Gundog training courses prepare for the shooting season

Now is the time to start giving your working gundog some training before the shooting season starts.
All those Spaniels, Retrievers and Labradors who have been lazing around during the summer need a bit of revision before the season begins.

Or maybe your young dog has learnt the basics but now needs to go to the next stage of his or her training. In either case you and your dog may benefit from an improvers gundog course in Mid Wales on September 12 and 13.

The training weekends are run by Margot Porter, who with her husband Anthony, farms at Ty Gwyn Farm, Llandrindod Wells. Now in their third year, the gundog courses have proved extremely popular with both inexperienced and experienced handlers and their dogs.

“We run two different types of courses – an improvers and a basic. The improvers is for people who want to work their dog in the shooting field or enter tests or trials,” said Margot. “For these courses, the dogs need to have the basics of sit, stay, recall and a reasonable stop whistle.

“We will work on unmarked and distance retrieves, directions, straight lining, improving hunting and the all important stop whistle. We have water, rough cover and woodland to work the dogs and we will use a running rabbit and cold game and pigeons to simulate shooting situations.

“Our basic weekends offer help to both the person who wants to work their dog and to the person who just wants a dog that is a pleasure to own. Sometimes those who have not thought about beating or picking up, having seen what a working dog is bred for, decide they would like to try.

“Our trainer, Margaret Ward, has a wealth of knowledge and experience with working dogs, as she beats with her Springer Spaniels in the winter and very successfully trials her pointers.

“She has just retired FTC Springfield Lace who she bred, trained and handled to become a double field trial champion on both partridge and grouse. Her training is sympathetic but down to earth and practical.”
Some might think basic training for a dog that is going to work is different to one who is not. However, Margot and Margaret both believe it is about working with dogs’ natural hunting and retrieving instincts and understanding how they tick and how they need to use their brains as well as have exercise to avoid boredom and trouble.

“Our weekends are first and foremost about training, but they are also social and fun,” explained Margot. “Many people bring not only their dog but their other half to make a weekend break. We eat well, laugh a lot and have an occasional glass at the end of the day!”

The basic courses run on September 26 and 27, which is now full but there are still some spaces on October 10 and 11 and October 24 and 25. The courses include bed and breakfast accommodation, if required, lunches and afternoon teas on both days.

For more information www.tygwynfarm.co.uk. 01597 829298/822665. margot@tygwynfarm.co.uk

Picture captions:

Gundogs being trained on a previous course at Ty Gwyn Farm.

Ends

Notes for Editors:
Ty Gwyn Farm is a 130 acre farm. Additional enterprises include a conventional self-catering cottage, The Straw Cottage, country courses and The Cruck Barn meeting room. Country courses include Walking through History with a landscape historian, dry stone walling and gundog weekends.