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 🎄🎅🧑‍🎄🥂🍾❤️.

16/11/2023

Another great day out with these three who worked hard all day . Gus even tried the local mud pack .

13/11/2023

Thank you to all involved in todays trial put on by the Cambridgeshire Field Trial Society at the Bolwick and Rippon Hall Shoot Bess and I certainly come away chuffed as Sue Stonebridge put it . Well done Tim Brain on being guns choice .

31/08/2023

We had a very capable group of dogs in the beet today, so got to watch some eye catching work. Some lovely long blinds, over the brow of the hill, followed by launcher marks in the opposite direction. A mini drive had to be cleared first, however, leaving lots of residual scent in the fall area, which led some of the less experienced dogs astray. We only had one real youngster in the line, an enthusiastic little fellow, who blasted out there in turbo jet mode, which sometimes made braking a tad problematic!

A freshening head wind proved challenging for some, with multiple casts being required to convince the dogs to face the wind. All continued to pick nicely, & the line moved smoothly on. Picking diagonal blinds from opposite corners of the wood made for an interesting exercise, as the dogs tended to want to copy each previous dog, whereas their retrieve was to a different corner! A thrower standing between the two & firing into the ground also added an element of confusion in the dog’s mind.

After being treated by one of our regular star bakers to a lunch of cake, we headed off on to fresh ground to use the brow of the hill, severely testing our own marking skills. We then had some further fun by playing our multiple marking game, with both teams inadvertently picking a wrong bird, so a draw was declared!

Long marks out on the adjacent stubble presented some difficulties, with the younger dogs seeing the intervening ditch as a distinct barrier, & repeatedly turning back. After watching the older dogs, all then had a go, & picked with great gusto, ditch & all.

We ended a full day with a short walk up in the narrow tree belt. A bang box drew the dogs deeper out front, where the previously shot rabbits were. Trying to catch glimpses of one’s dog through the young trees proved challenging, but everybody managed to pick.

This was a strong group of experienced people, so well done to the handlers for raising, & maintaining, their game throughout the day, with everyone achieving some memorable work!

29/08/2023

We utilised a new section of the beet field today, with a distinct slope to it, which challenged the dogs. A group of novice dogs, some very young, which meant having to downscale the more complex retrieve scenarios that we had set up.

Tall beet, poor scent, the sloping gradient & the excitement that working in beet always generates, made for brake failures for some of the dogs, coupled with distinct hearing loss where stop whistles were concerned… An interesting morning therefore, with more than one handler seen sprinting gamely out after their dog. By a strange coincidence, several of the dogs seemed to have the same name, all being called “Oy!”😂

These exuberant youngsters gradually settled, & we began lengthening the retrieves & adding in various blinds etc. Dummies hidden in three locations in the woods required some precise handling to pick, as the bang box lured the dogs to the middle, not necessarily to the nominated areas on the corners. After all the birds had been gathered in from their designated corners, we headed back down the hill to pick several long marks off the launchers.

After lunch, a fun marking game tested everybody’s skills, with one team repeatedly coming up trumps! Some good control work was then seen by dogs picking blinds out of the beet, in a nearby ditch, while others had to go into the woods to pick unseen. By now the dogs had “hit their stride” & all had significantly raised their gam

We ended the day with launcher marks out on an adjacent stubble field, with others dropping into a high mustard seed crop. Some good dog work was seen here, with all the dogs figuring out how to hunt unseen in this tall, dense cover & to just get on with the job, without input from the handlers. A satisfying way to end a tough day, & rewarding to see improvement throughout the ranks by these enthusiastic youngsters!

29/08/2023

We utilised a new section of the beet field today, with a distinct slope to it, which challenged the dogs. A group of novice dogs, some very young, which meant having to downscale the more complex retrieve scenarios that we had set up.

Tall beet, poor scent, the sloping gradient & the excitement that working in beet always generates, made for brake failures for some of the dogs, coupled with distinct hearing loss where stop whistles were concerned… An interesting morning therefore, with more than one handler seen sprinting gamely out after their dog. By a strange coincidence, several of the dogs seemed to have the same name, all being called “Oy!”😂

These exuberant youngsters gradually settled, & we began lengthening the retrieves & adding in various blinds etc. Dummies hidden in three locations in the woods required some precise handling to pick, as the bang box lured the dogs to the middle, not necessarily to the nominated areas on the corners. After all the birds had been gathered in from their designated corners, we headed back down the hill to pick several long marks off the launchers.

After lunch, a fun marking game tested everybody’s skills, with one team repeatedly coming up trumps! Some good control work was then seen by dogs picking blinds out of the beet, in a nearby ditch, while others had to go into the woods to pick unseen. By now the dogs had “hit their stride” & all had significantly raised their game

We ended the day with launcher marks out on an adjacent stubble field, with others dropping into a high mustard seed crop. Some good dog work was seen here, with all the dogs figuring out how to hunt unseen in this tall, dense cover & to just get on with the job, without input from the handlers. A satisfying way to end a tough day, & rewarding to see improvement throughout the ranks by these enthusiastic youngsters!

27/08/2023

This week we had the pleasure of welcoming back our guest handlers from the continent. A very committed pair, they traveled all the way from Belgium in order to attend a special training session in the beet, which we organised at their request. Great preparation for their working test the next day, one has to commend their dedication!

As this was just a small select group, if was decided that a half day session would be sufficient. The dogs all worked their socks off, with some superb retrieves carried out by the more experienced dogs. It was the youngster in the group however who impressed the most. Plucky little guy went from strength to strength, holding his own against the big dogs!

