Making the Most of your Canine Companion
Lots of dogs are happy & content as members of your family but owning a dog, especially a working HPR or Spaniel gundog breed, opens doors to a whole range of actives that can enhance their lives & yours keeping you both fit & active whilst providing the mental stimulation all dogs need to make them content & calm members of your family.
Activities with your dog creates a close bond between owner & handler, provides a variety of training that can be used in other every day experiences & provides plenty of exercise to keep your dog fit & healthy. It’s also a lot of fun & can involve the whole family.
On the following pages you will find some information on a few of the activities that you can do with your dog. Some are open to all breeds & others are breed type specific.
You will also find pages that contain content specific to a working gundog in the shooting field with specific references to Game Keeping & Shoot Management.
If for any reason you do not agree with the principles of hunting & shooting in the provision of food or as a method of pest control please DO NOT read these particular pages. They contain some graphic images that you might find distasteful. All of the activities listed on these specific pages are legal & have been carried out within the confines of legislation & working practises. These pages will be indicated with a * at the beginning of the page title in the menu.
We do apologise for any offence caused but both the Weimaraner & Cocker Spaniel are Gundog breeds that have been developed specifically with hunting in mind & in the case of the Weimaraner the breed standard does state 'Hunting of paramount importance'. The working Cocker Spaniel is a breed that needs an active home where they will be given a job to keep them happy & well behaved. The show version of the breed may have a slightly calmer temperament & be more suitable as a family pet.
One of the reasons so many dogs end up in rescue is because the lovely puppy has changed from a cute little bundle to an active dog that needs stimulation which if not given they will provide themselves creating problems for all the family in the worst case scenario a lack of stimulation & training can create behavioural problems that are unacceptable so its very important that training & socialising is considered before giving one of these active breeds a home.
