Gundog Journal Magazine

Celebrate the start of the season with the perfect blend of advice, experience and anecdote from the GJ team. In the first of a new series of training masterclasses, Ben Randall reveals the secrets to his trademark BG Hunt command, designed to help you put the ‘icing on the cake’ when it comes to working or trialling your dog.

For those about to embark on their first season in either the beating line or picking-up team, there’s advice from Jayne Coley and Gareth Davies on how to avoid certain pitfalls and ensure you set your dog up for success. And if you have an older dog, you may feel encouraged by Charles Hartley’s article on teaching an older dog new tricks, as he sets out to remedy some ingrained problems with his clumber spaniel ahead of this new season.

Our focus breed for this issue is, in fact, the clumber spaniel, and we learn how the modern-day working clumber is a far cry from the big, slow clumbers of old. Today's clumber is a fast and agile spaniel that covers ground with pace and stamina.

We've veterinary advice on dental disease and how to prevent it, as well as some essential shoot-day aftercare to ensure your dog is comfortable and injury-free after a day in the field. We also have part two of our series looking at canine fertility, focusing this time on the bitch and how to maximise reproductive success, together with a case study of one breeder's success story using progesterone testing.

Also in this issue:

Dog of a Lifetime: Simon O Leary of Hownhall Shooting
Interview with two-time Spaniel Championship winner Aubrey Ladyman
Pointer and setter 75th anniversary field trial report
Minority breeds in action at the Game Fair
Canine mouth cancer: a case study