I’ve been to a meet or two in my time: beagle packs on village greens; minkhounds on crumbling stone bridges that look as old as the river which winds beneath them; and foxhounds in the courtyards of austere country houses. But this was a little different. Bleary eyed, smelly, and…
Gundogs
Teaching a gundog to ignore distractions
Step 1: Start with the basics When moving on to a new exercise it is always worth going back a step or two and just reinforcing some earlier lessons. With Dolly, I took her back to some very basic steadiness lessons where I sat her up on a lawn and…
Should I choose a spaniel or a Labrador?
I go rabbit and pigeon shooting, and now intend to get a gundog. I am not sure which breed to go for. A friend says Labradors are born half-trained and spaniels die half-trained! I ideally want a dog to flush game and to retrieve it. Any advice, please?
Help! My young springer ‘freezes’ on a shoot
Q: I have a problem which seems difficult to solve. My young springer has just turned two and started going shooting in January, which was fine, she hunted well. We just went out with a couple of friends to shoot the odd cock pheasant and rabbit. I took her to…
Remembering an extraordinary Clumber spaniel
Losing a dog always hurts. When I wrote about the death of my springer, Fleur, last year at the age of 15, it clearly struck a chord with readers, as several wrote to me. One of them was Alan Taylor, whom I’d met 10 years ago. Alan is one of…
Why it’s crucial to spot signs of glaucoma in dogs
What is glaucoma? Glaucoma occurs when the pressure inside the eyeball becomes higher than normal, which can damage the eye’s internal structure. The retina and optic nerve are particularly sensitive. Vet Neil McIntosh of Abbey Veterinary Group advises: “Glaucoma is not a specific diagnosis but a general term for increased…
Are these the Eton and Harrow of gundog schools?
What could be more fun for a gundog puppy than to spend time with companions of the same age, with the same interests and energy? You have a few options. You can send your youngster off to canine boarding school for four to six months, where you’ll wave goodbye to…
How to teach spaniels to head in the right direction
Some people question whether you need to teach a gundog to go left and right; unless you just go beating it can be a useful skill to teach spaniels (and other gundogs). If you plan to shoot over your dog or want it to pick-up, there will be times when being able to re-direct it…
When your gundog won’t retrieve
“I recently got my first gundog puppy and I started training her straight away. To start with she would go and pick up a tennis ball, but now she just sits or lays down with it and refuses to bring it back to me. Is there anything I can do…
The German shorthaired pointer
The very first time I saw a German shorthaired pointer (GSP) working was about 25 years ago. I had been invited to photograph an HPR (hunt, point, retrieve) spring pointing test on the Waddesdon Manor Estate in Buckinghamshire, and the first dog to run was a white and liver-ticked dog called Swifthouse Basil. I was truly impressed by…
Elbow dysplasia in gundogs
Q: I have just retired my Labrador after he went lame with elbow dysplasia (ED). I want to get another dog and was planning on buying a puppy from a breeder who tests her dogs and only breeds from those clear of ED. However, I was told I could still…
10 things you need to know about gundog insurance
Some people are advocates of insuring their working dogs and others think it’s a waste of money, preferring to pay out if necessary. The bottom line is that when you buy gundog insurance you’re also buying peace of mind, knowing that you can give your faithful friend the very best…
The 12 commandments of choosing gundog training lessons
First, you should be made to feel welcome. I would expect the trainer to be an experienced spaniel handler with evidence of success in competition, or perhaps a field trial judge. The fee should reflect the level of facilities and numbers in the class. One-to-one lessons cost more but with…
What to expect with a new spaniel puppy
With the gameshooting season over and spring now upon us, I am sure there are many newcomers to our sport thinking about buying and training their first spaniel through the close season. Rearing and training your own spaniel puppy, and then taking it shooting, can be a very enjoyable and…
Should you insure your gundog?
It all comes down to your ability to pay vet bills if you don't insure your gundog
Sprockers – the aftermath of ‘Sprockergate’
Though the storm of “sprockergate” may have passed, it has left behind a lot of stirred and muddy water that will take a long time to clear. For those who missed the sprockergate story, it was the accusation that sprockers — cockers crossed deliberately with springers — were being run…
Insurance for gundogs – is it a price worth paying?
Gundog insurance: Is buying gundog insurance for your lab or spaniel a necessary evil or a costly mistake?
Can I use a Jack Russell terrier for rough shooting?
A: I grew up with cross-bred terriers which, being longer on the leg than the Jack Russell terrier, were more like hunt terriers. They were trained to work as gundogs by my father as well as working with the ferrets for rabbits. They would go to ground and bring out rabbits, always dead but still good enough…
A useful day out with some Plummer terriers
By their very name, terriers are dogs of the earth. In the past, before certain legislation was implemented, this varied and extremely valiant family of dogs did exactly that, going to ground in pursuit of their prey. Everything from badgers to otters was pursued by the smooth, the rough, the white, the coloured, the…
Dog breeders limited to two puppy litters annually
Dog breeders will be limited to just two litters a year under strict new animal welfare laws announced by DEFRA secretary Andrea Leadsom this month. Strict welfare criteria Anyone breeding and selling three or more litters of puppies a year will now have to apply for a licence and meet “strict welfare criteria”. The current law allows dog breeders…