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MSDA will hold Bird Instinct Clinics on Friday February 28, Saturday March 1 and Sunday March 2 during the MSDA “Spring Event” at the Howard County Fairgrounds (2210 Fairgrounds Rd, West Friendship, MD 21794). For a bird dog with little or no field experience, this is a great way to get started. Dogs also come to Instinct Clinics at Spring Event just to have a fun break between ring times or to get tired out before the car ride home.
Use the form below to sign up for Instinct Clinics. (Much more information is below the form.) Benefits of a prepaid registration are:
- Lower price,
- Guaranteed availability of a bird for your dog (during scheduled sessions),
- Email reminder, on or about February 26, that will include any updates to session times and/or information about weather concerns as well as reminders about where to find us and what to bring.
Click the “Gen’l Info” button at the very top of this page to see photos from previous sessions and for links to even more photos as well as some short videos.
This is a fun, relaxed and encouraging activity. The Instinct Clinic consists of individual work with each dog and handler. Each dog gets 10-15 minutes in the field, including bird contact (e.g., flush or point, and maybe a retrieve). Trainers get the dogs excited about the birds, and then the dogs are able to scent and find a bird, triggering their basic hunting instincts. Clinics are run by AKC hunt test judges and experienced handlers for flushing, pointing, and retrieving breeds.
All potential bird dogs are welcome. Your dog does not have to be entered in the MSDA dog show at Spring Event to participate in the Instinct Clinic, and you do not need to be a member of MSDA. Dogs (and humans) of all ages are welcome – there is no minimum or maximum, although very young humans must be accompanied by a responsible adult.
Currently, we are planning to have trainers available to work with dogs:
- Friday, February 28: Afternoon session from 2-4 pm. This session is for potential flushing and retrieving dogs only. No pointing breeds.
- Saturday, March 1 (All breeds welcome!):
- Morning session from 10 am – 12 pm
- Afternoon session from 2-4 pm
- Sunday, March 2: Morning session from 10 am – 12 pm. All breeds welcome!
Trainers work with each dog individually, so you don’t need to arrive at the beginning of these sessions though, if you arrive later, you may have a longer wait for your turn. If there seems to be a lot of interest, we may expand one or more of these times.
Note that, when you register in advance, you are NOT committing to a particular session even though we’re asking for your preference. We’re just trying to get an idea of which sessions are likely to be busiest. So, if your stated preference later turns out to conflict with a ring time or you just decide that a different day would be better, that’s fine and you don’t need to let us know.
Also, it’s important to note that the schedule for all sessions is WEATHER PERMITTING. Early spring can be challenging for weather so, please check your email (if you sign up in advance) or check back on this page or on our private Facebook Group for any late updates. We’ve been known to cancel or delay these sessions as late as the night before or early the morning of the scheduled date. Light rain or occasional showers won’t stop us, but we will at least pause if there is a heavy downpour, high winds or lightning in the area and we may cancel a session if the weather forecast looks particularly bad or if there is snow or ice on the field.
The number of dogs that we can handle is limited by the availability of our skilled volunteers as well as how many birds we buy in advance. If you register in advance and prepay, we will be sure to have a bird for your dog! We will buy extras, too, and we will also take as many walk-up entries as we reasonably can.
The Instinct Clinic fee is $20 per dog if you register and pay in advance using the form above. The early registration window will close at the end of the day on Sunday, February 16. The walk-up fee is $25 (cash, check or major credit card) on a space available basis. Also, Spring Event parking at the Fairgrounds is $5 per vehicle (cash only). Instinct Clinic fees are not refundable.
For Instinct Clinic, your dog needs a collar and leash (not just a slip lead) . Optionally, spaniels and retrievers may want to bring a favorite retrieving toy to get started. We’ll provide a very long lead and all other supplies. Dogs are never off-leash during these sessions.
Live birds are used. There is no gunfire and flushed birds fly away.
The Instinct Clinics are held outside, so please dress accordingly! Also, running your dog in the field (grass, dirt, some straw) just before they are due, perfectly groomed, in the show ring may not be a great idea.
Instinct Clinics will be in a grassy field less than 500 feet west of the main (conformation) building, near the fairgrounds’ horse ring. A map is below. Once on the fairgrounds property, when you are facing the main hall and annex, turn right (west) and follow the driveway past the line of trees. Then look to the left and you will see a collection of cars, a pop-up tent, tables, etc. in the distance. There will be some parking available up near the horse ring. Please don’t drive or try to park in low-lying or sloped grassy areas — cars have gotten stuck in the mud there.
Please direct questions to Pamela DeSmidt via Pamela@mdsportingdog.org.
