A Beattie - Gundog Training

25/03/2025

Bring your dog to the Scottish Game Fair for a day out. Dogs don't need tickets but their humans do. Apply now and you'll get 20% off the gate price. Tickets here https://bit.ly/4aJPAxs

23/03/2025

20/03/2025

All clean and fluffy again

20/03/2025

Less training - more experiencing for Ghillie this morning

17/03/2025

Little Bruno, retrieving his heart out this morning.
Just starting out in retrieves with some basics and foundations, He has a good attitude and will be very capable of some impressive work soon enough.

14/03/2025

Taking it easy with low impact training today gave us the opportunity to work on some fun control drills supporting heel walking, steadiness, denial, + casting& lining-out.

12/03/2025

Access denied .. "if you ain't steady - you ain't ready"

09/03/2025

The ESS - Born to have fun.
Amber quite enjoys working 😃

05/03/2025

Big shout out to my newest top fans! 💎 Nicola Jackson, Sarah Louise, Billy Carroll, Anne Spears, Gordon Simpson

03/03/2025

On this day last year we collected the very tiny Ghillie-Gillespie and he came to join us.
He's one in a million.

02/03/2025

The "bolting rabbit" is designed to simulate the sudden, rapid movement of a rabbit, providing a fun and fairly useful training tool for our gundogs.

* Steadiness:
The primary goal is to teach the dog to remain steady and controlled, even when faced with a high-distraction, fast-moving target.

* Control and Obedience:
Reinforcing commands like "stay," "sit," and "heel" in the presence of the bolting rabbit.

* Retrieving:
Once steadiness is established, the rabbit can be used to practice controlled retrieves.

* Distraction Training:
Helps the dog learn to focus on the handlers commands, despite exciting distractions behind them in front of them or dartingbout of the hedges.

* Initial Steadiness Training:
Introduce the equipment in a controlled environment.

* Position and Distraction:
Place the dog in the position that you require
Have an assistant (or use a remote system/trip wire) activate the bolting rabbit.
Focus on maintaining the dog's position command, rewarding them for remaining still.
Chance the location & Gradually increase the distance and speed of the bolting rabbit.

* "Sit to Flush":
This exercise trains the dog to sit when the rabbit bolts.
The bolting rabbit is released, and the handler gives the sit command.
This is designed to stop the dog from chasing.

* Controlled Retrieves:
Marked Retrieves - Once the dog is steady, use the bolting rabbit to simulate a 'running retrieve' as opposed to retrieves always being placed or thrown through the air.
After the dummy stops, send the dog to retrieve it with a controlled return.

* Distraction Retrieves:
Introduce distractions while the dog is retrieving, such as other dummies or sounds... Or let the rabbit be the distraction, crossing his path as your dog retrieves his usual dummies.. outgoings to pick up and incoming to present it to you.
This helps to reinforce focus on the task and prevent the dog from being distracted during a retrieve.

* Advanced Training:
Combining with Shot:
Introduce the sound of a starter pistol or blank shot in conjunction with the bolting rabbit.
This simulates the sound of a gunshot during a hunt and helps the dog to remain steady.