Gundog Club students at King’s Lynn in Norfolk had a successful Field Test Day recently.

Grade One: Beginner

Three students took their Grade One field tests

• Marie Reide passed with Distinction
• Dorothy Pulsford-Harris and Sam Holland passed with Merit

Grade Three: Intermediate

Three students took their Grade Three tests

• Laura Browne-Waite and Rosemary Faux passed with Distinction
• Sue Donelly passed with Merit

Congratulations to all on their excellent results.

Gundog Training in Norfolk

The students and their lovely dogs were coached by Keith Kendall.  You can contact Keith through his webpage: Norfolk Gundog Instructor 

Find out more about training your dog with the Gundog Club  on our information for gundog owners page

We have recieved a lovely email and photos from Megan Hall.

Megan lives in Northumberland.

She is thoroughly enjoying gundog training with her two dogs Molly and Luna

Molly is pictured right,  and Luna below.

 ”Hi my name is Megan hall I have two amazing labs.

Molly my 1st lab was bought for working and pet she spent a few days working at a young age then became my best friend. Molly is a natural worker who loves retrieving dummies and game she takes it all in her stride she just loves to please.”

Megan did most of Molly’s training herself with the help of a friend Ali Scott.

Megan says that Molly loves being trained and enjoys all sorts of different activities

Last year Molly had puppies and Megan kept a yellow bitch called Luna

Once Megan had put in the basics Luna started gundog training at Central Bark in Northumberland.

Trainer Lyndsey Rutherford worked with Megan on raising Luna’s confidence and she now retrieves dummies from anywhere,  even with distractions around.

Megan is looking forward to the shooting season and is rightfully proud of what she has achieved with her dogs.  She would like to say a big thank you to Lyndsey and Ali for all their help.

And we would like to thank Megan for writing to us and sharing her lovely photos

If you would like to see your dog featured on the website,  just send us a photo and a paragraph telling us why you love gundog training.   We’ll put up as many as we can. 

Where to begin!  There is so much to think of.

How do I start training,  how should I be managing my first gundog?

Is my dog even suitable for gundog training?

We look at these questions and more with our new ‘getting started‘  page.

You may also want to visit our ‘Getting help online‘ page

If you are having fun with gundog training why not share your experience with others.

Reading about other people’s enjoyment of this lovely pastime is a huge motivator.

It gets people outside and training their dogs!

Encouraging others

If you would like to help encourage others with their gundog training,  send us a photo of your dog and a little bit of information about what gundog training has done for you

You don’t need to have passed a test or entered in a competition.   People just enjoy reading about the simple pleasures of teaching a dog to do what he was born to do.

Gundogs are beautiful

And we all love looking at photos of beautiful gundogs!

The cocker in the photo above is Phoebe.   She is four years old and works as a picker-up on a shoot in Surrey.  Her favourite things are being cuddled,  and finding pheasants.  In that order!

To send us your story and picture: email admin@thegundogclub.co.uk   Photos as jpgs please.

We have a new gundog training resource page up for you today.  Just click on the following link to find out what its all about.  It’s called

Getting help with gundog training online

The internet is packed full of information if you know where to look.  

There are forums, and blogs where you can read and comment,  that can help you through a difficult patch with gundog training.  

Of course nothing can replace the support of a professional gundog trainer.  

But it can be very helpful and comforting to read about how others have overcome problems that are similar to yours.   And it is always useful to broaden your knowledge through reading and listening to other gundog owners.

We have posted some links for you on our new page and hope you find them helpful.

The original purpose of gundog training is to produce a dog that helps to put food on the table. 

Our gundog breeds all play a role in either the collection of shot game,  or in finding game for the hunter to shoot.  Some breeds combine these roles.  

To achieve this purpose, the gundog training process harnesses the inborn characteristics of the gundog into a useful and productive behaviour.

