Helen Phillips Clicker Gundog

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Helen Phillips Clicker Gundog

Helen Phillips is the author of the popular gundog training book "CLICKER GUNDOG".

Gundogs have inherited specialised skills that have been honed over hundreds of generations. Helen Phillips has been taking this natural skill, enhancing it and using it to enrich a working partnership that is a joy to experience. Good field work is built on an understanding of the dog's ability to maintain self control and the handler's ability to understand this and the environment. With Clicker

Training your gundog you can learn how to develop a partnership using positive training in depth. Learn how to use careful planning so that you build a high level of control that exceeds the stimuli of the hunt and shoot. Clicker Gundog has developed a range of workshops and seminars to help teach these skills to both the handler and the dog. The seminars and workshops are held at a training facility that has been developed especially for the purpose and incorporates a working shoot so that both dogs and handlers new to the sport can experience what a shoot is all about, and those with experience can then practice their skill in the working environment.

18/07/2025

Teaching the back behaviour is identical to the left and right directions. However, you will not just want to teach your gundog to go back - you will also want to teach them to turn on either their left or right shoulder, depending on the arm you are sending them on.

The reasons for this are that there may be a distraction drawing your dog away from the line, or the wind may be favourable to one side, and turning your dog in this direction would help them find success.

It could also be that the terrain is more difficult to one side, and so being able to turn them away from it would give them a better chance.

Only some people will choose to do this, and your gundog could still successfully learn to go backwards, so it is up to you.

To do this, you will want to set up your place board and then put out your marker post behind the board but slightly to the right of it at 2 m. You will then sit your dog on the board and stand about 2m in front of them, but in line with the back marker post, slightly to the right of the place board.

Raise your right arm above your head, lower to your shoulder and then drive up and forward, palm forward, and cue your target behaviour. As your dog touches the post, click, and pay back on the board. Remember to do the same on the other side and send with your left arm.

Begin moving the marker post target so that it is closer toward 12 o’clock, directly behind the place board, while keeping yourself slightly out to whichever side you are sending your dog back. You can then begin to move your position to 6 o’clock so you are directly in front of your dog.

Once you reach this stage, like with the left and right directions, you can add your “get it” bowls, build distance and add in your dummy.

The final step is to put your direction cue on the behaviour. We typically use ‘back’ or ‘go back’ but this is up to you. The verbal cue can be the same for both turns away, as it’s the body language that distinguishes them.

To learn more about teaching your gundog to go left, right and back, head to: https://clickergundog.co.uk/blogs/news/handling-your-gundog-and-casting-them-left-right-and-back

16/07/2025

Our Hunting Skills camp, taking place from Monday 8th to Friday 12th September, is suitable for all breeds of gundog who are wanting to advance their hunting skills.

This full week of gundog training is a chance to make incredible progress with your dog's hunting - whether you want to improve your HPR's quartering, are looking to get a better connection with your spaniel once they put their nose down, or need to teach your retriever to hold an area.

Training will be tailored to those on the camp, but topics typically include hunting patterns, quartering, sweeping up, walked up training, marks, memories and blinds, water work, steadiness, building connection and better communication.

These weeks aren’t just about the training either. They’re unforgettable experiences, a chance to connect with your dog, and an opportunity to meet and socialise with like-minded handlers who truly get it.

As well as being close to plenty of dog friendly accommodation options to suit all budgets, you can book on-site hardstanding camping facilities with and without electric from £25 per night including access to toilets, shower and kitchen facilities via Kemble's Field.

Individual days can be booked, but to make the most from the training, we recommend attending all days.

We only run each camp once a year and spaces are limited, so when they’re gone, they’re gone.

To book a space on the 2025 hunting skills camp head to: https://clickergundog.co.uk/products/hunting-skills-camp

14/07/2025

The left and right directional casts are known as modifier cues and are often best taught together so that your dog can begin to discriminate the opposite cues right from the beginning.

If you are still working on your hand delivery and steadiness, you will want to consider using your place board and sending your dog to a marker post so that you don’t contaminate your retrieve chain.

Step one:
Sit your dog on a placeboard facing you, with a marker post out to one side, about 2 metres away.

Step two:
Raise your arm to your shoulder and out to the side of the marker post, palm forward, and cue your target behaviour. As your dog touches the post, click and pay back on the board. Repeat three times.

