Why testing through the German System is important?
All the test results are sent directly to the parent club in Germany. For more than 20 years an important role in the whole breed supervision has been played by electronic data management. Kleine Munsterlander International’s database “dogbase”, which contains over 54,000 Kleine Münsterländers profiles, has become meanwhile an indispensable instrument for breed planning among the breeders. In consequent of this, many breeders no longer plan their pairings regionally, but are willing to travel throughout Germany in order to get to the optimal stud dog. Members of KLM GNA have access to “dogbase” which is a vital tool for the future of healthy high performing dogs in North America. By using the same tests and getting the North American dogs entered in the system, we have access to this excellent tool to help us breed high quality dogs.
Why test your puppy even if you don’t want to breed?
There are benefits to the owner, breeder, and organization when a puppy is tested through the JGHV system. You as an owner purchase the puppy with intentions of hunting them, so by training for the test you are setting a foundation for your dog. By testing a puppy and getting their score entered in the “dogbase” it adds to the information for the international breeding program.
What is the JGHV?
Jagdgebrauchshundverband (JGHV), which is basically 'Hunting Dog Association' in English. The JGHV has developed tests for versatile hunting dogs which the KlM GNA uses to evaluate the dogs in it's breeding program. These tests, in conjunction with the breeding regulations, are the main tools used to keep the breed moving in a positive direction.
What is the VJP?
Verbands-Jungend-Prüfung Spring Natural Ability TestThis test, usually referred to in the USA by it's letters- "VJP", is a test run in the spring of each year, specifically to test early natural ability tendencies of the dogs. There is an age limitation on this test, that the dogs must have been born in the previous calendar year, or in the October, November, or December of the year prior to that. In other words, the dogs that are 15 months old or younger on January 1 of the year of the test are eligible. This test is intended to be a puppy test.
The VJP is the simplest of the JGHV tests. In it, five abilities of the dog are judged- tracking, nose, search, pointing, and cooperation with the handler. Also, the dogs are checked for disqualifying conformation problems, and may receive marks for 'loud hunting styles', like barking while tracking, or barking while sight-chasing.
What is the HZP?
Verbands-Herbstzucht-Prüfung Fall Natural Ability Test
This test is usually called the "HZP". It's run in the fall of the year, with the same age restrictions found in the VJP. The intent is to evaluate the dog's natural abilities once more, but with the addition of some obedience and field training. A dog passing the HZP is considered to be ready to take his place as a hunting companion.
The HZP is considerably more complex than the VJP. The predicates are divided into two sections- natural abilities, and trained subjects.
The natural ability subjects are: tracking, nose, search, pointing, cooperation, desire (or 'joy of work'), and water work. Water work includes two subjects- an independent search of a pond with dense cover, and a blind retrieve. The tracking subject involves a hare track. In the USA, this particular item is optional, and usually isn't done. We just don't have the hares like they do in Germany.
The trained subjects are: retrieve of feathered game, retrieve of furred game, manner of retrieves, and obedience. The feathered and furred retrieves are done in the form of 'drags', where the dog tracks the game a good distance from the handler, and retrieves it to hand. There are no 'marked retrieves' where the dog sees a fall of game, and then does the retrieve- they're all either blinds or drags. The retrieve on feathered game is described in the rules as having three options for it's implementation, but is almost always carried out using the drag method.
Obedience plays a large part in tests beginning at the HZP, and continuing in further tests. The dog is expected to walk at heel (not pull the lead), obey with only a single command,
and so on.
What is a VGP?
Verbands-Gebrauchs-Prüfung Utility Test
This test may be run by a dog of any age- there are no restrictions as in the VJP and HZP. This test is intended to prove a dog's total ability to be the complete versatile hunting companion. A dog that can pass this test is quite a dog- nowhere in any American field trial, field test, or obedience test organization is there a test whose requirements are near the level required for this test. This may sound like a lot of hot air, but it ain't. You've got to see one of these tests to believe it.
This test is so complex, and covers so many aspects of training and ability, over the course of 2 days your dog will be ramped up for one discipline and then be forced to calmly focus on the next discipline. Dogs that are not well conditioned will start to unravel at the seems. Below is a very high level look at what the test entails.
This test takes two full days to complete. It totals 32 predicates of testing, in five sections. These sections are: forest work (blood tracks, fox retrieve, rabbit retrieve, independent search of forest, dense brush search), water work (independent search of water, tracking on the water, blind retrieve), field work (nose, point, search, manner behind game, feathered game retrieve, cooperation), obedience (while in the forest, while in the water, while in the field, heeling both on and off lead, steady to wing and shot, down-stay out of sight while guns are being fired), and retrieving (manner of retrieve on all above retrieves and a retrieve of a fox over a barrier 70-80cm high).
This test is also where the performance marks for off-lead blood tracking are judged. The first possible off-lead work is called 'totverbeller', or 'dead game bayer'. To be marked totverbeller, the dog must follow the blood track away from the handler, off lead, and bark for at least 10 minutes when he has found the game at the end of the blood trail. This is to allow the handler to come to him, and recover the game. The second type of off-lead work is called 'totverweiser', or 'dead game guide'. In this work, the dog is fitted with a small leather strap attached to his collar, hanging below his neck. The dog is to follow the blood track off-lead, and if game is found at the end of the track, the dog should flip the strap (called a 'bringtsel') into his mouth, and return to the handler. The dog then leads the handler to the downed game.
