http://www.teachyourgundog.co.uk/

Teach Your Gundog, Haslemere (2026)

24/06/2026

Over the last 30 years as a professional dog trainer, I’ve always been surprised at how many people tentatively approach me about joining my gundog classes, worried that their dog is too old.

But I have always said that gundog training is, in many ways, just core obedience with lots of twiddly bits.

Unless you’ve done no training at all, once your dog is out of puppyhood, it’s likely that it has started to learn and understand the basic cues needed, such as recall, sit and stay, and heelwork.

Dogs are lifelong learners, and if hunting and retrieving are successfully built into their genes, it will only take a little encouragement and time to transition to breed-specific skills and mould them into a successful gundog.

Past puppyhood they are still quite malleable and capable of learning new skills.

There are lots of pros and cons to starting training with an older dog, which I’ve written about in the past. They might have some ingrained undesirable habits, and it might take extra time and patience to help them learn new responses to cues and working in the natural environment.

However, consistent, patient, and positive training methods can overcome all of this. With the right mindset and techniques, an older gundog can become just as proficient in the field as one trained from puppyhood.

If you have an older gundog and want more advice on getting started with training, head to https://www.teachyourgundog.co.uk/blogs/news/you-ve-collected-your-first-gundog-puppy-now-what

📸 Alice Loder Photography

21/06/2026

Our Foundation GAP 2 gundog training classes take place in Haslemere and are suitable for all gundog breeds who have trained with Jules before and are now working towards the Gundog Assessment Programme Level 2.

These small group classes will teach you and your gundog the foundation behaviours including:
· off lead heelwork,
· steadiness and self management,
· a reliable retrieve chain,
· mark and memory retrieves,
· left, right and back directional retrieves,
· retrieves with distractions,
· basic stop whistle,
· hunting patterns and the turn whistle,
· sweeping up for retrievers,
· and more.

You will also gain an understanding of how dogs learn, how to use a clicker and deliver reinforcement effectively, and how to engage with your dog to get them to focus on you in distracting environments.

This class is suitable for pet gundogs, working dogs, and those who are considering the Royal Kennel Club Working Gundog Certificate on Dummies or competing in working tests in the future.

If you have not trained with us before, please look for the Puppy / Beginner classes or book a 121 with Jules.

Otherwise to book head to https://www.teachyourgundog.co.uk/collections/all

📸 Alice Loder Photography

18/06/2026

Gundogs, particularly those from working lines, are known for being “busy” and having lots of energy.

If you’re a first-time gundog owner, you might be shocked at how challenging it can be to get your puppy to settle at home.

You’ve probably heard the saying “a tired dog is a good dog,” but it’s really important that we don’t overexert our gundog puppies. Stick to the 5-minute rule to ensure their joints develop properly and prevent health issues later in life.

This means you should walk or exercise your puppy for about 5 minutes per month of its age. So, if it’s six months old, you should only do about half an hour at a time. You can do two or three such sessions in a day ensuring that your puppy has plenty of time to rest and refresh in between.

If you have a particularly active puppy who is into everything at home and struggles to relax, you probably think this isn’t enough. But a longer walk isn’t the answer.

The best way to tire your gundog puppy out is to get it to use its brain, and this can be done most effectively with training.

When it comes to training, keep the session short and often. It is much better to do a few minutes of clicker training while the kettle is boiling and your tea is brewing than to try to do an hour at the end of the day.

You can do as many sessions as you want, but ensure your student is keen and willing. Puppies have short attention spans, which you want to capture. Always stop before they get bored.

If you've just brought home a gundog puppy and want more advice, head to https://www.teachyourgundog.co.uk/blogs/news/you-ve-collected-your-first-gundog-puppy-now-what

15/06/2026

Our Foundation GAP 1 gundog training classes take place in Haslemere and are suitable for all gundog breeds who have trained with Jules before and are now working towards the Gundog Assessment Programme Level 1.

These small group classes will teach you and your gundog the foundation behaviours including:
· bumbling (walking leisurely off lead),
· recall,
· on lead heelwork,
· sit cue
· steadiness and self management,
· a reliable retrieve chain,
· mark and basic memory retrieves,
· basic stop whistle,
· and more.

You will also gain an understanding of how dogs learn, how to use a clicker and deliver reinforcement effectively, and how to engage with your dog to get them to focus on you in distracting environments.

