Message from the Chapter President
Goodbye Winter!!
It’s hard to talk training while we’re still recovering from over 40 inches of snow in east Idaho, but it will be over soon!
I first want to thank all of the board for their dedication and hard work for the Eagle Rock chapter. It’s easy to look forward to a best year yet with these great people building our chapter.
We have great things on the horizon including test days, training days, clinics and our annual sporting clays shoot. The greatest of those, of course, are the weekend training days I get to spend with our membership. I look forward to every time we meet.
As a board, we will continue to work to make this chapter a welcoming and friendly chapter to belong to. We will focus on getting and keeping new members, as well as getting more members active in both training and testing days. My focus as president this year is to get all of our members familiar with testing days, removing the mystery and with it some of the apprehension we face, and developing the skills that go into making a test successful. I want members to know they belong to the chapter and encourage all to become more active. We will be focusing on the individual needs of handlers and their dogs and give them the tools and knowledge to succeed in training and in hunting.
I encourage all members to make a special effort at the training days to get to know a new member or a member you have not met before. We are only as strong as our membership. I feel we can strengthen our core membership even more!!
I’m looking forward to seeing everyone at our training days. As always, if you ever have a question, idea, or just want to talk bird dogs, feel free to call me. You all make our chapter great!!
Sincerely,
Sean Allen
Chapter President
Upcoming Events
Club Training Days
Training days have been set for the second and fourth Saturday of each month, March – June. The second Saturday of each month will be in the Pocatello area, with the fourth Saturday of each month in the Idaho Falls area.
Our first training day will be at McTucker Ponds, Saturday, March 14, 9:00 a.m. The training fields are located on the boat dock road, on the right side of the road.
Here is a Google Maps link:
When you drop down into McTucker ponds, watch for the directional signs.
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.
Natural Ability Tests – June 5-7
The chapter will hold three days of Natural Ability Tests June 5-7, just north of Idaho Falls. (A map will be published prior to the tests.) You can register your pup on the Eagle Rock NAVHDA website: https://www.eaglerocknavhda.com/shop/
Rattlesnake Avoidance Clinic
The chapter is hosting a rattlesnake avoidance training clinic on Friday, June 26, at the Portneuf Wellness Complex in Pocatello. The training is done by GetRattled, a national leader in rattlesnake avoidance training. The clinic is open to all dog owners interested in helping their dog to learn to avoid being bitten by a rattlesnake.
Find out more about it here: https://www.eaglerocknavhda.com/rattlesnake-avoidance-training/
This is a fundraiser for the chapter. You can help by downloading and printing the flier available on that page, and posting it in public places. Or, send a link to the page to your friends who have dogs. Funds raised by the chapter help the chapter purchase equipment for training and tests, and help cover operating costs.
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.
NAVHDA International News
The 2021 Invitational – Hosted by the Zia Chapter of NAVHDA in New Mexico
You’ll never have a better opportunity to attend a NAVHDA Invitational than the 2021 Invitational in New Mexico. This is your chance to see the finest dog/handler teams in NAVHDA, the “best of the best.”
You can watch a short video on the 2021 Invitational here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAYSmkDzI2o
Since your dog may one day qualify, you can learn more about the Invitational here: https://www.navhda.org/invitational/
There’s a good chance dogs and handlers from our chapter will qualify for the 2021 Invitational. Veterans of this elite test all agree: Having a “home team” of fellow chapter members there has a tremendous influence on the success of the handlers and their dogs.
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. You can join NAVHDA International here: https://www.navhda.org/join-navhda/
Member Profile –
Name: Dean Parker
Home: Idaho Falls
Age: 40
Married to: Corinne, and proud dad to four boys.
Originally from: Plain City, Utah. I practiced law in the Midwest after I graduated from law school, but we knew we wanted to get back to this part of the country, where we could be closer to family and raise our kids in the middle of all of the great outdoor opportunities that exist here.
Occupation: I’m an attorney specializing in mergers and acquisitions, and general corporate matters.
Dog: Pudelpointer, “Duke” (NA Prize I)
Favorite species to hunt: Pheasants is what we chase the most. My older boys have started shooting, and we’re having a lot of fun.
Other interests: Fly fishing is my main passion, and we live in Mecca for that sport. But I enjoy getting outdoors with my family for about any activity, year ‘round.
What brought you to NAVHDA? The testing and the training support. It’s a lot easier to bring a dog along when you have people who share your interest in a well-trained dog. This is my third pointing dog. I had English pointers when I was young. When I was living in the Midwest, I had a Lab to take advantage of the waterfowling I was close to. Now I’m back to the versatile breeds. You just get a lot out of the NAVHDA experience. In fact, my father is coming into it – He’s coming up from Utah to test a pup in our June test.
Training Tip: For The Natural Ability Test, It’s “Track – Track – Track”
Every experienced handler will tell you: In the Natural Ability Test, the place most pups drop points is on tracking. Let your pup get its nose full tracking dragged pheasants. Do it a lot.
Here’s a a good overview of the Natural Ability test: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQbZ9jhWo8g
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