Ellena Swift

stop a dog chewing

Q: I am having a problem with my 14-month-old spaniel. He seems to love to retrieve, but chews hard on everything. He has chews in the house, but I had…

Dogs on shoot day

Now more than ever, many gundog enthusiasts around the country are excited and preparing for the shooting season. A lot of those are novices or first-time handlers and will currently…

Gundog trainer

Ever since I was old enough to walk by myself, I have been going shooting with my family. I’ve always been attracted to the working gundogs side and, since I…

German Shorthaired Pointer

Q: I own a rather excitable dog, an exuberant German shorthaired pointer (GSP) that I take beating on several driven shoots. He works well once the drives start and always…

training a gundog to hold a line

At a recent gundog training session, all of my dogs were running well, handling and stopping, hunting hard and generally being very pleasing. However, the ground was a little different…

day-to-day gundog training

Day-to-day gundog training Lizzie, the young flatcoat, has gone home for a little break. She is now one year old and coming on a treat, but she needs time to…

black Labrador puppy

Q: I am doubtful of the pedigree details of some Labrador puppies I have been offered. Pedigrees are widely available online and provide information for those who can simply make…

rescue Labrador

Looking at rescue gundogs When clients approach me about getting a working dog, I have to admit that looking at rescue gundogs is not the first thing I’d suggest. But…

It might seem like I have plenty of time to plan, lots of equipment and endless ground to train on. While I am lucky to have access to more ground,…

guard dogs

Dog theft is a hot topic at the moment; in particular of gundogs. They are stolen from cars, kennels, houses and gardens. One of the issues is the money these…

perfect Labrador

The Labrador retriever was first recognised by the Kennel Club as a breed in 1903. It was originally known as the St John’s dog or lesser Newfoundland dog. The breed…

Gundog training

A suitable shooting companion should be many things. They should be hard hunting, patient on peg, calm to heel and have reliable recall. These are only a few of the…

semi-retired dogs

A team of dogs usually comprises varying age and ability levels. It is common to have at least one youngster that is in training and learning its trade from older…