This class is suitable for pet gundogs, working dogs, and those who are considering the Royal Kennel Club Working Gundog Certificate on Dummies or competing in working tests in the future.

If you have not trained with us before, please look for the Puppy / Beginner classes or book a 121 with Jules.

Otherwise to book head to https://www.teachyourgundog.co.uk/collections/all

📸 Alice Loder Photography

12/06/2026

Before we look at what you need to teach your gundog puppy, let’s briefly explore the jobs they have been bred for.

Retrievers are bred to be steady next to their handler while game is shot. They are then sent to pick the game and bring it back quickly and cleanly so that it can be prepared and cooked for the table.

Spaniels are bred to hunt for birds in cover before flushing them for the Gun to shoot. If a retriever isn’t present, they will also be required to pick the birds and bring them back.

Hunting Pointing Retrievers (HPRs) are bred to hunt on extensive open grounds like moorlands and will point at the birds to show the Gun its location. The Gun can then move closer before the HPR flushes the bird for the Gun to shoot. If needed, they will retrieve the bird and deliver it to hand.

Now that we know what gundogs are bred to do, we can examine the basic behaviours they’ll need to work successfully in the field and be fulfilled and happy pets.

Bumbling: From an early age we can teach our dogs the difference between working, hunting and training and going for a leisurely off lead walk (aka going for a bumble).

Come/Recall: Teaching your gundog to return promptly when called is a vital cue for everyone’s safety.

Heel: No one wants a dog that drags them about on the daily walk.

Sit/Stay: Fundamental for steadiness and control. This builds on to our stop whistle cue later.

Retrieve: We harness the natural retrieving instincts by teaching them to fetch and return items gently and efficiently.

Hunting: We can also teach our hunting dogs to put their noses down and follow scent on cue while staying close to us.

There is no correct order of what to teach first when teaching the basics. However, if you really want to prioritise and only teach them one thing, make sure it is a reliable recall!

You must work on all of these behaviours with your puppy. Provided that you start with easy criteria and build behaviours up gradually, you should make good progress across the board simultaneously.

If you've just brought home a gundog puppy and want more advice, head to https://www.teachyourgundog.co.uk/blogs/news/you-ve-collected-your-first-gundog-puppy-now-what

09/06/2026

Our Puppy / Beginner gundog training classes take place in Haslemere on the Surrey, West Sussex, Hampshire border.

Suitable for all gundog breeds, puppies and older beginners, no previous experience is required to join these classes.

These small group classes for those new to gundog training will teach your gundog the foundation behaviours including heel location, games to develop a rocket recall, a reliable retrieve chain, hunting patterns, self management and much more.

You will also learn about your dog's personality, how to use a clicker and deliver reinforcement effectively, and how to engage with your puppy to get them to focus on you.

This class is suitable for pet gundogs, and those who would like to work their dogs or are looking to compete in working tests in the future.

A 10% discount is automatically applied at checkout when you book a block of 3 classes.

For booking and more information head to https://www.teachyourgundog.co.uk/products/puppy-beginner-gundog-classes

📸 Alice Loder Photography

06/06/2026

Traditionally, it was thought that gundog training should begin when the dog had mentally matured and was around 6 to 8 months old.

Some trainers also advocate waiting until the dog’s adult teeth have come through, as painful gums can prevent dogs from wanting to pick, carry, and hold the retrieve articles.

Waiting is, however, rarely beneficial. It is too easy to overlook the all-important early learning events when you tell yourself you will not start gundog training until the dog is six months old.

Owners miss out on thousands of opportunities to reward their puppies for their natural behaviours and don’t contemplate how their daily interactions with their puppies are beginning to mould their minds in the early months.

When your labrador puppy picks up a shoe for the first time, you want to praise them and encourage them into you, not sn**ch the shoe from their mouth.

When your vizsla puppy points on something in the hedge, investigate with them, don’t pull them away on the lead.

When your spaniel puppy starts hunting on a scent near your feet, sneak something out for them to find something right by you, don’t keep walking and expect them to follow you.

This means that gundog training needs to start when you bring your retriever, spaniel or HPR puppy home at eight weeks old.

The early stages of training should concentrate on building a solid bond between you, the handler, and your puppy, fostering trust and understanding.

