At the heart of our mission is our progeny testing program. This program is based on hunting dog tests that were first developed in Germany over 100 years ago. The tests are set up to reproduce real hunting situations so that dogs are judged against a standard rather than against other dogs.
Our testing program is made up of three tests:

Natural Ability Test (NAT)
Intermediate Hunting Dog Test (IHDT)
Utility Field Test (UFT)

While each of the three tests differ in their requirements, the judging always stays the same. Each dog's performance in each category of the tests will be scored using the point system listed below. A judging group is always composed of 3 judges with one being designated "senior." The senior judge is responsible for leading the tests. They making sure hunting situations are set up properly and that testing moves along in a timely manner. They also act as spokesperson for the group; explaining to the spectators what has taken place, explaining to handlers what is expected of them in each test situation; and, in the end, reading off the test scores.
Accompanying these judges, usually, are "apprentice" judges. These are individuals who have an interest in someday becoming judges themselves and represent the future of this foundation. While these persons don't have a say in the actual scoring of dogs they are required to make evaluations throughout the test, write their observations down, give a score, and take part in discussions. This "hands-on" learning is invaluable in training potential judges. Aside from apprenticing, individuals are also required to run a dog through all three tests before becoming judges.
The purpose of these tests is to evaluate dogs at different stages in their development in order to give breeders the information needed to make healthy decisions for their breeding program. We strongly recommend that ALL the dogs from a litter be tested in order to get an accurate picture of a breeding. Often times only the best pups are tested and this gives a distorted representation.