Step three:
Switch sides by placing your target post on the other side of your dog so that your dog is sent with your other arm. Repeat three times.

Step four:
Repeat this stage until your dog is going out to the target with commitment. At this stage, you can add a food bowl at the base of the marker post and use a “get it” cue to send your dog left or right.

Step five:
Build distance on each side until you have reached the distance of 20m. Increase your distance from your dog until you are directing them from 3-5m away.

Step six:
You will now need a helper. Using the effect of ‘behaviour momentum’, do two repetitions sending your dog to a food bowl and then for the third put down a white or clearly visible dummy.

Step seven:
Fade out the placeboard and begin to add in your verbal direction cue such as ‘out’ (right), ‘away’ (left), ‘back’ (back). Remember the formula for introducing a new cue is “new cue, old cue”. So, your arm goes out, and you say your new cue followed by your old cue (“get it”). Then, once you have fluency, you can fade out your “get it” cue.

Step eight:
The final stage is to have both dummies (or food bowls if your delivery is not there yet) out at the same time.

To learn more about teaching your gundog to go left, right and back, head to: https://clickergundog.co.uk/blogs/news/handling-your-gundog-and-casting-them-left-right-and-back

📸 Alice Loder Photography

12/07/2025

Your puppy's early months are crucial for setting the foundation for a calm, well-mannered pet gundog, and future working or competition dog if that’s your long term goal.

Our Puppy Gundog Classes are designed to help you:
✅ Build a strong bond with your pup.
✅ Manage their natural hunting, chasing and retrieving instincts in a positive, force-free way.
✅ Teach essential skills like recall, how to focus on you when you're in exciting places, lead manners and heelwork, plus self-control and how to settle.

Open to all breeds of gundog, plus any crossbreeds or other breeds that have a desire for retrieving and hunting, our Puppy Gundog classes cover all the behaviours you need to have a happy, fulfilled pet gundog and an excellent foundation to progress further should you want to continue the hobby, enter working tests or work your dog on a shoot.

Don’t wait until bad habits form - start training early and give your pup the best start.

For booking and more information, head to: https://clickergundog.co.uk/products/puppy-gundog-monthly

10/07/2025

Before we look at teaching our gundogs how to go left, right and back, it’s important to consider the cues we use for the different types of retrieves, including marks, memories, and blinds.

Memory mark - Line up and verbal cue
Memories are a stepping stone to blind retrieves. The dog will have seen the dummy fall or be placed out, but there is usually a delay and/or change in location, so the dog has to work with you as a team and pay attention to where you are sending them.

The handler will line the dog up to indicate the direction of the retrieve and send them on their verbal retrieve cue.

Blind retrieve - Line up and verbal ‘blind’ cue
This type of retrieve is a full-on team effort between you and your dog, as your dog will not have seen the area of fall, and you might only have a rough idea.

The key with blind retrieves is to take your time and try to make it as error-free as possible. A confident outrun following a good, strong straight line will save you lots of handling later.

While you will still use your arm to line the dog up, many handlers choose to use a different verbal cue for this retrieve to tell the dog to run out with purpose and keep going until they either find the article or are stopped and cued to hunt.

Directional retrieve - Visual and verbal cue
We need to remember that directional retrieves are effectively an error-correction cue when we try to get our gundogs back on track when they’re struggling to find the area of fall.

Up to this point in your training, it is likely that your gundog has only been sent for a retrieve, be it a mark, memory or blind, from your side. In this scenario however, the dog will be facing you.

To learn how to teach your gundog to go left, right and back, head to: https://clickergundog.co.uk/blogs/news/handling-your-gundog-and-casting-them-left-right-and-back

📸 Alice Loder Photography

08/07/2025

Love training with Clicker Gundog?
You can now leave reviews directly on the website.

We've added a new feature on the website which will allow you to add reviews to individual courses, classes and workshops or Clicker Gundog in general.

Whether you’ve joined a class, workshop, or 121 session, we’d love to hear how you and your gundog found it.

Your feedback doesn’t just make our day, it also helps other gundog owners find ethical, force-free, supportive gundog training that truly makes a difference.

