Why the best dogs are a master of all trades

Rather than training for specific tasks, Ellena Swift explains why it is important to equip your dogs for a range of jobs on a shoot day

- Ellena Swift

For most of us, dogs need to be all-rounders. I’m not a fan of labelling a breed of dog as a one-trick pony. It is important to recognise that certain breeds are more suited to certain tasks, but that doesn’t mean you should limit them. My labradors are required to sit on peg, beat, dog in, pick up and compete. Most of them on shoot days, even on the same shoot day, have to do a bit of everything. Sure, they are better at certain things than others; however, I don’t think that should be used as an excuse when they perform poorly. And it should be the case that their skills cross over. Teaching a dog to be steady to flushed game, for example, when beating will also help when they are hunting while picking up. In neither scenario do you want the dog to flush a bird and chase it. In the vast majority of situations, they should flush and continue hunting for other game. A dog that can sit on peg nice and steady will be fine to sit on the stop whistle or when waiting in the beating line for the drive to start.

There are times while picking up that I recall the dogs when nothing has been picked. The same goes for the beating line; the dogs are required to hunt for game and then be recalled at the end without a retrieve. The skills are nearly all transferable, and it is important when training an all-round dog that you consider what else is expected of them. One of my biggest frustrations is when I hear someone say, “My dog is a picking up dog so cannot beat,” or “My dog is a beating dog so cannot sit on peg.” It is one thing enjoying and choosing to pursue only one role, but quite another using a weak excuse when the trainer is at fault.

Self-employed