De Jachthondenclub

24/09/2026

23/09/2026

Pet gundog owners not interested in field sports often question if gundog training is right for them and their dog.

The short answer is: if you have a gundog breed then yes, gundog training is right for you.

There is no shame in owning a gundog breed and having absolutely no desire or intention to work them on a shoot.

But there is a growing danger that more and more ‘working line’ dogs are missing out on vital opportunities to do what they were bred to do as they end up in pet homes with owners who don’t realise the importance of gundog training, even for non-working dogs.

Owners who are uninitiated to a gundog’s way of thinking and naive to their hunting prowess typically struggle to teach reliable recall and loose lead walking, or heelwork, in the presence of distractions such as wildlife and scent.

We all remember the desperate cries of Fenton’s owner as his Labrador failed to recall, choosing to chase deer through Richmond Park instead.

But on top of that, with no outlet for their innate desires to hunt, chase, and retrieve, pet gundogs are more susceptible to developing lasting and damaging behavioural problems.

Sadly, we have seen it all: resource guarding (e.g. growling when you go near their food or favourite toy), constant frustration barking, obsessive shadow or tail chasing, destructive chewing, stealing from worktops (including foods that are poisonous to dogs) and general over-arousal and over-excitement.

Even those pet gundogs participating in other activities such as scentwork, canicross, agility, and hoopers can still present owners with challenges.

While training activities engage their brains and ensure they get plenty of exercise, they still do not allow them to express their natural behaviours.

Scentwork is a passive indication, whereas hunting is active. Agility, hoopers and canicross may be physically active, but running through and over obstacles is not what these dogs were primarily bred to do, and so they can still lead to frustration-induced behavioural problems.

The best gundogs thrive, and make excellent pets, when owners combine these dog sports with gundog work and when their in-built genetic “gundog” needs are being met.

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6 maanden nu en al een echte waterrat. Het waterwild is erg interessant voor 'm 😀

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How exactly do dogs see and how does their vision influence gundog training?

“When training a gundog, visibility & contrast is everything. The type and colour of your gundog dummy can dramatically impact how well your dog can spot it during retrieves, especially at distance or in different terrains……..”

We have a new blog on the website on canine sight and colour perception and how this knowledge can help refine your training sessions.

Head over to our website to read in full