AKC Junior Hunter Tests

[AnnabellaKennels]

Annie got her first leg on her Junior Hunter title last year with the help of my friend. Then she had a litter of puppies and everything was placed on hold. Shouldn't be a big deal to get her finished up and get her JH title. My question is should I just skip the Senior Hunter and train for the Master Hunter title? Seems like a lot of people are skipping the SH test?

[Dogtrainer4God]

Depends on the dog, some come along really good and you can skip to MH, others you take a little slower and get them good experience in SH. Since I run a lot of UKC, I do run some HR(equivalent to SH) because I get points, good experience for dog, and I don't have to run as many Finished(MH) tests. AKC I do some, but only running at the MH level.
Now my wild child, he probably won't run an HR test until he is running strong finished/MH work because of his desire to control. Extremely talented, but a hand-ful!

So, read the dog. You are constantly training up to MH anyway, run when ready

Hope this helps!

[BlueRiverKennel]

Depends on the dog, some come along really good and you can skip to MH, others you take a little slower and get them good experience in SH. Since I run a lot of UKC, I do run some HR(equivalent to SH) because I get points, good experience for dog, and I don't have to run as many Finished(MH) tests. AKC I do some, but only running at the MH level.
Now my wild child, he probably won't run an HR test until he is running strong finished/MH work because of his desire to control. Extremely talented, but a hand-ful!

So, read the dog. You are constantly training up to MH anyway, run when ready

Hope this helps!

I don't run hunt tests, I trial. But I have guned and will be again, With anything, it can be beneficial to give the dog the experience. They do things in public around all the comotion that you don't see in training. So for many it is a good Idea. Just to get them used to all the comotion. They tend to get more jacked up at events, so controll can get sketchy in all the excitement. Fun trials or some kind of fun hunt club events are good practice. My self since I run trials and they get plenty of comotion there, I would skip to the Master level and save the doe.

[Whispering Hills]

Yours is a pretty common question. At the hunt tests, you'll see a number of dogs that skip Senior, and occasionally skip Junior as well. Note that most of those dogs are trained and handled by professional trainers. They have had extensive expert training - just haven't run hunt tests. Pros know when a dog is ready, and the good ones don't run a dog at any level until then.

I don't recommend jumping to Master without first finishing your Junior and Senior titles. A real test is impossible to simulate in training. In a test, the dogs are fully aware of the crowd, the other dogs, and they sense the excitement and anxiety of their handler, all of which affect their behavior. Your dog will always train more reliably than he will test.

The full progression from Junior to Master, Senior included, gives the dog and handler valuable experience that no amount of training can provide. Unless the handler has years of hunt test experience himself - at Master level, he will make handling errors that not only cost him that test, but can have a negative affect on the dog's training. Remember, a good trainer always ends a training session on a success. Your dog will remember how the session ended. Likewise, your dog will know when he's been successful in a hunt test. Enthusiasm for the work is very dependent upon the dog sensing your approval and satisfaction with him. Failing a test is no fun for anyone, dog or handler.

Unless you are truly an expert trainer and an expert hunt test handler, Skipping from Junior to Master will surely frustrate you, cost you lots of cash for entry fees and expenses on failed tests, and may ruin your dog for the sport.