Sirenbirch Gundogs

31/08/2024

A lovely day’s training in the beet. We put this strong group of handlers through their paces, using parts of the ground in a different way to add that element of unpredictability. We did our best to replicate field trial conditions to test these capable dogs, to good effect.

A sedate walk up soon turned into a marking marathon as “birds” were shot in all directions. Sometimes it was found that a bird had run, requiring the handler to hunt & hold an area(empty), then to move their dog to a new place. The dogs made an excellent job of this exercise, with some exemplary work.

Blinds placed in a nearby wood had to be picked, whilst ignoring marks out on the stubble. Again, some great work here! The walk up continued out of the beet & onto the stubble, with dogs then being sent back into the beet to pick the launcher marks.

Another interesting exercise was to send alternate dogs to pick blinds on the corner of a distant wood, & others to a pole. Dogs were then sent back to hunt the area around the pole, which was now empty. A call of “runner” then required the handler to rapidly pull their dog off the pole, & push them back to the woods.

We rounded off the session with really long marks disappearing into the wood. A truly challenging morning, with all the dogs rising brilliantly to the challenges that had been set them.

The afternoon walk up proceeded at a rapid pace, with handlers once again having to remember two & three simultaneous marks…not easy. All the dogs were then asked to pick a blind in the tree belt, with the lure of the bang box, & all made a great job of it. However…a little further on, handlers were then required to send their dogs through the tree line, to rather pick blinds 30-40yards out on the stubble. A tough ask, as they tended to pull to the previous fall area. A couple did exceptional work, eliciting a round of applause from the group!

Several launcher marks were efficiently picked out the back, with a fresh wind providing good scenting. A couple of youngsters showed us that their marking skills were improving, always nice to see. Another scenario involving a bird which had moved rounded off a great day. Some truly memorable dog work, a pleasure to have been part of it.

Excellent preparation for the imminent trialling season, well done to all!👏

25/08/2024

A day of very strong gusty winds created challenging scenting conditions for the dogs in today’s group. Using a whole new section of the field led to a good variation of retrieves. Several of the dogs faltered in picking a blind from the edge of the tree belt, all of them dashing deep into the woods instead to pick a “wrong bird” from a second fall area located around the corner. A technically difficult retrieve which required precise control by the handler. One or two made it look easy, to a round of applause from the others.

We continued the walk up, taking marks off the launchers. The line then moved out of the beet, on to the stubble, for some static work. Dogs were sent alternately to pick either a blind from the corner of a wood, or from an adjacent pole out on the stubble. The open dogs were then further tested by having them hunt & hold the now empty area by the pole, then move them across to pick at the woods instead, as the “bird” had run. Some excellent work seen here by this experienced group of handlers.

After lunch we drove to the other end of the beet, to do seen retrieves over a jump, followed by picking blinds along the same line, but way out on to a stubble field. Dogs had to take a straight line, as there was only a narrow window of visibility in which to keep one’s dog in sight. Some handlers found it unexpectedly tricky, others impressed with their dog’s skills & level of training.

More long launcher marks rounded off a successful day, interspersed with blinds & hand thrown dummies. Three young dogs who had struggled earlier to gauge the depth of the fall, all improved visibly by the afternoon, much to their handlers’ delight! Lovely way to end a good day’s work.

17/08/2024

We put a good group of handlers through their paces on a fresh piece of ground in today’s sugar beet training session. Very tall beet, densely packed together, made for challenging conditions for all the dogs.

Although the day started cool, it quickly warmed up. Fortunately a small stream nearby ensured that the dogs could be wet down as required. We started with a mini drive in the rough, alongside the beet. Dogs were then sent to pick either from the drive, or from a blind set up in the neighbouring stubble field. A tight angle between the two positions meant some skilful handling needed by the handlers, in order to pick the right bird!

We then stretched some of the more experienced dogs further by pushing them on another 30yards on to a second blind, then added another element of difficulty by stopping them & pushing them sideways instead, to pick over a ditch on the plough. Some memorable dog work indeed!

Walk up through the impenetrable beet then proceeded, with the group taking launcher marks front & back, interspersed by hand thrown dummies & blinds. A ball dropper above a deep ditch had some dogs rushing through to the field beyond, when they failed to hold the search area.

One particular mark saw no less than four dogs try & fail to find it, despite their very best hunting efforts. The next dog to be tried then pulled off a spectacular eye-wipe by picking quickly & easily, much to the handler’s delight!

After lunch we walked up across the other side of the field, doing launcher marks, and picking blinds from a muddy reed filled ditch along the field margin. All the dogs were then tried on a tricky mark which landed in water, out of sight over a high bank. Long anxious moments ticked by while the handlers simply had to trust their dogs to hunt in the right area, but they all eventually reappeared triumphantly holding the dummy! Good to see even the less experienced dogs achieving success.

A couple of very young pups were brought out towards the end to “ have a go”, & both accurately picked their very first launcher marks, to a round of applause. Nice way to end a varied & challenging day.

08/08/2024

A group of vastly mixed abilities saw some interesting dog work in the beet today. Some very young dogs showed us that they were keen as mustard, & tried so very hard to find their marks in the dense sea of identical green leaves! They really gave their all, so we gently stretched them to produce some startling results as the day wore on. The broad smile on one handler’s face told the story…his youngster surpassed all expectations & had us all cheering our encouragement.

Before the walk up commenced, we ran the dogs through a trio of static retrieves, involving a blind in the beet, a long diagonal mark out of the beet, over a track & into a stubble field, & a blind in the corner of a wood. Three different terrains, all presenting their own challenges. The long mark in the stubble proved a big ask for most dogs, although a couple of experienced open dogs made it look easy!

