Campaign for the Master Hunter Excellent Title (MHX)

Now that you have put the Master Hunter (MH) title on your dog, what’s next? I know that many of you out there are asking yourselves that question. You’re not really interested in the field trial game and who wants to spend money for a hunt test entry with no reward even though you know that your dog would love it, as well as you, the handler, enjoying the thrill of watching your dog work. And maybe your dog is now older and can no longer compete with the young field trial studs, but can still be that solid companion hunting dog in a walking environment. 

I contend that it is now time for the AKC to institute the Master Hunter Excellent (MHX) title so we can keep our hunting dogs active.

The precedent has already been set by the AKC as both the Obedience and Agility Departments have instituted the Excellent (X) title in their sports. In both Obedience and Agility, identical rational was used in establishing the recently added new titles (UDX and MX); being able to continue competing the dogs even at an older age, coupled with a title that one can strive for even if your dog is not capable of achieving the Obedience Champion (OTCh) or the Master Agility Champion (MACh) title. To achieve these titles, the requirement is based on passing the event ten (10) times after having achieved the UD or the MA titles. What is easier for the AKC than saying, "Pass the MH event ten times after you have achieved the MH title and you can add the MHX title to your dog"? Not only that, think of the additional revenue for the clubs and the AKC itself. Additionally, many times, due to the limited number of dogs in the MH test, a dog from the Senior Hunter test has to be brought up to run as the bye dog. Reason is that with so few Master dogs, they are not ready to run again as a bye dog in such a short interval of time. The result, usually things happen which are not fair to the judging of the Master dog.

So how do we go about getting the AKC to establish MHX title in a timely fashion? The first thing you should do is to call your sporting breed representative to the AKC and tell this individual that you want the MHX to happen. The next individual to contact is your breed’s representative to the Advisory Committee that reports to the AKC’s VP for Performance Events, Bill Speck. I have done both, in addition to writing to Bill Speck. I am confident that ultimately this will happen, but given the bureaucracy of getting things to happen in a timely fashion, only you, the competitor, by letting your feelings be heard on this subject, will get this MHX title in place at an early date. Our MH dogs are getting older by the day, as are we, and I, for one, would like to get my dogs back into what they love to do most, finding birds!

About the author: Jack Sharkey is a field trial and hunt test judge, a director of the Vizsla Club of America, and the O/H/T of two highly titled Vizslas; a National Field & Dual Champion and the AKC’s first Quintuple Champion. Contact him at: jjshark@home.com. Reprinted from the June/July 2000 issue of the AKC Afield).

The following is from Steve Wagle's, Bellevue, NE web site, "The Checkcord" 

http://www.radiks.net/~swagle/gsp.html 

Recently, in the AKC Afield Magazine, there appeared an editorial letter from a reader suggesting that the AKC Hunting Test program for pointing dogs be modified to include a new title: a Master Hunter Excellent title

The reader expressed the idea that in this way, those of us in the program that finish Master Hunters would have a good reason to keep entering and running these fine dogs in AKC hunting tests and that others might enjoy seeing these wonderful dogs in action and aspire to that level of performance with their own dogs.

This new title might function in a similar fashion to several other "excellent" titles the AKC now awards. Dogs would have to finish a Master Hunter title in the conventional manner and then by entering additional tests and earning say, ten (10) more qualifying scores at this level, the dog would then be awarded an AKC Master Hunter Excellent Title certificate.

The first step in getting the AKC to consider adding this title to the hunting test program is apparently for a large number of us who run in the program to contact our AKC Breed Club advisory committee members. Several readers and local bird dog enthusiasts have contacted me expressing a desire for the AKC to consider adding this new title. I personally think it sounds like a great idea! I have taken the liberty of listing as many AKC pointing dog performance committee members email addresses that I could locate so that you may contact them on this matter and voice your support.

By clicking below, you will get a preaddressed form, you will have to compose your own message. Remember, the AKC does not even have this on it's plate yet, we will be calling this to their attention en masse for the first time, so be specific, polite and brief. Please include your name, city and state and local club affiliations with any messages you sent to the listed individuals.

All of the above addresses are CC'd to huntingtest@akc.org which one would assume would get to the AKC performance events dept and Mr. Bill Speck of that office. GSP, GWP, Weimeraner, Gordon Setter, WHPG and Pointer folks; sorry, I could not obtain current info on your AKC advisory reps at this time. If you know who those folks are for those breeds at this time and have an email address for them, let me , Steve Wagle, know. Be sure to pass this web page on to everyone you know who might be interested in seeing this come to pass. Thank you!

If you are interested in keeping your dogs in the Hunt Test program, Your help is needed.

Take the time to get in contact with your AKC Pointing Dog Advisory Committee Member!