Jennifer and Her Weim Symon Featured in the Versatile Hunting Dog Magazine

I love it when I’m paging through a magazine, and all of a sudden – “HEY! A Weim!”   

Jennifer handling Symon

This happened to me last night as I was reading my April issue of the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association (NAVHDA) magazine. Even better, it was a inspirational story about a “newbie” Jennifer Durocher that has had great success with her Weimaraner, Symon (otherwise known as Shadowpoint’s Sterling Sir Symon) in the Natural Ability Test. Not only did Symon pass the test, he passed with a perfect 112 score!  

NAVHDA testing is actually pretty similar to the working tests in Germany, the home country of the Weimaraner. In addition to testing, NAVHDA is committed to helping hunters train their dogs for land and water work, and most local chapters meet monthly for training in the off-season. I’ve been a NAVHDA member for 10 years, and it is a great organization!  

So just what did Jennifer and Symon accomplish? Here is a brief explanation Natural Ability test. There are other levels which I’ll discuss at some later point, but the Natural Ability test is a great way to get started in the field and water with your Weimaraner.  

The Natural Ability test must be taken when your dog is over 4 months and less than 16 months old.  Although your dog may participate after this age, and the score will simply read “eval” in documentation.  

The name, Natural Ability, is somewhat of a misnomer, as no dog and handler should go into the test without preparation. Your Weim should not be trained, but he should have some exposure to gunfire, birds, water, and tracking. Judges expect Natural Ability dogs to be puppies, but they will also expect your dog to get down to the business of hunting, too.  

Your dog will also have a brief conformation evaluation where they check teeth and coat, and temperament traits such as “normal” or “shy” are assessed. Gun shyness is also tested.  

The following attributes are scored: Use of nose, search, water, pointing, tracking, desire to work, and cooperation. They are scored from 1-4 with 4 being best, and each of the areas are “weighted.” For example, use of nose is weighted with a factor of 6; tracking 2. This means that your 1-4 score is multiplied by the weighted number.  

Symon tracking

Each of these traits (other than tracking and water) are evaluated throughout the entire test. If your dog must constantly be called, frequently runs out of range of the handler, is distracted from working, etc, then he may find less than perfect scores recorded for desire and cooperation. Obviously the higher scoring dogs would generally score higher in nose, search, and water, which are weighted more heavily.  

A 112 is a perfect score, and would always be a Prize 1. The scoring can be more complicated from there, but a Prize 2 is the next most desirable, and then prize 3. However, ANY Prize in a NA test means that the dog has the “natural ability” to develop into a very fine, high caliber hunting dog.  

The format depends on the club, but is mostly predictable:  

Symon swimming

• Water: Your Weimaraner will be sent into the water for a throwing dummy. He doesn’t have to retrieve, but he does have to swim twice. If he won’t go for a dummy, then a bird can be used, but his maximum score can only be a 1.
• Field: Birds are planted and your dog will run for 20 minutes. The judges are looking for him to hunt. Your dog must also point. A flashpoint is not acceptable. (A flashpoint is a brief point that isn’t held for more than a few seconds.) If necessary, the judges will bring your dog to a bird to get a nice staunch point. More credit is given to dogs who find more birds, for use of nose.
• Tracking: You and your dog will be instructed to wait out of sight while the flight feathers are pulled from a pheasant’s wing. The judges shoo the pheasant into the woods/cover across a field and then you will be asked to bring your dog out. Once you release your Weim — with or without a command — your dog should track the pheasant. No extra points are given if the dog retrieves the pheasant. The judges want to see the dog track, not search.

Remember that this is not a competition against other dogs, and the judges are there to help you show your Weimaraner to his best advantage, and they want you to succeed. At the end of the day, scores are tallied and shared amongst the group. There is a wonderful sense of camaraderie, and the judges are there for the day to answer questions and discuss your dog’s performance. This test is great fun for both you and your Weimaraner, and I encourage all of you with young dogs to try it!  

Many thanks to Jennifer Durocher and Symon for the inspirational story and for the gorgeous photographs.  Big thanks also to Meredith Wadsworth of Southpaw Weimaraners for the help in writing this article.  

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