NAVHDA is a non-profit education organization that is dedicated to helping people train their dogs.  They have also instituted a testing program of ever-more difficult tests in order to evaluate the dog's hunting skill.  There are four levels of testing:  Natural Ability, Utility Preparatory Test, Utility Test, and the Invitational.  The tests are based on European testing programs, and include retrieving and tracking, which are not requirements in other tests.  I think it's the most complete testing program for GSP's in America. Pups up to 16 months old can run the Natural Ability test.  While it is designed to judge the natural instinct of the dog, some training must be done in order to pass.  The Natural Ability test is valuable to me as a breeder, because it provides me with feedback on the pups I produced. The Utility Preparatory Test will demonstrate the hunting abilities of a useful hunting dog.  The dog is expected to find and hunt birds, retrieve them reasonably, search for a duck and do a marked retrieve in the water.

The Utility Test is for refined hunting dogs.  It incorporates everything required in the UPT test, but judges to a higher level of refinement.  Retrieving must be to the handler's hand, the dog must be steady longer, the duck search is harder.  I will not breed any dog that has not at least passed a Utility test.

The Invitational Test is conducted by NAVHDA once a year.  Only Prize I Utility Dogs are invited to attempt to earn the Versatile Champion title.  At the Invitational, the dog must demonstrate honoring another dog's points and retrieves as well as do some remarkable water work.  Versatile Champions were born with what it takes to be great, and have demonstrated that by actually becoming great.  Generally speaking, I will only breed to VC studs.

 

Hip Dysplasia leads to degenerative joint disease, which is a crippling disease that we can wipe out by simply testing for it and breeding superior dogs.  PennHIP has developed a test that measures hip laxity, which in turn gives us a probability of developing hip dysplasia.  Other methods are OK, but they rely on judges.  I don't like to judge what is easily measured.  To me, it's like having three police officers guess your speed, when they have a radar gun.

Fewer than 1% of dogs with a Distraction Index of 0.30 or less will ever develop hip dysplasia.  Some breeds stay below 1 dog in 100 with a distraction index under 0.55.  However I strive to produce pups with indexes under 0.30.  I have a pretty powerful head start on that number in Dove.  Her Distraction Index is 0.19 in her right hip and 0.22 in her left.  If you have trouble keeping up with all the jargon, just remember the smaller the number, the better, and anything under 0.30 is wonderful.