2025 Flushing Skill Building & Advanced Work Groups

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Since 2022, MSDA has been offering very popular Flushing Dog Training Days (FDTDs). Starting in 2024, this has expanded to include different groups to address the wide range of upland skills needed based on the experience of our handlers and dogs. This page currently provides information for two of these, the “Skill Building” and “Advanced Work” groups.

Upcoming dates:

• Saturday, January 11 at Mt. Ararat Farms in Port Deposit, MD. This session will be for the Advanced Work Group only.
• Saturday, January 25 at McKee-Beshers Wildlife Management Area in Poolesville, MD. This session will be for the Skill Building Group only.
• We are working to set up even more training days for both groups in 2025 and to provide them on a regular schedule.

FDTDs have been created to further the training desires of MSDA members. However, non-members are usually welcome to attend a training day before they apply for membership in MSDA.

Registration preference is generally given to MSDA members, and additional criteria may apply to some sessions.

Advanced Work:

The Advanced Work Group (AWG) is led by Steve Surprenant and Brian Schmidt. It usually begins at about 8:30 am and aims to finish by early afternoon. The Advanced Work group is primarily a practice session aimed at master-level experienced handlers. This group of handlers will offer peer-to-peer advice (but no instruction) and needs to operate quickly and efficiently. The participation fee is $30 per dog, plus $11 per chukar (preordered). There is a maximum of two dogs per registration and four birds per dog. There is a maximum of 16 dogs.

2025 dates for the Advanced Work Group are listed below. Please note that these are subject to change. All 2025 AWG sessions are planned for Saturdays at Mt. Ararat Farms in Port Deposit, MD.

Note that Saturday & Sunday, April 12 and 13, will be MSDA’s Spring Hunt Test Weekend at Mt. Ararat Farms, in lieu of a training day.

Skill Building:

The Skill Building Group (SBG) is led by Trish Jackson and Janet Ciarico and generally is about a half-day session, e.g., 9 am – 12 pm. The SBG is a training group geared toward those handlers and dogs training for spaniel hunt tests at the junior and senior levels, or who simply want to develop a well-trained flushing/hunting dog. Participants will engage in group exercises and receive tailored assistance in foundational flushing skills (e.g., teamwork, hunting, recall in the field, whistle commands, delivery to hand). The participation fee is $30 per dog with a maximum of one dog per registrant. Although birds may be used by session leaders for training dogs when appropriate, they are not available for purchase.

We hope to post a full (tentative) 2025 schedule of Skill Building Group session dates within the next few weeks.

Observer: We welcome observers to the sessions. If you are attending as an observer, you may not participate in the training, and we ask that you listen and learn, but not interrupt the group during the session. There is no charge to observe, but you must fill out the preregistration form so we know who is on the property. The applicable liability releases are also required. Observers may not bring dogs, even just to sit on the sidelines.

Registration Process and Other Important Info:

Preregistration is online only via a form that is made available at the very bottom of this page. Registration is NOT first come-first served. Instead, the form is open for several days, after which priorities are applied and the training day list of attendees is established. Completing the preregistration form does not guarantee you a spot in the upcoming training day, since these sessions are often oversubscribed and some registrations may be waitlisted.

The next training date, for the Advanced Work Group, is Saturday January 11 at Mt. Ararat Farms in Port Deposit, MD. Here is the expected schedule for the registration process:

• Saturday, December 28 – Preregistration opens at 8 am
• Wednesday, January 1 – Preregistration closes at 5 pm
• Thursday, January 2 – Invoices and requests for training plans will be sent to participants. If the session is oversubscribed, you will instead be notified that you have been waitlisted.
• Friday, January 3 – Payments and training plans are due at 5 pm.
• You may be sent one or more emails in the week before training day with additional information and details.
• Saturday, January 11 – Training Day! (8:30 am – 2 pm)

All attendees are required to sign an MSDA liability release. Many of you have already signed this on your membership form or when attending an MSDA activity. If we have your form on file, you do not need to sign again. Otherwise, please read it and be sure that you are willing to sign before you register for the Training Day. In addition, for sessions at Mt. Ararat Farms, all attendees will also have to sign the liability release for Mt. Ararat Farm in 2024.

Owners and handlers are reminded that they are responsible for their own dog’s actions and that good sportsmanship is expected at all times. If dogs (or humans!) exhibit inappropriate behavior or aggression, you will be directed to leave immediately and may be excluded from future MSDA activities. Such decisions are made exclusively by the event chair, or other event committee member in the chair’s absence.

If you are interested in receiving specific information about training with MSDA’s Flushing Dog Program, including timely email notification when dates are selected and when registrations will open and close for each date, sign up for our mailing list, which is managed by MailChimp (or edit your preferences if you’re already on the list). On the form, be sure to mark “Yes” for “Interested in Training for Flushing Dogs”.

The Advanced Work Group sessions are led by Steve Surprenant, who is the Chair for the Flushing Dog Training Days. Contact Steve via Surprenant@mdsportingdog.org. The Skill Building Group is led by Janet Ciarico and Trish Jackson. Reach them via SBG@mdsportingdog.org.

Preregistration for the January 11 Advanced Work Group training day will open at 8 am on Saturday, December 28.