NAVHDA UtilityTest (UT)

The North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association Utility Test video filmed in Kansas.
The Utility Test is designed to test a hunting dog’s usefulness to the on-foot
hunter in all phases of hunting both before and after the shot, in field and marsh, and
on different species of game.
While the dog that is successful in the Natural Ability Test might be likened to a
promising young apprentice, the dog that successfully completes the Utility Test
will have demonstrated that he is a master, or at the very least a good, solid and
reliable journeyman.
This test is a challenging and demanding one, as befits the NAVHDA aim of
“fostering, improving, promoting and protecting the versatile hunting dog in North
America.” It is not, however, an unreasonable test with unattainable goals. A very
large number of fine dogs have already earned prize classifications in NAVHDA Util-
ity Tests. It is interesting to note that the majority of these successful dogs have been
owner-trained.
Serious breeders generally await results of the Utility Test before making a final evaluation of a dog’s probable worth as a sire or dam. Most dogs entered in the Utility Test have reached maturity, and latent faults will probably have surfaced.