Beaters day

Beaters Day, good weather, good food, good fun,good company,good dogs. Really sad its the end of the season, but now I can put some time into training Bepop and work on the areas that she plays 'deaf'


Julian and Graham with Bepop



Dogs on the trailer (wagon)

On the shoot I attend with Graham and Remy I notice that both Bepop and Remy ofton lie down in the wagon between drives. The barbet is not a small dog, and neither of them seem perturbed that tails are trodden on, and people and dogs step over them. The dogs on the wagon have little space, the labs seem content to rest their chins on the nearest thigh, others balance, some sit. There is never room for a dog to assume terriotory.
The fantastic day out with Mark ( gundog training under weblinks) was a very different day for Bepop, luckily she has the charactor and temperment of a working dog, she has to face new situations and react accordingly.An unbalanced dog would not cope.

Its hard to see, but yes Bepop is in the photo below, and thats where she rested whilst we had lunch.

My confidence in Bepop grows the more I do with her, although I am still keeping everything crossed she behaves well tomorrow on the shoot!

Shoots and barbets

Sadly no photos from yesterdays shoot, but as normal a good day out. Remy (Novaforesta Drew) was congratulated by one of the guns for a good retrieve on a pricked bird, not quite the norm for Remy as he is a valid member of the beating team, but nice to know it was appreciated. Bepop was a rather lively lass yesterday, which is a bit of a worry as we have a new shoot to attend tomorrow, I think a word in her ear is needed.

Bepop,DiDi and Remy (L-R)

The photo above is a picture I am proud of, three barbets on a shoot taken about a month ago.

Hunting with minor breeds

This is worth a read if you are considering getting a breed that is rare in the field

Hunting with the 'off brands'

The American Water Spaniel is another breed of dog that is very low in numbers