I mustn't be too hard on Bepop, but we had a training day on Sunday, the company was good, the weather was ok, my gundog was not in the mood!. I can explain why. An early start in the morning, wellys in the van, flask of coffee, and a solitary dog sets the scene for a shoot day in Bepops head, strengthed by the fact we started training by a ride in a trailer with the normal mix of labs and spaniels.Its getting better in Bepops mind, a line of beaters, and gunfire. On a positive note, I did some brilliant blind retrieves, whilst Bepop hoovered the forest looking for birds. The trainers on the day, were fantastic and all offered advice, and the standard of the spaniels and retrievers, I was impressed.After a hearty lunch, the sun came out and a stubble field saved the day. Whether it was the fact that she could hear me saying how good the other dogs were, she certainly watched the others doing beautiful retrieves, she had an open field and thankfully clear vision, no need to put her nose to the ground, she was marking the dummies....phew, after 5 hours Bepop was back as a gundog, and the day ended on a good note. I wish I had more time for Bepop and training, but you make the best of what you have.