We then proceeded with the usual walked up format, sending the youngsters back for some short memories in the beet. All the dogs made a good job of picking a series of launcher marks, interspersed with blinds of varying lengths. We then tested the open dogs by having them leave the beet, run through a tree belt & pick hidden blinds out on a stubble field, out of sight of the handlers. All managed to pick, but substantial handling was sometimes required.

After lunch we showed the puppies how to negotiate a log jump, then sent them all back for a mark over the jump, all picking nicely. For the open dogs we required them to run through the fall area, go over a second jump, then cross the grassy head-land & pick blinds out on the stubble. We progressively lengthened this scenario until these talented dogs were being sent from ridiculously far out! Their handlers only had a small window in which to keep their dogs in sight, so they had to take a straight line. Congratulatory cheers were heard when one dog pulled it off in a single cast…hugely impressive!

Double marks which landed down in the dip were efficiently picked despite the dogs not always seeing the fall. More launcher marks were all dealt with in most efficient fashion, even by the younger dogs.

Some long launcher balls which landed in a thick hedge proved tough to pick, as a strong back wind gave the dogs no help whatsoever in scenting them. Lovely to watch them figure it out.

Alternate blinds & marks in a grassy dell ended a challenging afternoon session, with some memorable retrieves. A good day’s work for many, but with the tricky nature of the retrieves showing up the occasional crack.

Well done overall to this strong group of handlers, you all raised your game as required. And to the puppies, bravo little guys, you did good!

06/08/2024

We tackled the seamless sea of sugar beet this morning on what proved to be a thankfully cooler day. Some good dogs run by an experienced group of handlers provided some excellent dog work.

Despite stretching these very capable dogs, they barely set a foot wrong, lovely to watch! A range of launcher marks were all swiftly picked, interspersed with blinds & hand thrown dummies. A challenging retrieve out of the beet, across the grass margin, through a tree belt & out on to a stubble field proved tricky for some, especially as the shot came from inside the trees.

All the dogs effortlessly picked several blinds hidden in a grassy clearing over a jump, with decoy dummies thrown at a tight angle adding an element of difficulty. Dogs had to pay attention as marks came unexpectedly from a different direction off another set of launchers, emphasising the need to turn quickly with one’s dog.

A couple of younger dogs in the group mostly ran well, despite lacking the skill & experience to gauge the depth of long marks. Nice to see them steadily improve as the day wore on however. Also pleasing not to have them run in, as they learned to suitably reign themselves in.

We ended the day alternating with picking blinds placed in a shady recess out of the beet within the tree belt, while another dog picked long launcher ball, and the next did a blind within the beet. In this way, no two dogs picked the same consecutive retrieve, preventing a “monkey see, monkey do” situation. Some complex work, very neatly carried out, well done to this talented team!

30/07/2024

A scorching hot day saw us taking it slow in the beet for today’s training day, with an earlier finish time than usual. Fortunately parking in the shade was available, & handlers undertook to take regular stops to cool their dogs off, plus used cooling coats etc. Those with multiple dogs were encouraged to frequently swap dogs, so as to give them ample down time.

We were fortunate in that a light wind helped to make it manageable, and we used the shade provided by the tree belt to periodically rest the whole group in. Using this sensible approach we saw some nice dog work, with the open dogs pulling off some great technical blinds. Even the younger dogs handled leaving the beet, & going into the woods to hunt, with a bang box to draw them in. Lovely to see them pick successfully, & to grow in confidence. Two puppies in the line held their own very competently, much to the pleasure of their owners, well done guys!

All the dogs were marking particularly well, & picked accurately from the launchers. We kept distances reasonably short, because of the heat. We started & ended the day with two mini-drives, which the dogs remembered nicely, so some good work all round. Marks & blinds over a low jump added a fun element, & even the youngsters did it perfectly.

So ended a slower paced day, but some good work achieved nevertheless, hats off to all for their commitment & endurance in trying conditions.

25/07/2024

After a long layoff for a host of unavoidable reasons, we are happy to report that Lesley & Roy are back!

We recently held our first walked up training day in the beet. An experienced group of handlers were put through their paces with a range of retrieves, producing some memorable dog work.

We stretched the dogs by sending them out of the beet, across the grass margin & into the woods, to pick blinds from several different areas. One such blind required the dogs to go over a jump en route, which added another element of difficulty.

We had two mini drives, all of which were picked well, plus regular retrieves off the launchers, landing a long way out into the beet. Some quite remarkable marking was shown by some of the dogs, even a 13 month old puppy who completely surprised her handler with her talent & ability, first time in sugar beet!

A bolting rabbit was used to lure the dogs into breaking, but most impressively, only one dog fell into the trap!

A ball dropper hidden in the trees proved a useful exercise, as people struggled to hold their dogs in the area without there being any scent, always a tough thing to do.

A great start to our season, and lovely to watch some young dogs rise to the occasion & get better & better as the day wore on! Well done all.

07/07/2024

All doing well at 4 weeks old couple still looking for their permanent homes 🏠.

28/06/2024

If you’re local to the area, please come along and say hi at Wicken dog show, which we’re running on the 29th June.

04/06/2024

Getting close … June the 10th 😲

29/05/2024

Posting for a friend as the vets are suggesting amputation? . Any suggestions?

10/05/2024

02/04/2024

Nice start to the day ..

31/03/2024

🐰 Happy Easter🐰

29/01/2024

Still going strong and due for a rest !

31/12/2023

Happy New Year everyone hope 2024 brings all that you wish for ❤️🍾🥂🎉🥳🤩🎇.

22/12/2023

These three will now have a well deserved rest over Christmas 💤.
And on that note I would like to wish everyone a Superb Christmas and all the best for the New Year 🎄🎅🧑‍🎄🥂🍾❤️.