05/09/2026
One thing I’ll always stand by… working bred dogs need more than love alone.
So many people are drawn to gundog breeds because they’re clever, active and eager to please… but those natural instincts come with responsibility too. You can’t expect a dog bred for generations to hunt, retrieve, problem solve and work closely with humans to simply switch all of that off because they now live in a family home.
Training isn’t something you do for a few weeks and move on from. It’s part of everyday life with a working dog.
Every walk, every retrieve, every boundary and every interaction is shaping how they channel those instincts. When we don’t give them an outlet, frustration, overstimulation and unwanted behaviours often follow. Not because they’re “bad dogs”… but because they’re dogs doing exactly what they were bred to do, without guidance on where that drive belongs.
For me, good training has never been about control or perfection. It’s about harnessing natural instinct in a healthy, productive way. Giving dogs clarity, purpose and the skills to settle when needed, while still allowing them to use the parts of themselves they were born with.
A well trained gundog should still look and feel like a gundog… just one that understands how to live calmly alongside you too.
That balance matters.
