We took a seven hour drive to Westruther in Scotland last week to run Sid in a 16 dog 'Any Variety Spaniel' trial. A long way to go for a run, but I’ve been champing at the bit to get going and to be honest I love working my dogs on new ground. I was drawn number 10 and with the trial beingheld on the top of a heather and bracken covered Scottish hillside in full view of the action, Sid was wound up like a coiled spring by the time we were called forward.

Disappearing dog

I slipped off my coat and made myself known to the judge, who told me: “Take him off the lead, and I’d like you to just work this bit of bracken out please.” I clicked Sid off and he charged into the bracken like he’d been fired from a rocket launcher. I double pipped him on the whistle and the normally reliable Sid continued to thrash into the bracken with no intent of a response. ‘Flippin heck’, I thought, ‘We’re introuble here.’

A second more purposeful attempt on the whistle got a response, but unfortunately not the one I wanted. In his ten second burst of enthusiasm, he had lost his bearings, so when he flicked up his head and caught sight of a human being, he quartered straight back towards them... them being the judge and handler on the beat next to us.

I blasted the stop whistle, which brought Sid to a stop - at which point he realised his mistake and came thundering back to me. I saw the judges book come out of his pocket, and assumed we were in for an early bath, but the judge just made a small scribble in his book and pointed out that things would now need to be better! Some beautiful hunting with two perfect contact flushes followed by perfect retrieves meant that we stayed in and went on to put in a great second run. We were awarded a Certificate of Merit, which meant that we came home with a smile andraring to go again. Great Job, Sydnie.

Ruffling some feathers

On the way home we received an email asking us to do a demo at the International Bird of Prey Centre in Gloucestershire. The event was a Falconry Fair and, to be honest, I was a little nervous as the audience were really there to watch Falconry stuff not some motormouth Gun dog bloke. My nerves went through the roof when we arrived to discover that the Centre is owned and run by the internationally-renowned Jemima Parry-Jones, and that she was in the arena before me.

However, the audience were lovely and my dogs were ace, we did alright and we got some really great comments. Result!

We kept one of Ruby’s puppies back and Rush is now five months and, like all young Cocker pups, a bit mad. I took her out into some white grass yesterday and encouraged her to hunt for a ball - lovely, I like! A long way to go yet, but she looks very promising.