48 • Great Gun Dogs


Shooting stars W


alter whistles and Chief, his spaniel, darts off, obeying his every command


— turning on two pips and stopping on one long one. I watch amazed as the 78-year-old uses a silent whistle combined with subtle arm signals to tell the dog to zigzag left and right, then retrieve in an instant. It’s like a dance, and it’s clear who’s leading. I’m green with envy. Te only


time my dog dashes off is when he’s stolen my slipper. But then he is a 20-week-old ridgeback puppy and Chief is a highly trained six-year-old gun dog, bred by Walter, a Dorset- based gamekeeper, who’s been producing working dogs for decades, selling spaniels to the likes of George Bush and Dick Cheney. Although Walter can train any


breed (time will tell how he gets on with me and my ridgeback), he focuses on spaniels and labs. He says it’s important to pick the right breed and bloodline. “Retrievers and labradors work to remove the game in the field, whereas spaniels flush out game at close quarters. Pointers are a totally different and often used in two-man hunts,” Walter says. “Tey cover huge areas, homing in on birds, stopping and pointing so that the guns can then shoot.”


Te Countryside Experience • Sunday 12 August 2018


When picking a gun dog, the choice of breed is crucial, as is training with an expert. Sam Lewis asks two gun dog trainers for advice


Whatever breed you go for,


temperament is vital, as is training from a young age. Bred for athleticism, stamina and strength, as well as their birding instincts, untrained field dogs (like ridgebacks) can make poor, hyperactive house pets. Gun dog trainer Sam Torneycroft-Taylor, based near Bristol, agrees. “It takes hundreds of hours to train a gun dog and I’d recommend starting fun-play training at eight weeks old, teaching basic recall and sit commands, as well as fun retrieves.” And for spaniel breeds, which tend to have a genetic understanding of hunting, Sam would also start to teach quartering (hunting in a zigzag pattern at close quarters to flush the quarry over the guns). Sam says that at six months, while


still physically developing, most puppies are ready to take on more of a mental workload — steadiness and direction on retrieve, for example. She believes it’s possible to teach the mechanics of ‘walk to heel’ within a single one-to-one session, with the main aim being to establish eye contact and keep their attention. “By using specific positioning and


use of the lead and a series of turns, paces and eye contact, we have more chance of getting that focus off-lead in the field,” she explains, although


Sam tells me she wouldn’t send a dog to work until it was two years old. Sam strongly believes that ‘two


years of training equals nine years of fun’. And, conversely, that ‘two years of fun equals nine years of training’. While some new owners choose


to send their dog away for residential training (Sam charges £115 a week), others opt to undertake the training themselves and visit for regular sessions (around £25 an hour). For those owners who don’t have the time or patience, it’s possible to buy a ready-trained dog — Walter has a litter of fox-red labs available for £800 at eight weeks, although some will fetch £3,500 when they’re fully trained.


Like Walter, Sam doesn’t just train


working breeds, but pet dogs as well. “A lot of my clients don’t wish for


their dogs to see the shooting field,” she says. “But gun dog training is a good way to establish a bond and keep a dog mentally active. Working breeds need that stimulation, and the training enables anyone to work with a dog in a difficult situation.” Both Walter and Sam have inspired


me to train my puppy, but I tell them I think I’m too late for the seven- year-old. Sam disagrees. “Our eldest dog is pretty much deaf now, so I’m retraining her purely with movement, hand signals and plenty of eye contact,” he says. Goes to show, you can teach an old dog new tricks.


FIND OUT MORE.... Publications: Shooting Times, Shooting


Gazette and The Field. Gun dog trainers/breeders: Samantha Thorneycroft-Taylor. languedocgundogs.co.uk Walter Harrison. sunstarkennels.co.uk Or contact thekennelclub.org.uk Gun dog clubs and societies: The British Association for Shooting and Conservation. basc.org.uk Top tips: Country shows are a good way to watch demos and get to know local breeders and trainers. Or go beating without your dog to gain an understanding of the sport.


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