Findy Dogs, Flushy Dogs, Fetchy Dogs

A gundog is not, as Sam points out, a dog with a gun.

This week Jake Woolf, Avian Sandercock and Sam Turner get into the dogs that make a day in the field possible, from pointers and setters to spaniels, Labradors and the assorted pets that somehow find themselves in a beating line.

They look at the different jobs gundogs have been bred to do: finding, flushing, pointing and retrieving game, and why the perfect dog for one job might be completely wrong for another.But this isn’t really about perfectly trained demonstration dogs. Most people have a dog that spends far more time being part of the family than working on a shoot, so how much should we actually expect from them?

There are spaniels that won’t retrieve, Labradors that can apparently straighten corkscrews, dogs that know when there’s absolutely nothing in the cover you’re trying to send them into, and the occasional reminder that a badly behaved gundog can ruin a drive remarkably quickly.

They also talk about picking up, beating, peg dogs, steadiness, recall, trusting a dog’s nose and the work that goes into building a partnership between dog and handler.

And eventually it comes back to the reason most of us have them in the first place. They might be muddy, stubborn, expensive and occasionally embarrassing, but a day in the field is almost always better with a dog.

In this episode:

• What actually makes a gundog
• The different jobs of pointers, setters, spaniels and retrievers
• Findy dogs, flushy dogs and fetchy dogs
• The difference between a working dog and a family pet that also works
• Why expectations matter when your dog only shoots a handful of days each year
• HPRs and the hunt, point, retrieve combination
• Cockers and springers in the beating line
• Labradors and the art of picking up
• Peg dogs and what makes a good one
• Why recall and a stop whistle matter so much
• Steadiness around game and other dogs
• What makes a useful beating dog
• What makes a good picking-up dog
• Learning to trust your dog’s nose
• Working dogs in water and on wildfowling days
• Why some dogs are simply better suited to certain jobs
• The reality of owning a spaniel
• Why the relationship between dog and handler matters more than perfection
• The memories you build with working dogs
• Why a day in the field is nearly always better with a dog

Useful links:
– Support SideCountry on Patreon
– The Game Fair: Dogs and Gundog Events
– The Game Fair: Home International Gundog Competitions
– Royal Kennel Club: Field Trials and Working Gundogs
– Royal Kennel Club: New to Field Trials?
– Royal Kennel Club: Gundog Training Days
– The Gundog Club: Graded Training Scheme

Part of the SideCountry Network.

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Views are those of individual speakers and do not necessarily represent SideCountry, its presenters, contributors, partners or sponsors. For general information and entertainment only. Laws, seasons, access and guidance change; check official sources, obtain permission and act within your competence.