Once you have nailed this, you can start to look at the basic gundog cues you will need to turn your puppy into a well-rounded pet gundog that’s also ready for beating, picking up, sitting on the peg, working tests, or whatever your goals are.

If you've just brought home a gundog puppy and want more advice on how soon you can start training, what foundation skills you should teach your gundog puppy first, and how much training you should do with your youngster, head to https://www.teachyourgundog.co.uk/blogs/news/you-ve-collected-your-first-gundog-puppy-now-what

03/06/2026

If you’ve been thinking about working towards The Royal Kennel Club Working Gundog Certificate on dummies, following the success of our first WGC course, we have a new block of 6 sessions starting on 18th July 2026.

Together with Lead & Listen we will be running the series of group training sessions at Oakhurst Farm, near Loxwood in West Sussex.

Both Silke and I have successfully passed this assessment with our own dogs and we also have a great deal of experience in running the assessments both on dummies and on live game.

In the first week, we will go through all the skills and behaviours required and establish your baselines from which we will help you to prepare your own personal training plans for the course.

Over the following sessions, we will be looking at hunting, retrieving, steadiness, water, shot, obstacles, heel work, social walking, delivery and much more.

At the end of the course, there will be a ‘dress rehearsal’ to run through the whole assessment and determine if you and your dog are ready to take the assessment, which will be organised for mid-October.

Those looking to take part in the sessions should ensure that their dog:
∙ has a basic retrieve (we will work on steadiness and delivery to hand during the course)
∙ has a reliable recall and basic stop
∙ is comfortable around other dogs off lead
∙ can swim and jump a small ditch or low obstacle
∙ has been introduced to the sound of shot and is not gun shy

You do not need to have a Royal Kennel Club-registered pure-bred dog to take part in the classes, but if you do not, you will need to register your dog with the RKC Activities Register before you can take the assessment.

Sessions can be booked individually, or you can book the entire block for a reduced rate.

For more information and to book your place, head to: https://www.teachyourgundog.co.uk/products/working-gundog-certificate-classes

📸 Alice Loder Photography

31/05/2026

Now we're well into Spring, it seems like every man, woman and their dog is bringing home a new gundog puppy right now.

And if you’re one of them, you might be itching to start your basic training.

For first-time gundog owners, you might be overwhelmed by everything you need to teach your little one.

For those more experienced, you might be cautiously planning how to avoid making the same mistakes with your new recruit that you made with your first or previous dogs.

Either way, if you’ve recently collected your gundog puppy you might be wondering when you can get your teeth stuck into the “real” gundog stuff alongside the toilet training and early socialisation.

In this blog, I’ll discuss how soon you can start training, what foundation skills you should teach your gundog puppy first, and how much training you should do with your youngster.

Finally, I will also explore what you can do if your gundog is no longer a puppy but you want to get started with gundog training.

To read in full head to: https://www.teachyourgundog.co.uk/blogs/news/you-ve-collected-your-first-gundog-puppy-now-what

28/05/2026

Here's what's coming up at Teach Your Gundog in June and July...

Puppy / Beginner Gundog
Saturdays 9:30am to 10:15am, Haslemere
• 13 June
• 20 June
• 11 July

Foundation GAP 1
Saturdays 10:30am to 11:30am, Haslemere
• 13 June
• 20 June
• 11 July

Foundation GAP 2
Saturdays 11:45am to 1pm, Haslemere
• 13 June
• 20 June
• 11 July

Foundation GAP 2
Wednesdays 10am to 11:15am, Haslemere
• 10 June
• 24 June
• 1 July

Progressive GAP 3/4
Wednesdays 11:45am to 1pm, Haslemere
• 10 June
• 24 June
• 1 July

Monthly Progressive GAP 3/4
Fridays 10am to 12pm, Loxwood
• 12 June
• 3 July

Royal Kennel Club Working Gundog Certificate
9:30am to 12pm, Loxwood
• Saturday 18th July
• Sunday 26th July

Can't make any of the dates? Or want to focus on something specific? You can also book one to one sessions with Jules.

If you have not done any gundog training before - whether you have a puppy or young dog, or an older dog that has done basic training but nothing gundog specific - you will need to start with our Puppy / Beginner group classes.

For booking and more information head to https://www.teachyourgundog.co.uk/collections/all

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