AWSFA

EVENT

INFORMATION

Event dates and locations are subject to change so be sure to check back often for any updates.

If you are not a member of the AWSFA feel free to contact us about attending an event.

Training dates for 2012 are as follows:

March 24  |  April 21  |  May 12  |  June 2  |  July 7  |  August 11  |  September 8

As a club our objective is to help one another obtain the goals each individual sets for his dog and in so doing w work for the benefit of everyone not just ourselves. Members that attend training days need to help one another with the process and stay from beginning to end whenever possible. Obviously there will be days when exceptions to this later point need to be made but the primary point is that people arriving very late or leaving very early are not pulling their weight in the training process. Everyone, whether a duck or upland hunter, a hunter or a hunt tester, a retriever or spaniel enthusiast, needs his or her dog skilled in the things we train for at every session. We need all attendees to help one another in whatever way they can.

Unless otherwise noted, training takes place at Cohoctah Meadows Farm in Howell, MI.
For directions see the map below.

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If you are wondering about what to bring to a training event just click here for a list of suggestions.

Training begins at 9:00 AM sharp for all dates except those in July and August when we will start at 8:00 AM. Socializing and setup will take place one hour before traiining begins. Note that the June 2 date is the day of our annual meeting and training on that day will begin at 8:00 AM and run until 12:30 PM.

Generally speaking we use chukar for training. but there are times where we may have pigeons, pheasant or ducks.

Training sessions boil down to three key areas of work - obedience, retrieving and upland. What areas are worked on will be determined by the dog's owner and the trainers assigned to help. Some of the more typical elements of each area are as follows:

Obedience

• Basic obedience refreshers as needed with emphasis on sit, stay, heel and come
• E-collar discussions and demonstrations as needed
• Discussion and sometimes demonstration of the use of place board and other tools to aid in the training process

Retrieving

We will begin with basic retrieving skills

• Demonstrations as needed
• Short marked retrieves with lengthening drills
• Multiple marked retrieves – only for dogs that are steady at the line
• Introduction to lining drills and blind retrieves for the more advanced dogs

Upland

• Basic quartering pattern work
  • Pups/inexperienced dogs – tape winged birds and shaking
  • Intermediate dogs - tape winged birds little to no shaking
  • Experienced dogs – tape winged birds and some fliers
• Steady to wing and shot
  • Inexperienced dogs – training demonstrations
  • Experienced dogs – training drill

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