A girls’ gundog training day at West Wycombe
Photographs: Melissa Bastin At the start of the summer, Amelia Kite, head of gundogs for The Country Girls UK, brought a group of handlers to the West Wycombe Estate for a full training day with me,...
View ArticleSaying goodbye to a gundog
The challenge of writing about gundog loss I’ve written a few fieldsports articles over the years. Writing them, it must be said, isn’t the most arduous or difficult task in the world – in fact, it’s...
View ArticleOut-of-control dogs: it’s best to act before the worst happens
We’ve all been there. We’re walking our well-behaved dogs when an uncontrolled lump of a canine charges at us, displaying body language indicative of wanting to blast us off the planet. Every district...
View ArticleTeaching very old tricks to new dogs: gundog trainer John Cook at 80
There is a Labrador in John Cook’s kennels at the moment that he describes, without hesitation, as one of the most difficult dogs he has ever taken in. It comes out each morning with its tail up,...
View ArticleRecall: the command your shoot day depends on
A dog you cannot call back is a dog that cannot be let off the lead, and a dog that spends its life on a slip lead is not really a working dog at all. With the grouse season opening on 12 August and...
View ArticleCocker, springer or Labrador: which makes the best family dog?
Be it at a game fair, a client visit, or simply the supermarket queue, one question we are often asked is this: “Which breed makes the best family dog?” It is one of those wonderfully impossible...
View ArticleWork with the breed: a smarter approach to gundog training
If you want to keep training challenges to a minimum, look at what the breed type was originally designed to do, then look at the dog in front of you. You might expect a gundog to be impervious to the...
View ArticleFive of the best summer gundog kit buys for hot-weather training
Summer is the ideal time to lay the foundations of a reliable gundog, but as temperatures climb, keeping both handler and dog comfortable becomes as important as the training itself. Lightweight,...
View ArticleVoices in the forest: meet the Transylvanian hound
Long before we saw the boar, we heard the hound. The sound came from somewhere deep below us in the beechwoods, carried uphill through the damp November air. It was not the frantic barking often heard...
View ArticleTips for your gundog’s first day in the field
If you have a young gundog and you have worked hard on getting the foundations right, you may well be thinking of taking the dog out for a day or two next season. It’s always hard to tell people the...
View ArticleA worthwhile investment
Since the first lupine ancestors of modern dogs padded across the tundra, seeking scraps around the fires of Siberian hunter-gatherers, there have been gundog training vests. Well, not really, but...
View ArticleDark Angel crowned Crufts gamekeeping winner
A flat coated retriever from Devon was crowned overall winner of BASC’s gamekeeper classes on Gundog Day at this year’s Crufts in Birmingham. The Northesk Memorial Trophy, and the title of the Best in...
View ArticleWhy gundog owners should go for goldies
WHEN MOST PEOPLE think about shooting, they usually picture a man with a labrador sitting at his side. For those looking in, this is a common generalisation. Labrador retrievers are extremely versatile...
View ArticleFilling up with the right fuel
My red setter Muckle and I are all but inseparable and his wellbeing is one of the top couple of considerations in my everyday life. When I was in the Army, he was allowed to follow me around all day...
View ArticleThe vital role of gundogs in driven game shooting
The Irreplaceable Role of Gundogs Gundogs play a vital and irreplaceable role in driven game shooting, whether as peg dogs, in the beating line or on the picking-up team. They are part of the very...
View ArticleSafe gundog travel: why you must restrain your dog in the car
Travelling with an unrestrained dog is not only a breach of the Highway Code but also a serious risk. Both your dog and passengers could suffer injury or worse in an accident. Legal restraints such as...
View ArticleShooting Times Dog of the Week Competition
Enter the Shooting Times Dog of the Week competition and be in with a chance of having your dog featured in the magazine! How to enter Simply click the link below to submit a photograph of your dog....
View ArticleSaying goodbye to a gundog
The challenge of writing about gundog loss I’ve written a few fieldsports articles over the years. Writing them, it must be said, isn’t the most arduous or difficult task in the world – in fact, it’s...
View ArticleHow to curb nerves on your first working test
As I line my spaniel out for a blind retrieve, arm extended in front of me, I can feel the nerves rattle through my body. My hands feel twitchy, my stomach is fluttering, and my mind is racing with...
View ArticleTips for your gundog’s first day in the field
If you have a young gundog and you have worked hard on getting the foundations right, you may well be thinking of taking the dog out for a day or two next season. It’s always hard to tell people the...
View Article