If something has clicked for you lately, or you’ve seen a breakthrough with your gundog, or if you simply love coming to training, please consider leaving a short review.

It only takes a few minutes, but it means the world to us.

To leave us a review* head to: https://clickergundog.co.uk/pages/reviews

*If you'd like to review a specific class, head to the individual page and scroll to the bottom to find the review feature.

06/07/2025

Before we look at teaching our gundogs how to go left, right and back, it’s important to consider the cues we use for the different types of retrieves, including marks, memories, and blinds.

Marked retrieve - Verbal cue only
These bread and butter retrieves, when your dog has seen the dummy fall, typically require no assistance from the handler and are something you’ll practise and work on no matter what stage your dog is at.

The dog should be sent promptly, to ensure they don’t take their eyes off the area, so they should be able to find and pick quickly and efficiently. For these retrieves, the dog is sent on a verbal cue only and is left to complete the task themself.

If the dog struggles to find the dummy and leaves the area or gives up and goes off task, it may need to be stopped and handled. This is not a good example of a marked retrieve and depending on how sensitive your dog is, it is better for your training to recall them and start again.

Marked retrieve - Introducing the body language cue
When your dog is used to marked retrieves, before you move on to teach memories and blinds, it can be useful to add in your body language cue.

Often called lining up, the body language cue you will want to introduce is a motionless arm pointing towards the area of fall. This is usually temporary and is just to help bridge the gap and ensure your dog understands what you’re asking later down the line in training when we introduce memories and blinds and go from verbal-only retrieve cues to body language and verbal cues.

Your feet and entire body should face forward as you bend slightly. Your arm should point straight forward from your shoulder so that it is lining up parallel to the dog. It is a common error to try to line your arm up alongside the dog’s head, but I find that this pushes the dog off to the side, causing it to run out in an arc.

Follow for part two, or to read the whole article head to: https://clickergundog.co.uk/blogs/news/handling-your-gundog-and-casting-them-left-right-and-back

02/07/2025

Directional retrieves (casting your gundog left, right, and back) are mainly required when a dog is struggling to reach the correct area of the fall.

This is either because they have taken the wrong line, have overshot or fallen short of the area of fall, or have got disoriented. It is most likely going to be required on blind retrieves, but it can be needed on memories too if you’re sending your dog a long time after they marked the area.

You really shouldn’t need to use them on marks. A dog’s focus should remain locked on an area when doing a marked retrieve. They should run straight there, pick and return. Handling on marks can erode your dog’s natural ability as they become overly reliant on you always finding the dummy or birds for them.

On a blind retrieve, our dogs should follow our arm and run in a straight line to the area. But our dogs are not robots, so this does not happen 100% of the time.

Handlers are not always accurate when it comes to lining out their dog and novices can also struggle to take external factors, such as the wind direction and natural undulations and terrain challenges, into account.

Now, we could wait for our dog to find the article eventually. Keen retrievers will gladly keep running and hunting until they have found the article, but others will lose interest and go off task.

In a shooting scenario, too, we don’t want dogs running over and taking in too much ground, as they will potentially disturb the game. Also, if we send them to a specific area because we have seen a runner, we don’t want them going off-piste, coming across a different bird, and losing the one that needs to be fetched quickly to ensure a humane dispatch.

As such, we need to be able to stop our gundogs mid-retrieve and handle them back to the correct area using left, right and back directional casts.

To learn how to teach your gundog to go left, right and back, head to: https://clickergundog.co.uk/blogs/news/handling-your-gundog-and-casting-them-left-right-and-back

30/06/2025

Here’s what’s coming up at the Clicker Gundog Training Centre in Charlton, Worcestershire:

📅 July
· HPR Training: Sunday 6th July at 9am
· Retriever Skills (all breeds): Sunday 6th July at 1pm
· Retriever Skills Camp (all breeds): Monday 7th July to Friday 11th July
· Puppy Gundog: Sunday 13th July at 9am
· Beginner & Pet Gundog: Sunday 13th July at 1pm
· Graduate Foundation: Sunday 20th July at 9am
· Hunting Retriever Group: Sunday 20th July at 1pm
· Beginner Gundog Water Training Camp: Monday 28th July - Friday 1st August

