I think all the best things in life happen by accident – and my journey into the world of gundogs was exactly that.
The Puppy Decision
Around six years ago, I was at agility training one night and made a flippant comment to a training buddy about possibly wanting a gundog as my next dog. Before I knew it, she’d reached out to another friend who had a litter of puppies on the ground, and that weekend I was driving out to see what gundogs were all about.
I promise, I had no intention of getting one, but as I drove home my brother called me and jokingly asked which one I was having… with a guilty conscience I replied “the one with the yellow collar”. And that was the beginning of a series of events I never saw coming.
Introducing the Dogs
After not intending to get another dog just yet, I was less than prepared for Hail’s arrival. I had two other dogs, my aging border collie staffy cross, Dice, and my dearly loved but equally savage schipperke, Spel. The transition to a three-dog household was more than I had expected. Managing interactions between an enthusiastic young Weimaraner and the rest of the household took practice and we definitely had a fair few run-ins along the way. It was a full three weeks before Spel and Hail could be in the same room together for fear that the five-kilogram Spel would bully the then eight-kilogram Hail… but they made their peace eventually.
Agility & Losing Interest
At the time that I got Hail, I was competing with my older dogs and judging Agility. I must admit, prior to getting Hail my passion for the sport was waning, but I’d hoped that getting a young, athletic and intelligent dog might help perk me up a bit. I’m pretty sure anyone who’s had multiple dogs will understand the very real phenomenon that occurs where your brain forgets just how difficult having puppies can be! Needless to say, the demands of this young, athletic, intelligent – and devious – new character in my life did little to reignite my enthusiasm for a sport that I was losing interest in. Just after Hail turned 18 months old, I judged my last agility competition and I decided that the sport was no longer for me.
Joining a Gundog Club
Now faced with the reality of having a high energy 18 month old Weimaraner trapped in my house with no outlet, I started to panic! Desperate to find some way to keep my house and my sanity intact, I contacted her breeder, a dear friend of mine, and asked for her advice. She mentioned that if I wanted to do a breed specific activity with her I should contact our local Gundog club, that being Canterbury Gundog Club. They were starting up some evening classes and this would be a good way to burn off some energy while working on skills that were going to turn her into a decent member of society – at that point, that was all I hoped for.
A few weeks later, we turned up to our first “Monday Night” class. It was sheer chaos! We were an odd assortment of owners and dogs, from all walks of life and with varying levels of experience. The first night was hilarious – Hail barked for a full 45 minutes, so the only ‘training’ we managed was tying her to the fence to teach her that lunatic behaviour didn’t pay.
Three years on and the vast majority of us still train together every Monday night, whatever the weather. We are now affectionately known as the “Monday Night OG’s”. The training group, under the careful eye of our inspiring and insightful mentor, has grown to three classes. This covers those at the very start of their journey right to our group, which is called the senior group, a stage none of us imagined we’d reach, thinking back to those chaotic early sessions. One thing is for certain, we all agree that Monday nights are the highlight of our week.
It wasn’t long before the bug bit us and we started looking at assessments we could do to test the skills we had been learning. This is when we started preparing for our Novice Beginner Bronze title. After many months of practice, and passing the test, it didn’t take much convincing to get us out to our first Field Trial. As spectators and helpers first, it didn’t take much encouragement for us to all enter our first Novice, and as they say, they rest is history.
Leave a comment