YANKEE CHAPTER TEST PREP WORKSHOP

Helping Your Dog Succeed on Test Day

Date: Sunday, May 17, 2026
Time: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Location: Merrymeeting Kennels, Brunswick, ME

Event Link

A few years ago, the Yankee Chapter developed a workshop designed specifically for handlers, not their dogs.
Many of us have learned after testing dogs several times that how we handle our dogs—and ourselves—during a test can greatly affect the outcome.

While practical tips can be picked up during training clinics, testing situations and questions don’t always arise in those settings.
And as we all know, a test day feels very different from a training day.
This workshop was designed to help handlers do the best they can to support their dogs on test day.

How Is This Different from a NAVHDA Aims & Rules Clinic?

NAVHDA Aims & Rules Clinics focus on the NAVHDA testing and judging system, including:

The scoring system
What judges look for
What each element of the test is designed to evaluate

The Yankee Test Prep Workshop focuses instead on handler actions and options in the field and at the water.

We will not be teaching tricks or ways to “beat” the testing system. Instead, the workshop presents
practical, effective handling advice for the following tests:

Natural Ability (NA)
Gun Dog (GD)
Utility (UT)

The workshop is led by a moderator and a panel of Yankee Chapter members who are NAVHDA judges.
Two handlers with dogs will demonstrate handling situations during the sessions.

Workshop Format

The workshop will cover Natural Ability in the morning and Gun Dog / Utility in the afternoon.
Each session lasts approximately three hours with a break in the middle.

Participants may attend both sessions or just one.
This is a people clinic, not a dog clinic — you will not be working your dog.

Cost:

Free for Yankee Chapter members
Non-members: $10 (can be applied toward a Yankee Chapter membership)

Please bring:

A chair or something to sit on
Lunch and beverages if attending the full day

Workshop Topics

Commands

When to command and when not to
How to decide if you should issue a command
Choosing the best command type: verbal, whistle, or hand signal

Intervention and Correction

When to intervene to change how things are going
Understanding the difference between a command and a correction

Field and Time Management

NA, GD, UT: Moving through the field — pacing and direction
NA, GD, UT: Watering your dog — when, how, and why
NA, GD, UT: Praise — when and why to give it
GD / UT: Handling your gun
GD / UT: Tips on receiving the retrieve

GD / UT Heeling

Starting your dog
Pacing and mid-course corrections
Transitioning from the heeling course to the water

Water Work

NA: Motivating a Natural Ability dog to enter the water on test day
NA and UT: Helping judges check coat and teeth
GD / UT: Body posture
UT: Timing gun shots
GD / UT: Handling the gun and poppers
UT: When to throw stones during a search
GD / UT: Tips on receiving the retrieve

Judge Interaction

What you can ask judges
What you should communicate to judges
What to do if you disagree with a judge’s request

YANKEE CHAPTER TEST PREP WORKSHOP – Helping Your Dog Succeed on Test Day