Gun Dog Forum

I'm thinking about testing pup in NA this fall just to try something new and have a question concerning membership. Do you have to join a local chapter AND join the national organization to participate? What are the membership requirements for testing?

you have to join the national for sure.

Yes you have to join the national.. you can then run NA in any chapter..

You are required to join International to test at any level in NAVHDA. You and your dog will both need to have a membership number at the time you register for the test. Joining a local club will grant you access to training days, judging clinics or other workshops that individual chapter would happen to host. The biggest advantage of the local club is there is usually someone who can walk you through what a test would look like. I am not sure where you are in central IL but I believe there may be a couple of chapters who might be close. There is a chapter locator on International's website with the contacts for the local chapters listed. I live on the west side of the state and belong to the MO Uplands chapter.

Good Luck!

TraditionsGSPs2010 wrote:You are required to join International to test at any level in NAVHDA. You and your dog will both need to have a membership number at the time you register for the test.
Good Luck!

Are you sure? Page 4 of Test Rules, inside the gray elgibility box, says "membership is not a prerequisite" unless you're entering the Invitational. One of the clubs I'm preparing a test entry for, charges $55 more for nonmembers, and I think they basically send a membership in on the entrants behalf. I do believe it said your dog had to be NAVHDA registered though to test.

http://www.navhda.org/testrule.pdf

wems2371 wrote:

TraditionsGSPs2010 wrote:You are required to join International to test at any level in NAVHDA. You and your dog will both need to have a membership number at the time you register for the test.
Good Luck!

Are you sure? Page 4 of Test Rules, inside the gray elgibility box, says "membership is not a prerequisite" unless you're entering the Invitational. One of the clubs I'm preparing a test entry for, charges $55 more for nonmembers, and I think they basically send a membership in on the entrants behalf. I do believe it said your dog had to be NAVHDA registered though to test.

http://www.navhda.org/testrule.pdf

Wems, you know, you might be right. I guess I always thought the owner or the handler had to have a NAVHDA # as it is requested on the test application form. It states on the application the dog must have a NAVHDA # but does not state the same thing for the owner/handler portion. I was under the impression the International membership was required for insurance purposes. An International Membership costs about $55 so I wonder if you are not getting an International membership as part of your test? You've got my curiousity up enough that I plan an calling HQ in the morning for clarification. I have served as Test Secretary several times for our local chapter and I want to make sure I have my facts straight!

Thanks for your efforts.

Your dog must me NAVHDA registered, but you as a handler/owner do not need to belong to the Local Testing chapter or the International.

I spoke to Maria at HQ this morning and there is a short answer and long. Short answer: Only your dog is required to have a number to test. Long answer: The local chapter members and people participating in sanctioned events are covered by the general liability policy International has if you are a member of International. However, International's by-laws state they cannot force someone who is a member of a local chapter to join International. For clarities sake, it is the handler who needs to have the International membership as they are the one participating in a test. The handler can be different from the owner. Soooo..... I can tell you as an officer of the MO Uplands chapter, we will be moving towards requiring everyone to be an International member if they plan on testing or training with us as to make sure we and the individual members/participants are covered by insurance. This requirement will very between local chapters as none are required to follow a specific set of guidelines. I have requested a copy of the insurance policy to make sure something was not mis-stated. Your best bet is to call the local chapter who you plan on testing with and ask what their requirements are or join International and not worry about it.

Hopefully that does not confuse anyone or scare them off from running a dog through the NAVHDA testing system as I personally believe it is an excellent organization that really strives to promote the versatile breeds and hunting in general.

TraditionsGSPs2010 wrote:I spoke to Maria at HQ this morning and there is a short answer and long. Short answer: Only your dog is required to have a number to test. Long answer: The local chapter members and people participating in sanctioned events are covered by the general liability policy International has if you are a member of International. However, International's by-laws state they cannot force someone who is a member of a local chapter to join International. For clarities sake, it is the handler who needs to have the International membership as they are the one participating in a test. The handler can be different from the owner. Soooo..... I can tell you as an officer of the MO Uplands chapter, we will be moving towards requiring everyone to be an International member if they plan on testing or training with us as to make sure we and the individual members/participants are covered by insurance. This requirement will very between local chapters as none are required to follow a specific set of guidelines. I have requested a copy of the insurance policy to make sure something was not mis-stated. Your best bet is to call the local chapter who you plan on testing with and ask what their requirements are or join International and not worry about it.

The other thing to remember is that many of the Chapter By-Laws require that to be a member of the Chapter, you must be an international member.... that throws a second wrench into this whole thing.

The issue with the liability insurance can be handled quite simply - all volunteers and Gunners at events (tests and training days) must be International members to be covered by the Liability Insurance. If a handler is hurt - it makes no difference if he is covered under the liability insurance - he is going to sue the chapter, and the chapter and the members are covered by the liability insurance. For just this reason - IMHO - It is important that the members volunteering are covered by that liability insurance (full international members). What you and I do not want is a gunner in a UT or UTP test having an accident (god forbid) with a handler or gallery (handler/gallery international member or not). If he (the gunner) is not an International member (an therefore not covered) he now may be personally on the hook for the liability, or the chapter gets sued and is now not covered by the International Liability Coverage because we didn't follow our own rules. I am sure that the Chapter would still be sued for allowing a non-covered person to perform duties. From my understanding and discussions with International Office - this is liability coverage only - negligence is another whole issue and why many people have personal insurance umbrella coverage for this sort of thing.
Like someone said before, I did not sleep at a Holiday Inn last night, nor am I an insurance professional, but is my understanding of the coverage.

TraditionsGSPs2010 wrote:...However, International's by-laws state they cannot force someone who is a member of a local chapter to join International...

BUT... If you want to be a member locally, the LOCAL chapter CAN force you to join the International, so they assure their members are covered by insurance. This is a way for the International organization to get paying members without "forcing them" as the quote above stated - let the "force" come locally

In my neck of the woods, everything I get out of the local membership is well worth the extra I had to pay for the International membership.

Seems like the $55 is but a small price to pay for a NAVHDA membership, considering that none of the testing would be done anywhere without the parent organization. The magazine, website, and database are all valuable resources. I'm happy to send that check in each year; the bird-doggin' world is much better off with NAVHDA being a part of it.....

ckirsch wrote:Seems like the $55 is but a small price to pay for a NAVHDA membership, considering that none of the testing would be done anywhere without the parent organization. The magazine, website, and database are all valuable resources. I'm happy to send that check in each year; the bird-doggin' world is much better off with NAVHDA being a part of it.....

+1 I don't think I would have as polished of a dog if it wasn't for the goals set by my husband testing in the NAVHDA org......