Gundog Training by Nicola Grellis - June 2011
I grew up in West Sussex within a Veterinary background surrounded by dogs. Originally we bred German Shepherds and then I transferred my love to Labradors when I married and became involved with the Shooting world approximately 30 years ago.
I trained my first gundog, Holly, by myself and learnt a lot by my mistakes! I realised that training wasn’t as easy as it appeared and that it was essential to make sure that the basic obedience was in place before progressing on to the more demanding training that is necessary to produce a fully trained gundog that is a pleasure to take out on a shoot day. At this time I also realised that it was necessary to make sure that the dog was well socialised and used to coping with all sorts of situations. On that basis I take my puppies out as much as possible, a good place for them to meet people and learn to behave in company is to take them to supermarket car parks where they can sit quietly and watch the world go by.
I spend a lot of time with my young dogs and allow them plenty of fun time but always in a controlled situation where I make sure manners are paramount!
Many people have written about gundog training and have far more knowledge then I do but I like to think that I have gained some experience over the years and on that basis I have developed a small business incorporating Dog Friendly Bed and Breakfast, Training and Boarding Kennels at my rural home in East Devon where I relocated my kennels about 2 years ago.
I breed Labradors as a hobby and especially promote the Fox Red colour. All my dogs are KC Registered, health tested etc and are worked on a regular basis on local shoots within the East Devon area.
