It might seem like I have plenty of time to plan, lots of equipment and endless ground to train on. While I am lucky to have access to more ground, and I do own dummy-launchers, remote launchers, remote ball-droppers and most shape dummies, I have limited time.
Much of my training with the dogs is not planned. It is simply going out into a field with a few dummies and the dogs. I have an idea of what I want to do, but it can be best simply to have a walk round.
My goal for Keepa this season was to win a trial. COVID-19 has put a stop to that. He did have a couple of early runs and more than held his own, getting in the awards. So I am now aiming him at open tests over the summer and team tests. I will keep his training sessions quite short and not too frequent. I do not want to bore him with too much dummy work.
Lizzie has come along beautifully in the past few months and I wanted to get her out towards the end of the season for a drive with my other dogs. With those plans thwarted, we will keep her training progressing on the dummies. She has plenty to work on and it’s not the end of the world that she won’t get out on game this year.
As a wise man once said, it takes years to train a dog and seconds to ruin it. So there’s definitely no rush.
IN DETAIL
KEEPA AND LIZZIE: LITTLE TWEAKS
Denne historien er fra January 27, 2021-utgaven av Shooting Times & Country.
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Denne historien er fra January 27, 2021-utgaven av Shooting Times & Country.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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United we stand
Following United Utilities' decision to end grouse shooting on its land, Lindsay Waddell asks what will happen if we ignore our vital moors
Serious matters
An old gamebook prompts a contemplation on punt-gunning
They're not always as easy as they seem
While coneys of the furry variety don't pose a problem for Blue Zulu, he's left frustrated once again by bolting bunnies of the clay sort
Debutant gundogs
There's lots to think about when it comes to making the decision about when to introduce your dog to shooting
When the going gets rough
Al Gabriel returns to the West London Shooting School to brush up on his rough shooting technique
The Field Guide To British Deer - BDS 60th Anniversary Edition
In this excerpt from the 60th anniversary edition of the BDS's Field Guide To British Deer, Charles Smith-Jones considers the noise they make
A step too far?
Simon Garnham wonders whether a new dog, a new gun and two different fields in need of protection might have been asking too much for one afternoon's work
Two bucks before breakfast
A journey from old South London to rural Hertfordshire to stalk muntjac suggests that the two aren't as far detached as they might seem
Stalking Diary
Stalkers can be a sentimental bunch, and they often carry a huge attachment to their hill
Gamekeeper
Alan Edwards believes unique, private experiences can help keepers become more competent and passionate custodians of the countryside