Gundog instincts

Gundogs have some strong instincts.  These instincts encourage the gundog to hunt the scent of ‘prey’ animals,  and to pursue those animals when they attempt to escape.    

However, these instincts are really only helpful to the gundog’s human companions when they have been modified through training.

A completely untrained gundog is unlikely to make a useful ‘team-mate’ on any kind of hunting expedition. 

And as many pet gundog owners discover,  the urge to hunt and chase small animals can be quite a liability in the countryside if  the dog is allowed free rein with his powerful instincts   

Breed characteristics

In addition to preserving in our gundogs these natural instincts that served their ancestors so well, we have also bred into our gundog breeds some specific and useful behaviours. 

The ability to suppress the urge to bite down on a prey animal, to carry it gently for example, is something gundog breeders have carefully selected for.

Breeders have also selected gundogs for a temperament which is highly co-operative and biddable,  especially in our retriever breeds.   Many of which also have a natural tendency to return to their handler with a retrieved object.

Controlling gundog behaviour

Gundogs are now the most popular pet dogs in the western world.  Gundog training enables the gundog owner to control the dog’s instincts and harness them into a useful activity.   

Perhaps even more importantly it enables the pet gundog owner to translate all that energy and drive into a happy relationship based on co-operation and fun.

So whilst the point of gundog training was originally to produce dogs that helped to put food on the table,  in our modern world it plays an even wider and arguably more important role. 

That of helping our pet gundogs become good canine citizens and happy, well balanced family members.

To find out more about how you can get involved in gundog training visit our information for students page

Gundog owners in North Devon are invited to visit the new page we have made for our North Devon Instructor Robin Gray. 

Robin enjoys teaching the whole range of gundogs from simple pet dog obedience right up to field trial standard.  

He has been training Gundog Club students for several years,  helping them to prepare for Field Tests and to resolve any problems that arise along the way. 

Robin is a keen and successful Field Trial competitor with many awards to his name.  He is a firm believer in kindness and uses no harsh methods.  

You can find out more by visiting Robin’s  page,  or by contacting him directly here:  Contact North Devon Gundog Trainer

We have just updated our Worcestershire Gundog Trainer’s page.

Our Worcestershire Instructor Sue Hutton is available for Gundog Club classes, group courses and one-to-one instruction.  

Beginners and those new to gundog training are welcomed.

And for those of you that are looking for more advanced training,  Sue is highly experienced Field Trial competitor and judge,  and will help take you as far as you want to go.

 To find out more visit Sue’s page:  Tenbury Wells Gundog Trainer 

Or contact her directly using this form: Contact Sue Hutton

We are very pleased to offer the opportunity for Northamptonshire gundog owners to participate in the UK’s National Graded Training scheme for gundogs with Field Trial judge and Accredited Gundog Club Instructor Tony Brazier.

Whether you are passionate about competing in Field Trials, working gundogs,  or just want to have some fun with your pet gundog,  Tony will show you how to work together with your dog as a team.

Tony’s Northamptonshire facilities are located at Oundle,  and you can visit Tony’s Oundle page here:  Oundle Gundog Training

You can contact Tony using this form:  Contact Tony Brazier

You can find out more about the Graded Training Scheme and about joining a gundog training course in these links:  The aims of graded training   and  Joining a gundog training course or class

The Gundog Club is delighted to bring its graded training scheme to gundog owners in Leicestershire.

Our Leicestershire gundog trainer Steve Hare is an experienced instructor, teacher, and assessor in a a number of fields.  

In the past few years,  working and training gundogs has become his passion.

Positive gundog training

Steve is a professional dog trainer who is committed to training with modern positive reward based methods.   He welcomes beginners and newcomers to gundog work at his facilities near John O Gaunt in Leicestershire.

Steve also coaches pet gundog owners who just want that little bit more control or a better behaved dog.

If you would like to find out more about Steve visit his webpage: Leicestershire Gundog Trainer   or skip straight to his contact form:  Contact Leicestershire Gundog Trainer