For you, the 2024 / 2025 British shooting season might still feel months away, but here at Clicker Gundog, it’s already upon us.
Chris has been busy preparing the pens, putting down the pheasant poults and beginning his daily game-keeping duties (which include some very early alarm clocks!) for the Clicker Gundog training shoot.
If you want to keep abreast of the latest updates and see how our pheasants are reared and cared for, join the Clicker Gundog private Facebook Group for regular Game Keeper Diary video updates from Chris.
If your gundog is working at an intermediate or advanced level, you might have started thinking about whether or not they are ready to work on their first shoot.
In this blog, we will explore what standards of behaviour your gundog needs for beating and picking up, what you need to know if this will be your first shoot experience, and finally, why we set up the Clicker Gundog training shoot and what’s included on our Group Shoot Over Days.
Introducing your gundog to game and shot
If you are thinking about working your retriever, spaniel or HPR - be that on a commercial shoot, small syndicate, or some rough shooting if you have access to the ground - you must have introduced your gundog to game and the sound of shot.
While some dogs will pick up their first bird and deliver it to hand like they were born for the job, others will be more cautious about picking feather, and some will be over excited and choose to run around or muck about with it.
Equally, some dogs will not bat an eyelid at the sound of a shotgun, while others will be more cautious.
Unless you want to risk causing irreparable damage and “ruining” your dog, neither are processes to be rushed.
The best way to introduce a dog to the sound of a shotgun is while they are young puppies. I typically take mine out with my older dogs, and when the puppy is happy and relaxed in the environment, Chris will fire his gun or a starter pistol in the neighbouring field.
The pup will look to the older dogs for how to react. As they are all happy with the sound, somewhat even excited about it, the puppy learns that this noise is nothing to be concerned about. Over time, we will continue reducing the distance between the puppy and the gun until a shot can be fired while walking alongside them.
If this is your first gundog, you might not have known to introduce them to the sound of shot when they were young. The process for older dogs is the same and I would suggest enlisting help from friends with dogs who are happy around the sound of shot. You should be aware that difficulties can arise if they previously had a bad experience with sudden, loud noises.
In all instances, you should keep a close eye on your puppy or dog and stop immediately if you see any signs of avoidance, flight or distress.
If you’ve yet to tick off an introduction to game and want to know how to get started or are looking to progress to working with cold game, we suggest you look at our blog “Introducing your gundog to game”.
Is my gundog shoot ready?
When it comes to assessing the behaviours your gundog needs for its first shoot, the Kennel Club’s Working Gundog Certificate (WGC) is one of the best references.
The WGC aims to determine whether the handler/dog partnership is ready for the shooting field with the criteria designed to show that you will both be an asset to a shoot and will not interfere with the well-being of other people, dogs or livestock.
Control:
To be deemed shoot-ready, a gundog should be able to show self-control and should not bark or whine. Handlers should be able to communicate with their dog without giving excessive or continuous noisy cues.
Obedience:
Gundogs should be capable of walking to heel, off lead, and remaining reasonably close to the handler without running off. They should show steadiness by remaining at heel, sitting, or dropping to shot when other things are happening, such as other dogs retrieving, game moving, being flushed, or someone shooting. Reliable recall is a must, and dogs should return to their handlers on cue.
Temperament:
While some of this will be genetic and related to how your dog was socialised as a puppy, to be considered shoot-ready, working gundogs need to be able to mix and work with people and other dogs without showing any undue aggression. Gun-shy dogs would also be given a ‘not ready’ assessment, and it is of paramount importance that dogs are introduced to shot before attending their first shoot day.
Hunting:
Gundogs must be willing and able to hunt effectively in difficult locations, such as thick cover and open ground while remaining under the handler’s control.
Retrieving:
Before taking them on a shoot, your gundog must be able to pick up dummies from various locations, over obstacles, from land and water and bring them to hand. If your dog has a poor delivery, which could allow the wounded game to escape, you need to work on this first, as the birds’ welfare and ensuring injured birds can be humanely dispatched is always our priority. You will want to make sure your dog has picked feather before too.
