**News Blast**
The February Meeting will be on Wednesday, February 15th because of the Valentine’s Day Holiday.
Mission Statement
The Arizona Pointing Dog Club is the organization for the hunter who wants to do more than just hunt with his or her dog during hunting season. The club promotes the training and use of pointing dogs in the sport of upland bird hunting in order to enjoy the sport to its highest potential.
Club Description
In the Outdoor World, is there any sweeter picture than a team of dog handler and dog successfully completing a day of upland bird hunting? Picture the hunter and his dog returning to camp with a bag full of game, satisfaction of a job well done and the strengthening of bond between hunting partners. But where does a handler learn to train his dog and develop the skills to achieve this reward?
The Arizona Pointing Dog Club (AZPDC) based in Phoenix Arizona, is approximately eighteen years old and, with 150-160 members, is arguably the largest dog club in the state. The AZPDC was established as a training club for anyone wishing to learn how to train a pointing dog. We will not train your dog for you, but we will show you how to train your dog. The AZPDC is not breed specific; meetings an d events are open to all pointing breeds. Members participate with German Shorthairs, Brittanys, English Pointers and Setters, Vizslas, German Wirehairs and an occasional Weimaraner.
The AZPDC is a family-oriented club that invites participation from women and youth. There are accomplished women dog handlers in our group. Club members enjoy those opportunities when we can show today’s youth the fun of the outdoors.
Currently, AZPDC offers one training day a month where all members are invited to bring their dogs. At these training days, experienced, knowledgeable members demonstrate various aspects of the training process and discuss them in as much details as the member wishes. Club training days are an opportunity for newer members to learn about the specialized equipment needed to train a pointing dog. Proper use of the equipment is emphasized along with methods to reinforce desired behavior from the dog. These training days are for all members and dogs at any stage of training, from puppies to fully-broken pointing dogs.
The club sponsors one event per month in addition to regular club meetings. Some of the more popular events are training sessions, training seminars by professional trainers, AZPDC Gundog and Hunter Class Field Trials, NSTRA (National Shoot to Retrieve) Field Trials, AFTCA (American Field) Trials, AKC (American Kennel Club) Hunt Tests, trap & skeet shoots, dinner evenings and even weekend hunts for Mearns and Scaled quail during hunting season.
These club-sponsored trials and hunts are quite often social events where old friends meet and training methods are discussed for the benefit of newer members. Other social events include a Christmas banquet complete with lots of good food and a white elephant gift exchange. Members are asked to bring spouses and children and gag gifts are given away. In April, there is an Awards Banquet when a great picnic meal is served. New officers are elected for the upcoming year and awards are presented to special people and their dogs. Participation in various club activities has proven to be the best way to meet other individuals with similar training and hunting interests.