📅 August
· HPR Training: Sunday 3rd August at 9am
· Retriever Skills (all breeds): Sunday 3rd August at 1pm
· Progressive Gundog Evening Classes: Monday 4th August at 6pm
· Stop to Flush Part Two: Saturday 9th August at 9am
· Going for a Bumble Camp: Thursday 14th to Saturday 16th August
· Puppy Gundog: Sunday 17th August at 9am
· Beginner & Pet Gundog: Sunday 17th August at 1pm
· Hunting and Stop Whistle Workshop pt3: Saturday 23rd August at 9am
· Foundation Water Workshop pt3: Saturday 23rd August at 1pm
· Graduate Foundation: Sunday 24th August at 9am
· Hunting Retriever Group: Sunday 24th August at 1pm
· A Weekend of Gundog Skills: 30th & 31st August

📅 September
· HPR Training: Sunday 7th September at 9am
· Retriever Skills (all breeds): Sunday 7th September at 1pm
· Hunting Skills Camp (all breeds): Monday 8th September to Friday 12th September
· Puppy Gundog: Sunday 14th September at 9am
· Beginner & Pet Gundog: Sunday 14th September at 1pm
· Graduate Foundation: Sunday 21st September at 9am
· Hunting Retriever Group: Sunday 21st September at 1pm

Can't make any of the dates? Or want to focus on something specific? You can also book one to one sessions with Helen and Lynsey on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, occasional Thursdays and Fridays.

For booking and more information, visit https://clickergundog.co.uk/collections/all

28/06/2025

There’s something truly special about watching a gundog respond to directional casts with accuracy and confidence, and many consider being able to fluently handle a distance something that sets a truly well-trained gundog apart from the rest.

Not only do we need the dog to stop promptly on the whistle (even if they are mid-retrieve or engrossed in hunting) we also need them to respond to our cue to take a line left, right or back without hesitation, possibly interrupting and redirecting them several times again, all to end up in the exact spot they need to be.

When it all comes together, it’s a clear sign of a well-established partnership with their handler.

It’s one of those skills that often makes people stop and take notice, and for good reason.

Being able to guide your dog across distance, through cover or over challenging ground, and towards a dummy, or bird, they haven’t seen fall isn’t just impressive to watch, it’s also vital if you’re out in the shooting field and need to ensure all shot game ends up in the bag at the end of the day.

We have put together a blog to explore why we need to teach directional cues, the other cues we use when retrieving, how to teach left and right and finally, some other considerations when training them to go back.

To read in full head to: https://clickergundog.co.uk/blogs/news/handling-your-gundog-and-casting-them-left-right-and-back

26/06/2025

Open to all breeds this supportive and immersive experience is designed for all gundog breeds (yes, spaniels and HPRs are also welcome) looking to level up their retrieving skills.

If you’ve already introduced a basic stop whistle, have started working on directional casts with your gundog, and are ready to build more confidence and precision in these key retriever skills, we’d love to welcome you to our week-long Retriever Skills Training Camp.

Held at our dedicated training grounds in Worcestershire, over the course of five days, we’ll focus on refining your handling skills, improving your gundog’s confidence with left, right and back cues, and building reliable stop whistle responses in real-world settings.

We will also look at progressing marks, memories and blinds, holding an area, the hunt there whistle and sweeping, water work, arousal management, and building connection. Starter pistols, dummy launchers, and bolting rabbits will be introduced during the week.

Monday 7th July - 9.30am to 4pm
Tuesday 8th July - 10am to 4pm
Wednesday 9th July - 10am to 1pm (half day)
Thursday 10th July - 10am to 4pm* (followed by pub supper)
Friday 11th July - 10am to 1pm (half day)
Individual days can be booked if you can't attend all week.

Whether you’re enriching your pet gundog’s life, furthering your hobby, preparing for the shoot season, or working towards working tests, this camp offers a unique opportunity to progress in a positive, pressure-free environment.

These weeks aren’t just about the training either. They’re unforgettable experiences, a chance to connect with your dog, and an opportunity to meet and socialise with like-minded handlers who truly get it.

Need to camp? You can book on-site hardstanding camping facilities with and without electric from £25 per night including access to toilets, shower and kitchen facilities via Kemble's Field.

To book a place on the retriever skills camp head to: https://clickergundog.co.uk/products/retriever-skills-camp

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