Fall brings its own rhythm and sounds. After the long days of summer, it is almost a relief to enjoy the gap between summer and winter. The soft rustle of leaves gliding on chilly winds, the muted sounds of birds still hanging around before undertaking their migrations, and the tinkling sounds of bells all tell [...]

Field trials are all about letting a dog do what comes naturally in a competitive setting. For the Pointing Breeds that means finding birds and showing off their courage, stamina, and keen desire to hunt.  Since 1993, the AKC Gun Dog Championship continues to be one of the largest and most prestigious pointing all breed field [...]

Dogs and people have been living and working together for thousands of years. In fact, our canine companions were some of our earliest hunting partners. Over the years, we've developed many breeds to help us hunt, each of which has specific skills that can help us find and secure several types of game. These hardy [...]

Hunting with dogs is an exciting way to channel your dog's natural instincts. Learn some basics about how to safely hunt with your dog and how to train them to work in the field.

Having trouble deciding on a name for your hunting dog? You've come to the right place. The following list of hunting dog names should give you some inspiration. Let's start with some names inspired by hunting itself: Chase/Chaser - A great fit for tracking dogs. Scout - Also great for trackers. If you have [...]

Airedale Terrier American Water Spaniel Boykin Spaniel Chesapeake Bay Retriever Clumber Spaniel Cocker Spaniel Curly-Coated Retriever English Cocker Spaniel English Springer Spaniel Field Spaniel Flat-Coated Retriever Golden Retriever Irish Water Spaniel Labrador Retriever Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever Poodle Sussex Spaniel Welsh Springer Spaniel

You might think your sweet and affectionate spaniel was born just to be cuddled and adored by you, but you’d be wrong: Spaniels were actually first bred to be hunting companions! Their role was to hunt, find game, and then drive them out of their hiding places (also called “flushing”). Want to see those [...]

You’ve played ball with your Retriever about a million times in your backyard or at the park, but do his fetching abilities automatically mean he’d make a good hunting companion? Not necessarily. The only way to really know is to participate in a Retriever Hunting Test. Ever since the first AKC retriever hunting [...]

Spaniel Hunting Test Newcomers Have Early Success! First Irish Water Spaniel Master Hunter Upland Airedales Earn Their First Field Titles  

TITLE APPLICATIONS In addition to achieving the core Hunt Test titles of; Junior (JH), Senior (SH) and Master (MH), there are three additional certificate titles that are offered as mentioned in the Regulations & Guidelines for AKC Hunting Tests for Retrievers, Chapter 2, Section 6-7. Master Amateur Hunter Title Certificate Order Form (Fillable PDF) Master National [...]

Spaniels are flushing breeds. Their purpose is to hunt, find game, flush and retrieve birds in a please and efficient manner. The objective of the hunting test program is to help the hunter develop a useful hunting companion by providing a means to gauge a dog's ability against three standards of accomplishment-Junior Hunter, Senior Hunter [...]

Event Service Fees (Jan 2013) Changes to Spaniel Hunting Test Regulations (Nov 2011) The AKC's Position Regarding Club Events Held on Private Property (June 2007) Event giving clubs often conduct their activities on private property. It is the joint responsibility of the Club and the land owner to reach a mutual understanding regarding the obligations of both parties [...]

The concept of the Spaniel Hunting Test began as a request for an AKC sanctioned event to be known as the "Spaniel Gun Dog Qualification." It had been recommended that AKC sanction Spaniel breed specialty clubs to hold these tests for the purpose of gauging a dog's natural abilities during demands of actual hunting conditions [...]

TITLE APPLICATIONS Advanced Title Application Lifetime Achievement Title Application   EVENT APPLICATION Spaniel Hunt Test Event Application

In the 1980s hunters with good retrievers, but without the resources, or time, to be able to be competitive in field trials were anxious to have an avenue to test their dogs for hunting abilities. The Qualifying and then Hunting Dog stake at field trials satisfied that need for a while, but did not offer [...]

Who is THAT Junior Handler? The Role of an AKC Field Rep Blue-Green Algae and Dogs: Symptoms and Prevention Welcome Tommy to the World of AKC Retriever Hunting Tests Junior Kelsey Deuth - One Cool Cucumber!  1st AKC Advanced Judges & Handlers Seminar EJ Wendel – All Around Junior Handler Zipper: German Shorthair Is the AKC [...]

Amateur Handler Limit / Handler and Judge Relation (May 2025) MNRC Entry Size and Resources (Jan 2025) Six Various Clarifications (Oct 2024) Talking to Dog in Junior (Jul 2023) English Springer Spaniels Eligible (Nov 2022) Clarifications -Amateurs / Blind Retrieves (Oct 2022) Wirehaired Vizsla Eligible / Two Hunt Tests Per Yr. for Parent Clubs (May 2022) Clubs Allowed to Use Waiting Lists (Aug 2021) Reduction of [...]

A new brochure explaining the basics of Spaniel Hunting Tests is now available. The brochure provides an introduction to the AKC Hunting Test program by explaining the standard procedures and basic requirements for each test level. The brochure is meant to allow new participants to become more familiar and comfortable with the event before giving [...]

By Jerry D. Mann, Field Director -- Sporting Breeds As I entered the grounds for the Mid-South Hunting Retriever Club fall hunt test near Bruce, Mississippi I hurriedly approached the contestants' sign-up area to obtain a copy of the event catalog and locate the running site of the Master test. It was with anxious anticipation [...]

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has proposed changes to the General Regulations Relating to Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) and to Wildlife and Environmental Areas (WEAs).  The effect of the proposed changes will: (1) Allow dogs to be used for hunting non-protected birds during any period when at least one species of small game is [...]