Gundog training: Tread carefully when training a spaniel puppy with a gentle temperament.
Neil Varney
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What to look for in a gundog’s pedigree certificate
A reputable gundog breeder should provide the gundog puppy’s pedigree before you make a commitment to buy. This is because the dog’s pedigree is one of the things a professional…
Beating a gundog’s first time anxiety
Here are five tips to lessen gundog anxiety on those first few times in the beating line. 1. Keep close A dog used in the beating line should never be any…
Teaching a gundog to ignore distractions
Step 1: Start with the basics When moving on to a new exercise it is always worth going back a step or two and just reinforcing some earlier lessons. With…
How to teach spaniels to head in the right direction
Some people question whether you need to teach a gundog to go left and right; unless you just go beating it can be a useful skill to teach spaniels (and other gundogs).…
My dog hates having the kennel cough vaccine!
Neil says: Kennel cough is a bad name really. Most of the affected dogs that we see have never been near a kennel but have caught it in the park, on the street or…
Fruit-loving Labradors
Neil says: Clever boy indeed to be skinning his bananas himself! Patience with food such as this is unusual in Labradors. Yes they will eat anything. A Labrador patient of mine recently made a valiant attempt to eat…
How to train gundogs with shot and cold game
As a gundog trainer with several dogs to progress, I have to look at each individual and work out a suitable training programme for every one and this can vary due to the dog’s personality…
How to introduce the stop whistle
Introducing the stop whistle is one area of gundog training that can cause handlers some issues — possibly because they rush it, so that the lesson is not fully learnt by the dog, or…
How to introduce a puppy to water retrieves
With the arrival of warmer weather, it has been a good opportunity to introduce the young spaniels to a bit of water work and introduce water retrieves. Though the puppies…
How to train a puppy to run in a straight line
Neil Varney uses a place-board and natural retrieving alleys to train a puppy to run in a straight line to retrieve. The labrador puppy, Remy, is growing very fast both…
How to improve heel work and quartering
During the past month Remy, the Labrador puppy, has been coming along really well with his lead work, and over the past week or so I have gently started to…
An insider’s guide to training gundog puppies
It’s going to be a busy summer at the Twistmount Kennels as I have a few youngsters that are ready to start their more formal training. I have two home-bred…