Gundog training: Should a spaniel always immediately drop when it flushes a bird?
Gundog training
How can I improve my spaniels’ picking-up skills?
Picking-up skills: I have two springer spaniel gun dogs and want to improve their picking-up skills.
My trained English springer spaniel isn’t listening anymore
Q: I bought a one-year-old trained English springer spaniel (ESS) last year and he was good out shooting last season, hunting and retrieving well when I was shooting on my own and when I took him beating. I was called abroad to work this summer for six months and when…
How do I teach hand signals when training a gundog?
At what stage of a Labrador gundog's training do you introduce hand signals?
When you first take your gundog out on a shoot what should you expect?
What is the right age to take a dog on its first day shooting? You have decided you are ready to take your young dog on its first day shooting. This is a big deal for any dog and handler, particularly if you are new to training. I often get…
How to prepare for your dog’s first shoot day
Getting your dog fit both mentally and physically will help prepare your dog for the field and the rigours of his first shoot day. It is also important for you, the handler, to have a plan of action as to what you want your dog to achieve on his first…
Why won’t my springer spaniel deliver game to me?
Q: I have a 10-month-old springer out of a rescue kennel. He is obviously working stock, good looking, full of life and hunts like a demon. He was completely wild when I got him but after a year of hard work we are now enjoying shooting rabbits over the moors.…
Why does the springer spaniel have a reputation for being difficult to train? It’s not deserved.
The springer spaniel holds the greatest appeal of all gundog breeds for me. Springer spaniel skills include multi-tasking, drive, pace and style. No other breed comes close to a hard-going springer. However, the behaviour of some springers in the field has given the field a somewhat chequered reputation. Springer faux…
Got a working cocker that’s struggling with big retrieves? Try this solution.
Here's how to overcome a small dog's retrieving problems!
What happens when you try to train a spaniel as a peg dog?
My new cocker spaniel puppy is eventually going to replace my 10-year-old springer spaniel. I have spoken to several people and have received different views on training a cocker spaniels. I would appreciate some advice.
Teaching your gundog to work hedgerows
Q: I have a young spaniel, and when hunting along hedgerows he always pulls ahead and sometimes gets through to the other side — a couple of times he has run off. As I plan to do a lot of rough shooting with him, this is something that I really need…
Whistles and working dogs – some frequently asked questions
Full-time gundog trainer and A-panel spaniel judge
The trick to training an HPR breed
Some traditionalists dismiss HPRs as unnecessary for British shooting, but David Tomlison finds out why owners of these dogs so passionately disagree
Why ‘play-training’ is crucial for gundog puppies
Tony reveals how 'play time' is an essential part of a gun dog's training.
Six frequently asked questions about gundog puppies
Why won't my puppy concentrate during our gun dog training?
Blowing the whistle on harsh dog handling
Earlier this year, the resignation of the honorary secretary of the Utility Gundog Society (UGS) Kent and East Sussex, Bernadette Restorick, not only caused ructions in the society, but also generated headline stories in The Times, the Daily Telegraph and Our Dogs. What Mrs Restorick had done was raise the…
How do I stop my gundog from running-in?
I have a black labrador gun dog who is 22 months old. His training had gone well until he recently started running in to shot birds.
Bad habits in Labradors
I have a 14 month-old lab dog who will have to put him in kennels for two weeks while we are on holiday. I'm concerned he may pick up bad habits while in the boarding kennels?