traditional duck hunting and upland work. We do use decoys, but we often just jump ducks on ponds or flush them from the decoys towards a waiting hunter upstream. Our birds are almost always hit at close range, and no, every shot does not necessarily bring down a bird.

When I first took my girls hunting, their only experience with birds had been under field test conditions. They were quite shocked and felt cheated when every shot fired did not bring a bird to retrieve. This caused lots of complaining, chastisement and whining on their parts. I clearly remember a conversation between my Bronco Sue and my friend Junior, where the human was explaining to the dog that her whining was not bringing the birds in. He couldn't just manufacture them out of thin air and besides, she hadn't exactly been stellar about finding that last bird anyway. I was quite amused to watch a grown man trying to carry on a conversation with a dog.

Flash forward to October 5th and my newest dog Ranger. Ranger's experience with birds has all occurred under hunting conditions. He waits patiently for the birds to fall and then gets them when they do. His birds have often still been flapping, many have been cripples and they've all been warm, freshly shot flyers. Ranger sits at my side quietly and patiently scans the sky for birds. He doesn't whine or complain when shots are fired and the birds don't fall. He looks alertly at where they should fall and when they don't he goes back to scanning for the next target. Under the test conditions, where the bird was well and truly dead, barely thawed, to get anthropomorphic for Ranger, there is no immediate need for picking it up. It's not going anywhere. We can get it later. Besides, there's a whole bucket of birds right besides the person who threw this bird. Obviously, this bird must be flawed since the person threw it away.

For Ranger to pass this "instinct" test, I'm going to have to put him through force-fetch training. He's going to need to learn to work for me rather than with me. It's going to be sad for me to see the dynamics of our team changed by imposing rules, but on the other hand, maybe forcing him to do something that doesn't make sense, just because I want him to do it will improve our communication and teamwork.