Letter sent to all Hunt Test Clubs 
CKC APPROVES NATIONAL MASTER HUNT TEST STAKE
September 2006 marked the beginning of a new era in Canadian Hunt Tests. At the request of the Retriever Council, the CKC Board of Directors approved the National Master Hunt Test Stake effective in 2007. This was warmly welcomed by hunt test enthusiasts from across Canada and promises to take hunt tests to the same prestigious national level as the AKC Master National and the CKC National and National Amateur Retriever Championships. In addition, a new CKC title will be awarded to successful qualifiers - the National Master Hunter (NMH) title.
This event has been a long time coming. For the past two years, a dedicated group of hunt test enthusiasts in southern Ontario have been holding non-sanctioned Master Nationals. This was at the request of the CKC and the Retriever Council to prove that such an event was viable. The first, in 2005, was hosted by the Horseshoe Hunting Retriever Club at Luther Marsh near Grand Valley, ON and was a resounding success. In 2006, the South Western Ontario Retriever Training Club stepped forward and held the National Master Hunt Test stake at Hullett Marsh near Clinton, ON. Once again, contestants were treated to a top-notch national event with handlers coming from as far away as Saskatchewan, Tennessee and Washington State. Planning is now under way for the inaugural licensed National Master Hunt Test to be held September 11-17th in Brighton, ON hosted by the Eastern Ontario Labrador Breeders Association. The event will move west in 2008 when the Saskatoon Retriever Club will play host.
The premise of the National Master Hunt Test stake, based loosely on the AKC model, is to allow handlers with Master Hunter dogs a chance to continue to train and compete in the hope of attaining the NMH title. Held over five days, the NMHT Stake is composed of five tests:
- Two series of multiple land marks
- Two series of multiple water marks
- A minimum of two blinds and a maximum of three blinds on land
- A minimum of two blinds and a maximum of three blinds on water
- An upland test
Although the three judges follow the CKC rulebook, the NMHT stake is more extensive than a weekend test with complete implementation of hunting scenarios and equipment. Dogs that achieve this title are not only superbly trained hunting companions but are a welcome addition to the retriever gene pool.
In order to run the NMHT stake, a dog must have earned a CKC MH title and have qualified at two Master Hunt tests in the year preceding the event. Grand Master Hunter dogs are automatically qualified. The NM will move about the country every year between four zones: East (Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec); Central (Ontario); Prairies (Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Yukon/North West Territories); and West (Alberta, British Columbia). The three judges will be selected from the zones not hosting the event.
In order to administer this event, a new club was formed - the Canadian Master National Retriever Club. All CKC clubs that hold licensed Hunt Tests are eligible to belong to this club for an annual fee of $50.00. Member clubs will be the backbone of the national club and will have a direct say in all matters through elected representation. Regional Directors will be elected to represent the four zones (two from each zone) and the Executive will be elected from these eight Regional Directors. In addition to electing Regional Directors, member clubs will be eligible to nominate judges for the NMHT stake as well as being entitled to host the event.
Hunt Test clubs are invited to join the CMNR by contacting the MNRC Secretary, Susie Bell, at slbell@allstream.net for a member club application form or by downloading one from the web site here.
Knowledgeable hunt test persons who are interested in being a Regional Director should contact their area club. Now is the time to become a part of this exciting new endeavor.