Standing trial

Does a dog need to be field-trial perfect? Nick Ridley just wants to have fun

- Nick Ridley

If you are a regular reader you may have read my recent article regarding online gundog training and how the lockdown has seen an upsurge in gundog trainers offering their services via the internet. In the four weeks since I have seen a further increase in this activity.

All is not well in the gundog world, however. I saw a post on a gundog forum in which an experienced spaniel judge and trainer was lamenting that he had just watched a video “which demonstrates perfectly how to get your dog to double hunt, treble hunt and continually hunt the same area while teaching it to quarter”, but “the trouble is for newcomers there is so much bad information”.

That may be true but it got me thinking: “Do you train your dog to be judged by others or to be judged by yourself?”