Bird dog associations

[RyeGuy74]

Just wondering if anyone here thinks it's worth becoming a member of any of the bird dog associations like NAVDA, NAGDA, or the BDC? Does it hold any value to the average Joe like me?

 

[Wild Bill]

I was a member of NAVHDA for a couple years and accidentally let my membership slip, I should renew it again.
I think it is a good organization and could be really beneficial to a new owner/handler or anyone that enjoys dog training and wants to learn more.
My local NAVHDA chapter has field days where a bunch of folks get together and help each other and work dogs together. They also do lots of obedience and puppy classes in the middle of winter when there isn't much else you can do training-wise.
They also have a nice little quarterly magazine they put out with some decent reads. Not on the level of RMEF or NWTF but obviously a much smaller org.

 

[RyeGuy74]

I was a member of NAVHDA for a couple years and accidentally let my membership slip, I should renew it again.
I think it is a good organization and could be really beneficial to a new owner/handler or anyone that enjoys dog training and wants to learn more.
My local NAVHDA chapter has field days where a bunch of folks get together and help each other and work dogs together. They also do lots of obedience and puppy classes in the middle of winter when there isn't much else you can do training-wise.
They also have a nice little quarterly magazine they put out with some decent reads. Not on the level of RMEF or NWTF but obviously a much smaller org.

I was looking at NAVDA but according to their recognized breeds, English Cocker Spaniels is not one of them. Can you only have one of those breeds to be in NAVDA?

 

[Wild Bill]

I was looking at NAVDA but according to their recognized breeds, English Cocker Spaniels is not one of them. Can you only have one of those breeds to be in NAVDA?

Yes. From my experience you'll be just fine. Not sure why they wouldn't recognize and English Cocker, probably just some technicality they have in their formal papers.
If you go to a training day or something you might be the only person there with and English Cocker, but no one will judge you at all. From my experiences everyone I've met through NAVHDA has been incredibly welcoming and nice.
One cool thing about NAVHDA is if you do go to a training day or a test day you will probably see a bunch of dog breeds you've maybe never seen or heard of before. Lots of cool dogs running around.

 

[Salmonchaser]

Navhda for sure;

 

[WV Hunter]

English Cocker is not a pointing breed so they wouldn’t hunt the way the test is set up for NAVHDA. I’m a member and while the testing is for the continental pointing breeds the training days are for any kind of dog. They work on retrieving, obedience, search patterns and so forth, not just getting a dog on point and steadying them up. I’d highly recommend it for any dog handler. Plus you get to meet a lot of folks that hunt their dogs.
Aside from joining NAVHDA join a conservation group that is involved with your bird of choice (Ruffed Grouse Society, Pheasants Forever, Quail Forever, and so forth.