Are you shoot ready?
If you fell into the world of field sports by accident - many Clicker Gundog clients come for help with their pet gundog and soon find themselves fully immersed and wanting to work their dog - then you might be wondering if you have the proper knowledge to go on your first shoot.
In the UK, gamekeeping, land management, and conservation linked to shooting sports enhance our landscape and allow wildlife to thrive. From an economic point of view, according to BASC, over a million people are involved in British shooting, which makes a substantial contribution to the rural economy, worth £2 billion to the UK annually.
However, it is not without its opponents. So, it is paramount that anyone looking to go on a shoot adheres to high standards, impeccable etiquette, and ethics.
Whatever your role, whether with or without your gundog, in the beating line or on a peg, to protect the future of shooting, you should always aim to act as a good ambassador for the sport. This can be done by learning and following BASC’s Code of Good Shooting Practice.
At a minimum, from a gundog handler's point of view, one of the Code’s ‘golden rules’ that you should be familiar with is that game is food and must always be treated as such.
We must ensure that “adequate provision” is made to retrieve all shot game and “dogs are an essential part of this process”.
As the Code explains, “respect for quarry is paramount.” Therefore, it is crucial that any wounded birds are dispatched swiftly and humanely and that all shot game is treated following the Guide to Good Game Handling so that it is always supplied to the end user in the best condition.
You can download your copy of the Guide here.
Why we started the Clicker Gundog training shoot
Despite being a haven for friendly folk who love nothing more than working their gundogs, the shooting scene can seem incredibly intimidating to newcomers.
This is further exacerbated for those who are keen to find work for their gundog but are not 100 per cent confident that their dog is ready. Or those who are not entirely sure what the roles of beating and picking up involve or the etiquette and responsibility of properly handling game.
At Clicker Gundog, we run a small shoot just for training purposes to help those who need a bit of a confidence boost gain some practical experience in a relaxed environment before delving into the real thing.
Our Training Steadiness with Live Game Workshops, Group Shoot Over Days, 121 Shoot Over Experiences and Winter Camps are all organised for handlers and their dogs looking to progress to the final stages of their training and to proof everything they’ve learned on live and freshly shot game.
All Guns are there for the participants' benefit, and everyone attending understands it is a training shoot. This means that while we always adhere to the Code of Good Shooting Practice, there is significantly less pressure for novice handlers and gundogs to get things 100% right. At the same time, the Clicker Gundog team are on hand to ensure nothing goes wrong and to help guide participants through a typical British shoot day.
Our live game training days or Group Shoot Over days are run as mini-shoot days. The format is based on rough shooting, walk-up, and beating. HPRs will experience the full hunting, pointing, flushing, and retrieving pattern. Flushing dogs will experience hunting and flushing, followed by retrieving. And those with retrievers will experience a day working behind the hunt and Guns retrieving.
Handlers may keep any game shot, and assistance will be given on preparing the game for the table.
If you think your gundog is ready to work on a shoot (beating, picking up, or rough shooting) but would like some experience in a training environment before entering a formal setting, our Group Shoot Over Days can be booked here: https://clickergundog.co.uk/products/group-shoot-days
If you have a young and inexperienced dog, it is advisable to book dates early on in the season (e.g. October and November) to ensure that there will be lots of “easy” finds and plenty to retrieve.
New for 2024: We are hosting a special 2-day workshop on Thursday 19th and Friday 20th September.
Ready to work: An introduction to shooting scenarios for gundog handlers and their dogs, led by Lynsey and Becky, will cover an introduction to British shooting, the equipment required, picking up and beating scenarios, sweeping up exercises, marking in cover, exposure to shotguns, how to humanely dispatch birds (NB real birds will not be used), and, depending on availability, cold game retrieves.
For more information and booking, click here: https://clickergundog.co.uk/products/ready-to-work-an-introduction-to-shooting-scenarios
Those looking to make a weekend of it could also book onto the Training Steadiness with Live Game Workshop on Saturday 21st September.
📸 All photographs credit Alice Loder Photography