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It is axiomatic to the very
nature of wildfowling that many of the best opportunities for a
successful shot will occur while a bird is flighting over an
ebbing tide or a fast-flowing gully and the frustrations which
would result from forsaking all such chances make the possession
of a good retrieving dog virtually essential. Anyone who has
witnessed a thigh-booted gunner chasing a wounded greylag across
the saltings or a shorebound fowler impotently watching as his
moribund mallard drifts out to sea will readily appreciate the
invaluable service which can be rendered by a well trained
labrador or spaniel.
The financial investment in a gundog is considerable when one
remembers that there is not only the initial outlay on a puppy
but that the dog will cost upwards of œ2000 to maintain
during a normal canine lifetime. It behoves the wildfowler,
therefore, to choose his dog with care and then train it to an
acceptable standard for service on the marsh. A good gundog is a
pleasure to work with and a positive asset when shooting duck or
geese but so much depends upon the selection of a suitable puppy
and careful attention to its housing, feeding and basic training.
CHOICE OF PUPPY
Dogs come in all shapes and sizes and many folk are astounded to
learn that all breeds of the domestic dog, from a poodle to a
Great Dane, are varieties of the same species of animal. Over the
centuries and in different parts of the world, many of those
breeds have been used for hunting and retrieving but the choice
facing the fowler is probably restricted to the labrador,
flatcoated retriever, golden retriever or one of the springer
spaniels. It is not unknown for wildfowlers to venture below the
sea wall with a German shorthaired pointer or another of the HPR
breeds but such sportsmen probably engage in other branches of
shooting and chose their canine companion to suit a varied
schedule of work on the moor or in the coverts.
It would be easy to sit on the fence and simply state that the
estuarine gunner would be well served by any of the proven
varieties of gundog but, in reality, the newcomer to the sport
will probably have greatest likelihood of success if he chooses a
labrador as his first dog. All other things being equal, a good
labrador from sound working stock will be more easily trained by
a novice than most other breeds and it will be more forgiving of
the mistakes which are certain to be made by an inexperienced
trainer. The labrador is an excellent water dog, is sufficiently
strong to swim a long distance carrying a goose and the breed is
normally endowed with a goodly degree of patience. Having cut his
teeth on a labrador, the wildfowler may later wish to progress to
a springer spaniel, flatcoat or even an Irish water spaniel. It
is all a question of personal preference and, as many, many hours
will be spent alone with the beast on the remote saltings, it is
clearly essential that the longshore gunner actually likes his
dog!
Purchasing a puppy can be a very chancy business and the novice
should take every precaution at this stage. It cannot be stressed
too emphatically that no dog should be considered which is not
from established working stock. There is really no need to buy a
pup from the fellow around the corner when every issue of the
weekly and monthly shooting periodicals carries a lengthy list of
advertisements for litters which are registered with the Kennel
Club and have field trial honours recorded on both sides of the
pedigree. Occasionally the sporting press is engulfed by
controversy regarding the suitability of field trial dogs for
general shooting but there can be no doubt whatsoever that a
puppy from established trial parentage is more likely to have a
genetic predisposition to successful training. It is also far
less likely to suffer from inborn faults such as hard-mouth or
gun-shyness.
It can be reassuring to see the mother working at the time of
inspecting a litter of pups and even more encouraging if the
youngsters are old enough to have begun their initial schooling.
A twelve week old puppy which will sit to command and come when
called is likely to respond positively to further training. It is
important to obtain evidence that neither parent suffers from any
hereditary ailment such as hip dysplasia or retinal problems and,
if the pup is more than 12 weeks old, a vaccination certificate
should be obtained from the breeder.
HOUSING, FEEDING AND HEALTH
It is tempting to keep a gundog as a family pet and some
wildfowlers have no alternative. There are, however, many
advantages to be gained from housing the dog in an outside kennel
if this is possible. Any retriever which will be required to swim
in near-freezing water and wait patiently by the fowler's side in
sub-zero conditions needs to be a very hardy animal and a dog
which had been cossetted in a centrally heated flat is unlikely
to take kindly to an early morning dip in icy brine. There can
also be no argument that a gundog is more easily trained if it is
quartered outside, well away from spouses, children and other
confusing influences. It will come to regard every training and
exercise period as a real pleasure and will be keen to please its
handler.
A labrador or springer spaniel will exist very happily in a
wooden kennel measuring 6ft wide by 4ft deep by 4ft high with a
6ft square run attached. Freedom from draughts and damp is
crucial and the run should have a concrete base so that rainwater
will drain away quickly and the dog cannot dig itself out. For
the kennel itself, the most suitable material is overlapping
weatherboard although well creosoted exterior ply on a softwood
frame may be used as an alternative. One-third of the interior of
the kennel should take the form of a raised shelf or box to
provide a snug sleeping area. If straw or any other form of
bedding is used in winter, it should be changed regularly to
avoid skin vermin. In summer no such bedding is really necessary.
An adequate diet is clearly important if a gundog is to be kept
in peak working condition. Cooked meat or offal mixed with
biscuit meal is the traditional dinner for a dog and adopting
this practice allows the protein content to be maintained while
the amount of carbohydrate may be varied to meet the energy
requirements of the individual dog, hence avoiding any tendency
towards obesity. It is far more convenient, on the other hand, to
use an all-in-one dog meal which, if purchased in 25kg sacks, is
extremely economical. There are several excellent brands of meal
specifically formulated for working dogs and most contain all of
the necessary oils, vitamins and minerals.
Canine health is rarely a serious problem for the wildfowler.
Given adequate housing and a sensible diet, his gundog's mode of
life will maintain it at a level of fitness which is often denied
to the average household pet. Nevertheless, it is essential that
the puppy is vaccinated against distemper, hardpad, jaundice and
parvo-virus and that booster injections are given as prescribed
by the veterinary surgeon. The outlay on such treatment is
minimal when compared to the cost of curative medicine should the
dog become ill.
GUNDOG TRAINING
There are no mysteries about gundog training; neither are there
any shortcuts. The path to success lies in a logical, ordered
approach and in ensuring that the basic obedience and control
exercises have been thoroughly mastered before progressing to
more specialised work. Gundog training need not make onerous
demands upon the wildfowler's time but it is absolutely essential
that regular sessions are set aside for the purpose. It is far
better to have short daily periods of 15 - 20 minutes than to
attempt to cram the lessons into an hour or two at weekends. Once
the puppy becomes bored, he will not respond well to any attempt
to continue a training session.
The highly successful Gundog
Training Course which was pioneered by Eric Begbie
and has now been used by thousands of gundog owners across the world can be
obtained by clicking on:
http://www.premier-pages.co.uk/gundog/
This file is an
extract from "Fowler in the Wild" by Eric Begbie. It
may be reproduced, in whole or in part, by magazines or other
publications with the prior permission of the author.
