What Is The North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association & Why Join Prairie Vista?
We are pleased to have handlers of all ages including junior handlers within our membership. Our club members reside across Alberta, Saskatchewan & B.C. and include first time versatile dog owners, dedicated hunters, professional dog trainers, versatile dog breeders and show ring competitors.
Our four-legged members are seasoned high-performance athletes, first-time swimmers, young protégés honing their skills, and graying veterans enjoying their retirement years still working in the field.
We welcome all levels and aim to equip new and seasoned handlers with the training needed to learn and be successful. We believe that when members invest in their dogs’ training, they will develop their versatile dogs into ‘finished’ hunting partners and amazing companions they will enjoy for years to come.
You will find the community of people within our NAVHDA chapter to be down-to-earth, friendly and collaborative and we know you will enjoy training, testing and hunting with us!
What Is The North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association (NAVHDA)?
The North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association (NAVHDA) is a nonprofit corporation whose purpose is to foster, promote, and improve the versatile hunting dog breeds in North America; to conserve game by using well trained reliable hunting dogs, and provide testing and health information to make informed breeding decisions.
NAVHDA recognizes different breeds of versatile hunting dogs. While each breed differs somewhat with respect to their physical characteristics and hunting styles, they all possess the versatility required to locate, point, and retrieve upland game, find and retrieve wounded waterfowl, and serve as well-mannered companions in the home.
NAVHDA chapters provide resources and create opportunities for a versatile dog owner to work together with like-minded individuals to train their dogs to a high standard, reaching the potential of what your dog was bred to be. The rewards are a steady safe dog one can be proud of in the field and the special bond created with your four-legged partner.”
– NAVHDA Website
Prairie Vista NAVHDA desires for our club to be based upon the values of supportiveness, community, and friendship, over competition.
Our chapter’s aim is to help provide training tips, opportunities and resources for training versatile hunting dogs. Many of our members are skilled hunters, dedicated versatile hunting dog breeders and/or have trained and tested their dogs at various NAVHDA testing levels.
NAVHDA is all about community and learning along the way, and building the next generation of handlers and their dogs. For this to take place, our long-time members continue to enrich our community and up-and-coming handlers – in the same way they were guided when they first started out.
We recognize that along with the many joys of training a hunting dog, sometimes training is challenging and we need others’ insight, new ideas, or a second set of eyes or hands! If you have questions, most members are more than happy to share their experiences and accrued knowledge, and what worked for their dog with a similar challenge. ‘It takes a village’ is often a true adage, especially when training for the higher levels of the sport. We facilitate positive training sessions and techniques for handlers and their dogs to help them reach their full potential as a team.
Included in our membership are:
- NAVHDA Judges
- Max Score Utility Test Title Earners
- Multi-Time NAVHDA Breeder Award Winners
- Professional Trainers
- Junior Handlers
- People Who Have Tested In Various NAVHDA Levels
The Prairie Vista Chapter is committed to developing the next generation of versatile dog trainers. We welcome you to purchase a family membership and to involve your kids in our training and other chapter events.
NAVHDA International also is committed to providing opportunities for young hunters and encouraging young trainers to participate in hunting dog training and testing. Youth handlers (under 18) that enter a NAVHDA test are eligible to have 75% of their test fees reimbursed as an incentive. Talk to the Test Secretary about this process.
