6 Week Beginners Gundog Course

Unleash Your Gundog’s Potential: A 6-Week Beginners Gundog Course

Discover the joy of working with your gundog’s natural instincts. Build a stronger bond, develop essential skills, and lay the perfect foundation for a well-behaved companion and future working partner.

This 6-week course is specifically designed for beginners and young dogs, providing a fun, positive, and structured introduction to the world of gundog training. Whether you have aspirations for the shooting field, want to compete in working tests, or simply wish to channel your dog’s energy into rewarding activities, this is the perfect place to start your journey.

Is This Course For You?

This course is ideal for handlers and dogs who are:

• New to gundog training with no prior experience.
• Owners of traditional gundog breeds (Labradors, Spaniels, Retrievers, HPRs, etc.) aged 6 months or older.
• Looking to build focus, steadiness, and a reliable recall in distracting outdoor environments.
• Keen to provide a positive outlet for their dog’s innate desire to hunt and retrieve.
• Wanting to build a fantastic partnership with their dog based on teamwork and clear communication.

Prerequisite: Your dog should have a basic understanding of ‘sit’ and be comfortable in a group environment with other dogs.

Course Outline: Your 6-Week Journey

Each weekly session lasts for one hour and builds progressively on the skills learned in the previous week. We focus on positive reinforcement to build confidence in both dog and handler.

Week 1: The Partnership & Focus

The first step is building a strong connection. We will focus on engagement exercises to get your dog to see you as the most interesting thing in the field.

• Key Skills: Introduction to heelwork on and off the lead, focus games, and conditioning the training whistle.

Week 2: The Stop Whistle & Steadiness

The stop whistle is the most important command you will teach. This week is dedicated to introducing this vital skill and developing your dog’s self-control.

• Key Skills: Introducing the stop whistle, building a reliable ‘sit’ and ‘stay’, and developing steadiness around minor distractions.

Week 3: Introduction to Retrieving

Time to tap into your dog’s natural talent! We introduce the concept of a controlled retrieve, focusing on a calm hold and a clean delivery to hand.

• Key Skills: Simple marked retrieves (the dog sees the dummy fall), encouraging a soft mouth, and a formal delivery to hand.

Week 4: Developing the Hunt

We will start to engage your dog’s nose and encourage them to use their natural hunting ability in a controlled manner.

• Key Skills: Introducing the ‘hunt’ command, basic quartering patterns for spaniels, and “hunting up” for retrievers in a defined area.

Week 5: Memory & Direction

This week, we challenge your dog’s memory and introduce the very first steps in directional handling, building the foundation for more advanced work.

• Key Skills: Simple memory retrieves (dog sees the dummy fall, waits, then is sent), and an introduction to taking a straight line.

Week 6: Bringing It All Together

In our final session, we will run a simple sequence to combine the skills you have learned over the past five weeks, demonstrating how far you and your dog have come as a team.

• Key Skills: A short marked retrieve with a stop whistle, heelwork, and a hunt for a hidden dummy. We’ll finish with a Q&A and discuss the next steps in your Gundog training journey.

Course Details

• Duration: 6 consecutive weeks (1-hour session per week).
• Start Time: 10am
• Class Size: Strictly limited to 6 dogs to ensure personal, one-to-one coaching.
• Location: Our private training ground in Ashill, providing a safe and realistic environment.
• Cost: £135.00 for the full 6-week course.

What to Bring:

• A flat collar or slip lead.
• A gundog whistle (we recommend an Acme 211.5).
• Water for your dog.
• Appropriate outdoor clothing and footwear for all weather conditions.