Spring Training with Byron Gundogs: March Focus

Clients getting ready for a hunting exercise

As the countryside begins to wake from its winter slumber, March is the perfect time to sharpen your gundog’s skills and reinforce solid training foundations. Whether you're preparing for the working season ahead or building confidence in a young dog, Byron Gundogs has tailored training sessions designed to help handlers and their dogs succeed.

Developing a Responsive Gundog

One of the key focuses this month is enhancing responsiveness in the field. A well-trained gundog should work with its handler, not independently. This means reinforcing key commands, such as:

• Recall: Ensuring your dog returns promptly on command, even in the face of distractions.

• Whistle Stops: Training your dog to stop immediately on the whistle, allowing you to maintain control at a distance.

• Directional Handling: Teaching your dog to respond to hand signals and cast left, right, or back when required.

These skills are vital for an effective working partnership, and our training days will cover practical exercises to perfect them.

Retrieving Mastery: Marked, Blind, and Memory Retrieves

Retrieving is at the heart of gundog work, and in March, we are honing this crucial ability with focused training on different retrieving challenges:

• Marked Retrieves: Strengthening a dog’s ability to mark and retrieve game accurately.

• Blind Retrieves: Building trust and confidence in handling a dog to a retrieve they haven't seen.

• Memory Retrieves: Enhancing a dog’s ability to recall the location of a previous fall.

Hunting Skills for the Hunting Breeds

For spaniels, pointers, and HPR (hunt, point, retrieve) breeds, strong hunting instincts need to be developed and controlled. Our March training will focus on:

• Quartering: Teaching your dog to hunt methodically within range, ensuring efficient ground coverage.

• Scenting Skills: Enhancing your dog’s ability to use wind and terrain to locate game effectively.

• Hunting in Different Terrains: Adapting hunting techniques for woodland and open fields to prepare for a variety of real-world scenarios.

Through structured exercises and fieldwork, we will help handlers harness their dog’s natural instincts while maintaining control and obedience.

Steadiness and Patience: The Key to Success

A steady gundog is a pleasure to work with. Overexcitement can lead to issues such as running in or whining. This month, our training sessions will focus on:

• Remaining calm under pressure during simulated shoot scenarios.

• Resisting temptation, whether that’s a flushing bird or another dog retrieving.

• Strengthening patience and steadiness, making sure your dog only moves when commanded.

Through structured exercises and controlled environments, we will guide handlers on reinforcing these essential behaviours.

Upcoming Training Opportunities

We have several training sessions planned throughout March, catering to different skill levels:

• Foundation Training for Young Gundogs – Ideal for dogs just starting their journey, covering obedience, steadiness, and basic retrieving.

• Intermediate Training Sessions – For those looking to advance their gundog’s ability in directional control and blind retrieves.

• Advanced Training Sessions – Perfect for refining skills ahead of trialling or the next shooting season.

• Hunting Workshop for Pointing and Flushing Breeds – Designed specifically for dogs with strong hunting instincts, ensuring they hunt effectively while remaining under control.

Special Event: March Gundog Training Holiday

For those looking for an immersive experience, our March Gundog Training Holiday is the perfect opportunity to take your training to the next level. This unique event offers intensive gundog training over several days, allowing handlers and their dogs to develop essential skills in a supportive and structured environment. With expert trainers guiding you through practical exercises, live hunting scenarios, and advanced retrieving challenges, this event is a must for anyone serious about progressing their gundog's abilities.

Spaces are limited, so early booking is advised! More details can be found here.

Join Us at Byron Gundogs

If you're keen to refine your gundog’s skills and strengthen your working relationship, our expert trainers at Byron Gundogs are here to help. March is a fantastic time to reinforce good habits, correct any issues, and set your dog up for success in the coming months.

To book a training session or find out more, get in touch with us today. We look forward to seeing you and your gundog in action!