H&C

3
Sep
2010

No Comments

Frenzied times, pride and happiness

Kizzy represnts the best of UK gundog breeding and ability

"What a brilliant week! We are flat out crazy busy here, the world and his wife are dusting off their shotguns, and the frenzy for warm up shooting lessons is on, big time. Both myself and the team of first class shooting instructors will be kept busy now for at least the next three months.

Credit crunch

The economic recession has an obvious effect on people’s approach to life and of course their general demeanour. A new shooting season seems to have a fantastic feelgood effect on people; you get to meet all those people that you only meet on shoot dates, new guns, clothing, accessories, four by fours and - for the lucky ones - a first time outing with a young dog. We said it before but there are so many excellent reasons to want be part of this amazing countryside pursuit.

Training with David Rainer

Not only do you get to see old friends, but being involved means you are constantly meeting new people. I was fortunate enough to attend a gundog training day this week, run by a fantastic shot and gundog trainer called David Rainer. David puts together an informal but purposeful day for a range of handlers, from people who are thinking about running their dogs in the shooting field or field trials for the first time to highly experienced gundog handlers who have trained and ‘made up’ Field Trial Champions. For those of you that are not sure about this terminology, you might see FTCH on a working gundog's pedigree. This is an abbreviation for Field Trial Champion). A dog and handler that achieve this accolade are the gundog world's equivalent to an Olympic athlete. Gods and Goddesses to us mere mortals. These training days are brilliant fun and highly educational. Handlers take it in turn to run their dogs with David overseeing the whole process. David’s gundog knowledge and experience is second to none and the tips and advice that he offers make this training opportunity one not to be missed.

Proud British traditions

My life is spent rubbing shoulders with people whose spiritual existence and happiness hinges around the fantastic shooting industry that exists in this country, and the gundogs are an essential part of that industry. As a nation we are great at many things; football, cricket, rugby, motor racing... Hmmm...! Guess what? As a direct result of this fantastic countryside that we live and work in, the UK has the best gundog breed lines and gundog trainers in the world. People come from all over the world to be a part of it and pay for the privilege. Tell your friends, be proud, and introduce them to this fantastic environment. If the Olympics accommodated our sport, the UK medal total would swell, and we would sweep the board. I feel good now, so should you; gundogs, they're amazing, be proud!