help please from gundog people

Bosworth

Bosworth

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www.ballhillequestrian.co.uk
I have a Bedlington pup, Flodden, I am wanting to start a training class and am seriously considering gundog training as my OH shoots and I would love to go with him and work a dog, preferably picking up rather than beating. I don't want to get a 'gundog breed' as I am not a huge lab or spaniel fan, I love other peoples - just not for me. But I would love to try and work my Bedlington. How feasible do you think it would be to get him to a decent level for our low level friendly shoot? I have emailed my local gundog training group to see if they would be prepared to let me train with them but would love to know your views and whether anyone else works a highly unusual 'gundog'
 
Go for it! My Mum trains gundogs, and we have had a few spaniel crosses come for classes, and lots of less popular gundogs, we even have a munsterlander coming training at the moment, and weimeraners!
Flodden may not naturally have a soft mouth like most working bred gundogs, but you will have to wait and see what the trainer says!!
Good luck, Flooden would look beautiful sat behind a gun waiting to pick up!
 
he naturally carries, always carrying a piece of wood, a soft toy, my grouting sponges! and seems soft mouthed. We have not done any ragging with him and he is encouraged to drop everything he picks up, and we reward for that. So he may have a natural inclination to carry. Just has a bit of a 'hmmmmm now why do you want me to do that' look about him when you ask for something, rather than the slavish 'let me do it' of my friends lab, so i could imaging he will be a little stubborn unless he 'gets it'
 
Bosworth,

when I first read your post, I was going to advise that you forget it!! I may well have been wrong.

Most gundog breeds, and the Bedlington isn't amongst them, have a natural desire to retrieve. It's a servile post, for the dog, and that's what make them so amenable. I spent a good few years training gundogs, mostly as a lucrative hobby, and when I worked as a gamekeeper. I was always disparaging of the nonconformist breeds, until we had a guest, who brought a standard poodle with him! :eek: Sacrilege!! OK, so it was hardly stylish, and it certainly lacked drive, but it suited its owner well, and it delivered to hand!

Two points from your last post;

Firstly, never ask a retrieving dog to "drop" its retrieve. The delivery must be into your hand. If live game is dropped, and then legs it, that will encourage the second collection to be hard mouthed.

Secondly, I would never use "rewards" as a reward. Try to engineer the situation whereby the retrieve itself is the reward. A dog which dumps the retrieve on the floor, all so often does so because it's looking for the "reward", not what we want!

I'd be interested to hear how you get on. The Bedlington certainly wouldn't be my first choice of gundog, but as I say, stranger things have happened. Good luck.

Alec.
 
Bosworth, every now and then you do come across an "out of place" gundog ;)

One of our loaders has a standard poodle who does a sterling job in the beating line (as do many JR's), my friend down the road picks up with her labradoodle ;) Mymare has told me of a keeper whose best dog was a collie!

Infact my very first ever picking up dog was a Huntaway x Lab - he was so good that he is still remembered now all these years on - God I loved that dog.

I know nothing of Bedlingtons at all so won't advise but if you only go to your own small syndicate shoot then why not! If nothing else he will provide entertainment value :D
 
I spoke to my local (ish) gundog trainer. He is happy to help and has a bit of a track record with odd dogs. Currently working with a english setter - so must have the patience of a saint. I am aware that I am not training correctly for a gun dog. I have just been trying to avoid the grab it and shred it terrier mentality and his reward has always been load of praise and a head ruffle. Sorry when I say drop it I mean give it to me, as in loosen your hold and let me have whatever you are carrying. He now recalls to whistle and has a sit and stay nearly to hand signals, although we are of course only on short distances at the moment. i start my training with him on the 15th, only 1:1 puppy introduction, just to ensure I start on the right lines ready for his group classes in september. I have no high expectations of him, really just doing it as a bit of fun, and it would be great if he could come out with us, my OH shoots on our own land, but is a member of a small friendly syndicate who are happy to encourage novice dogs. I will let you all know how he gets on, and thank you for your help :)
 
Here's my take, for what it's worth, Bosworth! I grew up in a shooting family and we always had retrievers (Lab and Flatcoat); my grandfather was a Springer man, my aunt a Pointer lover and we were all firmly convinced that other breeds were not used as gundogs for a reason. However, when we lived in Kenya, where everybody had guard dogs of some kind, we had a German Shepherd. When we came back to England, my father decided to work him. The suggestion was greeted with howls of laughter and/or disapproval but he actually turned out to be fantastic. Wonderful peg dog who would work as a beaters' dog as well so now I wouldn't dismiss any dog out of hand!

Give it a go - you'll have a lot of fun anyway :)
 
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