It always amazes me when people are surprised that I go for lessons myself. Gundog training is like any other discipline — you never stop learning. Sometimes when clients come for lessons they almost seem ashamed, as if it were an admission that they have failed. What they don’t realise is that the best trainers in the world continue to seek help from other experts.
Anyone who competes in a sport involving dogs — field trials, agility, flyball or even heelwork to music — will know that dogs keep you humble. You can never profess to know it all nor be the perfect trainer. All we can do is strive to be better and continue to improve our dogs.
With this in mind I enlisted the help and guidance of some extremely experienced and knowledgeable trainers and organized a small walked-up day on our shoot at home.
Experienced trainers
We had six Guns shooting, three of whom were also handling and working their own dogs. One was the A-panel retriever judge and renowned trainer and handler Barry Cooper. He has an absolute wealth of experience and what he doesn’t know isn’t usually worth knowing.
The second expert was Andrew Rooney of Drumindoney Gundogs, who has trained several Irish field trial champions and represented Ireland in team competitions.
The final trainer was Nathan Laffy, who recently competed the youngest dog at the 2019 IGL Retriever Championship. Not only was this an achievement in itself but he also received a diploma of merit and was the Guns’ choice. All three handlers can offer plenty of guidance and advice when it comes to my own dogs.
A common criticism of trialling dogs is that they do not work in a real shooting scenario. This was a real rough shooting day with a variety of dogs hunting ditches, hedges, briar, game cover and woodland to flush birds for the Guns.
Denne historien er fra January 08, 2020-utgaven av Shooting Times & Country.
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Denne historien er fra January 08, 2020-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