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Since 2022, MSDA has been offering very popular Flushing Dog Training Days. 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 training dates are:
- Saturday, November 16 at McKee-Beshers Wildlife Management Area in Poolesville, MD. This training session will be for the Skill-Building Group only.
- Saturday, November 23 at Mt. Ararat Farm in Port Deposit, MD. This training session will be for the Advanced Work Group only.
- Saturday, December 14 at Mt. Ararat Farm in Port Deposit MD. The format for this session is TBD.
Registration preference is generally given to MSDA members, though additional criteria may apply to various sessions.
Skill Building: The Skill Building Group (SBG) is led by Trish Jackson and Janet Ciarico and generally is about a half-day session. 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).
Advanced Work: The Advanced Work Group (AWG) is led by Steve Surprenant and Brian Schmidt. It usually begins at about 8:00 am and aims to finish early afternoon. The Advanced Work group is primarily a practice session aimed at master-level experienced handlers.
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.
Fees, Registration 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 participation fee is $30 per dog, plus $11 per chukar. Individual bird orders are usually allowed only for the Advanced Work Group. For the Skill Building Group, live birds will be used by session leaders for training individual dogs where appropriate, but are not available for individual purchase. There is a maximum of two dogs per registration and four birds per dog for the Advanced Group. For Skill Building, there is a maximum of one dog per registration.
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 click “Yes” for “Interested in Training for Flushing Dogs”.
Please direct Flushing Dog Training Day questions to the Event Chair, Steve Surprenant, via Surprenant@mdsportingdog.org.
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 these 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.
Preregistration schedules for upcoming sessions will be announced soon.