All the test results are sent directly to the parent club in Germany. For more than 20 years an important role in the whole breed supervision has been played by electronic data management. Kleine Munsterlander International’s database “dogbase”, which contains over 54,000 Kleine Münsterländers profiles, has become meanwhile an indispensable instrument for breed planning among the breeders. In consequent of this, many breeders no longer plan their pairings regionally, but are willing to travel throughout Germany in order to get to the optimal stud dog. Members of KLM GNA have access to “dogbase” which is a vital tool for the future of healthy high performing dogs in North America. By using the same tests and getting the North American dogs entered in the system, we have access to this excellent tool to help us breed high quality dogs.
Why test your puppy even if you don’t want to breed?
There are benefits to the owner, breeder, and organization when a puppy is tested through the JGHV system. You as an owner purchase the puppy with intentions of hunting them, so by training for the test you are setting a foundation for your dog. By testing a puppy and getting their score entered in the “dogbase” it adds to the information for the international breeding program.
What is the JGHV?
Jagdgebrauchshundverband (JGHV), which is basically 'Hunting Dog Association' in English. The JGHV has developed tests for versatile hunting dogs which the KlM GNA uses to evaluate the dogs in it's breeding program. These tests, in conjunction with the breeding regulations, are the main tools used to keep the breed moving in a positive direction.
What is the VJP?
Verbands-Jungend-Prüfung Spring Natural Ability TestThis test, usually referred to in the USA by it's letters- "VJP", is a test run in the spring of each year, specifically to test early natural ability tendencies of the dogs. There is an age limitation on this test, that the dogs must have been born in the previous calendar year, or in the October, November, or December of the year prior to that. In other words, the dogs that are 15 months old or younger on January 1 of the year of the test are eligible. This test is intended to be a puppy test.
The VJP is the simplest of the JGHV tests. In it, five abilities of the dog are judged- tracking, nose, search, pointing, and cooperation with the handler. Also, the dogs are checked for disqualifying conformation problems, and may receive marks for 'loud hunting styles', like barking while tracking, or barking while sight-chasing.
What is the HZP?
Verbands-Herbstzucht-Prüfung Fall Natural Ability Test
This test is usually called the "HZP". It's run in the fall of the year, with the same age restrictions found in the VJP. The intent is to evaluate the dog's natural abilities once more, but with the addition of some obedience and field training. A dog passing the HZP is considered to be ready to take his place as a hunting companion.
The HZP is considerably more complex than the VJP. The predicates are divided into two sections- natural abilities, and trained subjects.
The natural ability subjects are: tracking, nose, search, pointing, cooperation, desire (or 'joy of work'), and water work. Water work includes two subjects- an independent search of a pond with dense cover, and a blind retrieve. The tracking subject involves a hare track. In the USA, this particular item is optional, and usually isn't done. We just don't have the hares like they do in Germany.
The trained subjects are: retrieve of feathered game, retrieve of furred game, manner of retrieves, and obedience. The feathered and furred retrieves are done in the form of 'drags', where the dog tracks the game a good distance from the handler, and retrieves it to hand. There are no 'marked retrieves' where the dog sees a fall of game, and then does the retrieve- they're all either blinds or drags. The retrieve on feathered game is described in the rules as having three options for it's implementation, but is almost always carried out using the drag method.
Obedience plays a large part in tests beginning at the HZP, and continuing in further tests. The dog is expected to walk at heel (not pull the lead), obey with only a single command,
and so on.
What is a VGP?
Verbands-Gebrauchs-Prüfung Utility Test
This test may be run by a dog of any age- there are no restrictions as in the VJP and HZP. This test is intended to prove a dog's total ability to be the complete versatile hunting companion. A dog that can pass this test is quite a dog- nowhere in any American field trial, field test, or obedience test organization is there a test whose requirements are near the level required for this test. This may sound like a lot of hot air, but it ain't. You've got to see one of these tests to believe it.
This test is so complex, and covers so many aspects of training and ability, over the course of 2 days your dog will be ramped up for one discipline and then be forced to calmly focus on the next discipline. Dogs that are not well conditioned will start to unravel at the seems. Below is a very high level look at what the test entails.
This test takes two full days to complete. It totals 32 predicates of testing, in five sections. These sections are: forest work (blood tracks, fox retrieve, rabbit retrieve, independent search of forest, dense brush search), water work (independent search of water, tracking on the water, blind retrieve), field work (nose, point, search, manner behind game, feathered game retrieve, cooperation), obedience (while in the forest, while in the water, while in the field, heeling both on and off lead, steady to wing and shot, down-stay out of sight while guns are being fired), and retrieving (manner of retrieve on all above retrieves and a retrieve of a fox over a barrier 70-80cm high).
This test is also where the performance marks for off-lead blood tracking are judged. The first possible off-lead work is called 'totverbeller', or 'dead game bayer'. To be marked totverbeller, the dog must follow the blood track away from the handler, off lead, and bark for at least 10 minutes when he has found the game at the end of the blood trail. This is to allow the handler to come to him, and recover the game. The second type of off-lead work is called 'totverweiser', or 'dead game guide'. In this work, the dog is fitted with a small leather strap attached to his collar, hanging below his neck. The dog is to follow the blood track off-lead, and if game is found at the end of the track, the dog should flip the strap (called a 'bringtsel') into his mouth, and return to the handler. The dog then leads the handler to the downed game.