Ss we are nearing the start of the season, now is the time to make sure you are taking advantage of the long, light evenings and putting in some useful training sessions. The grouse season is only days away, with the partridge and pheasant seasons not far behind. The first…
Gundogs
A dog’s sense of smell: is it the last of its senses to decline?
This morning I was walking my elderly spaniel Rowan on open access land. She was on a lead, as the law requires, when a hare crossed the track about 40 yards ahead of us. She didn’t spot it but when a minute or so later we came to the point…
Lintran – Richard Faulks meets the founder of the dog transit box company
It would be very hard to arrive at any shoot day in the UK and not see one of Lintran’s dog transit boxes being used by one or more of the Guns, beaters or pickers-up. Their popularity seems to be ubiquitous. There is a good reason for this: they’re well-designed,…
Can a gundog also be a family pet?
Believe it or not, a question I often get asked is: “Can a gundog still be a pet?” The simple answer is: of course it can be, but if you are serious about getting your gundog to a good standard and you want it to live as a member of…
14 checks for your dog’s health
It’s a good idea to get into the habit of routinely checking your dog’s health. Try following the schedule that I describe here, at least initially. Then, once you are used to regularly examining your dog, you can modify it to better suit your circumstances. (Read our list of the…
Common garden plants that are poisonous to dogs – and what to do if they eat one
Q: My wife and I are both due to retire in the near future when we intend replanting much of our now mature garden. In deciding on what to replant, we are anxious not to include plants that would be poisonous to our dogs, since we all intend spending more…
Curing hard mouth: is it possible in a gundog?
Whatever fault a retrieving dog may have, be it running-in, whining or not listening to the whistle, there’s only really one that’s serious enough to end a dog’s career and that’s hard mouth. (Read how to stop your dog from being hard-mouthed.) The essential requirement of all dogs that pick-up…
Independent vet care: why the personal touch has won me over
I like my dogs to have an annual health check and realised that they hadn’t seen a vet for nearly two years. My previous vet was a delightful and helpful chap, but he retired early due to ill health, selling his independent vet care practice to one of the six…
Long hair, short hair or wire hair?
Most of us have a favourite gundog breed regardless of what sort of coat it has, but the length and nature of a dog’s hair does make quite a difference when it comes to living with the animal, especially if it’s one that lives indoors. It’s certainly something that anyone…
How to teach a spaniel puppy to retrieve
Spaniels are “pre-programmed” to hunt, it is their most basic instinct. So many new owners might think that starting to teach a spaniel puppy to retrieve would be straightforward and simple. After all spaniels have been bred for generations to hunt out game from stick piles, patches of bramble and…
Hypothyroidism in dogs. What owners need to know
Q: My lab bitch is only seven years old but is acting much older. She is a little heavy, there’s hair loss and thick, scabby skin below her neck and tummy and her coat is a bit thin on her sides. Is she just getting old before her time? A:…
How do I train a gundog to run straight?
When you think of a working gundog, the goals are relatively simple. We need to get the dog to an area and allow it to hunt. This might be hunting at our feet as a beating dog or being sent 180 yards to hunt a specific area. Either way, the…
Questions we’re often asked about Labradors: which one of these have you been wondering about?
Labradors have long been popular dogs both in the field and as companion dogs. But with this popularity comes a whole host of questions about labradors. Here are some of the ones we’re most commonly asked and the answers given by our gundog experts. Questions about labradors 1.What makes the…
Poisoned dogs: the symptoms and the dangers to look out for
Reports of poisoned dogs There was considerable panic in my local dog-owning community last month, when a three-year-old labrador reportedly died from poisoning. The initial Facebook post indicated that the dog had died as a result of eating poison picked up at a popular dog-walking site, a nature reserve where…
What diseases could my dog pick up from foxes?
Disease from foxes All dogs, including gundogs can get the following disease from foxes: Sarcoptic mange Lungworm Rabies Dogs and foxes do suffer from the same diseases, though, of which the most worrying is rabies. We have been rabies-free in Britain for 98 years — since quarantine for dogs was…
Terrier Types
There are many different terrier types. There’s the ever-popular Jack Russell and then there’s the little seen Sealyham terrier. What’s true about all terrier types is that on the whole they are opinionated dogs. Each breed of terrier has different characteristics so consider what you want carefully before committing yourself…
What’s wrong with my cocker spaniel’s eye?
Here’s a picture of my cocker spaniel’s eye. I have been to the vet who told me it’s only an infection and gave me some eye drops but I am not so sure.
Gundog training at home or away? What’s best?
If I had a pound for every time a client says, “I wish my dog would behave like that”, I’d buy my father a new pair of Purdeys. Though it is lovely to hear people admire my dogs’ behaviour, I also find it frustrating. There is a good reason why…
Breeding cocker spaniels: here’s what’s really involved
The reality of breeding cocker spaniels My phone buzzed in my pocket with an incoming WhatsApp from my wife, Clare. Her message simply read “Deed is done”. The short missive was accompanied by two photos. In both, the low mist-shrouded fields of a Lincolnshire landscape filled the background. In the…
How to keep an old springer going strong
There was uncorking of champagne in the Tomlinson household last month, celebrating spaniel Rowan’s 16th birthday. English springers are generally regarded as enjoying, on average, one of the longest lifespans of any of our sporting dogs, with a life expectancy from 12 to 14 years. Not many make it to…