The session began with a mini drive, which we sent back for as the line moved further away. A deep ditch proved a formidable barrier for some, with some dogs looking for another way around once they had picked the blind. It’s always tough to get a dog to leave the beet, so we stretched them by sending for blinds out on the adjacent stubble field. A shot from the bang box helped draw them towards the area, but still a tricky retrieve with many bunkers.

To help get the dogs crossing this barrier more readily, we then repositioned the launchers to create a volley of birds landing on the stubble. This had the desired effect, with everyone picking nicely at distance, across the ditch, even the puppy. Great work by all!

Blinds down the line were neatly gathered in, interspersed with long & short marks out in front. We ended the day by picking a series of “rabbits” from a grassy plateau off to the side of the field, alongside a water filled ditch.

A productive session, over a range of terrain, and all the dogs being nicely stretched to suit their varying abilities. Well done to our European visitors, lovely to watch your dogs work, and thank you for placing your trust in us to prepare you for competition.

26/08/2023

A very nice day at the EALRC novice test Held at Hindlesham by kind permission of Kevin Doughty thanks to the club for putting on such a great test , the dummy throwers/placers and the judges for their time and effort and thanks to Sindermills the sponsors . And Congratulations to all my fellow competitors in the awards 👏🍾🥂

25/08/2023

A warm day in giant sugar beet proved tiring for us all, but luckily a water filled ditch enabled the dogs to cool off as needed. A hand thrown mini drive was nicely cleared up, with all succeeding as the line pulled further & further away.

Because of the height of the beet, early marks were kept short, so that the dogs could “find their feet.” Thereafter we stretched the more capable dogs by sending for launcher marks across a deep grassy ditch, on to the adjacent stubble field. Cunningly placed blinds en route provided a challenge for some, as the lure of the big open stubble was very tempting, especially having seen marks landing out there previously! Other dogs had the opposite problem, not wanting to leave the beet to cross the ditch. Pleased to report however that all the dogs succeeded at a variety of levels with this interesting exercise. An added element was running down the line, so lots was learnt.

Really nice to see a couple of young dogs coping with the challenges, & summoning enough courage to tackle big scary ditches & changes of terrain, well done little ones!👏

A range of blinds interspersed with long & short marks brought the line to the far end of field, so we headed back for lunch. A final end to the morning was a team building exercise which strongly tested the handlers’ marking skills, having to remember 6 consecutive marks, before each picking two! We instantly had a lively competition on our hands, with both teams raising their game & necessitating a return match. A communal cheer was heard when even the puppy in the group successfully picked her allotted two dummies! Great work guys!

In the afternoon we walked up on fresh ground, varying between crossing the line, picking long marks out in front, or taking off the launchers out the back. We finished a very full day with long blinds out of the beet, on to a grassy headland leading up to some trees. A couple of the dogs struggled here as the water in the nearby ditch proved too tempting! Others were beautifully handled to pick quickly & cleanly, some really impressive work. A shot placed away from the blind area provided an added distraction which the dogs had to ignore. Very tricky, but all eventually succeeded.

A final long blind involving a short swim helped cool off some very tired dogs, and everyone went away feeling their dogs had really been stretched, & achieved some memorable work. Well done to this mixed ability group, great to see notable success & happy handlers!

16/08/2023

Today’s walked up training in the beet proved challenging for the young dogs, as sloping ground added an element of difficulty. Despite this, all managed to achieve, at varying levels.

An early drive provided a tempting area to draw the dogs, so the more experienced ones were pushed beyond it, to pick instead in the adjacent woods. Even trickier was a distracting bang box shot in said woods, but now they had to ignore that & pick from a third area! Some nice dog work was seen in this exercise, with all eventually successfully retrieving out of sight in a hidden ditch.

Scent was good in the morning when the beet was wet, but became noticeable more difficult as the day warmed up. Most dogs coped well with several long launcher marks, it was the short dummies out in front that caused issues, as is so often the case!

Rabbit blinds shot off the end of the line were mostly efficiently picked, with long marks thrown along the same line proving too tempting for some dogs, who powered on past the hidden rabbits on a mission to pick what they’d seen instead. Always a good exercise.

After a lunch of cake & then more cake, kindly provided by two of the ladies, we walked up in a new direction, sending for a complicated blind out of the beet, & into the woods. Numbered dummies which had to be picked in sequence by selected team members made for a bit of fun, and really tested the handlers’ marking skills.

A final flurry of launcher marks out on to a stubble field ended a busy day, which really stretched some of the youngsters, but good to see them figure it out on their own, and come surging proudly back with their prize!

Well done all, learning curve for some, memorable work all round.

10/08/2023

Using our new ground proved challenging today, as the beet was high & wet & very full. Made seeing one’s dog difficult, plus of course affected scenting & hunting. The dogs therefore had to work really hard, carrying out some memorable retrieves.

A strong group of mostly open dogs meant we could really stretch them, with all achieving nicely. A light wind provided just enough scent to enable the dogs to home in accurately on a series of long launcher marks. These were interspersed with sending back to pick from a mini drive with which we had started the day.

Dogs then had to be pushed out of the beet, across a deep ditch, to pick on the edge of an adjacent field. Good work all round ensured the blinds were all gathered in most efficiently!

A series of telegraph poles also helped lure the dogs towards where they assumed more blinds would be, only to have to be handled off the poles, to marker tags on seedy beets instead… One can become very predictable in one’s training, hence this deliberate scenario to show the dogs that the handler always knows best! A good exercise, as some crooked outruns had to be broken down & built up again, until all had achieved. The head wind had freshened, adding a new element of difficulty.

After lunch we did more long marks off the launchers, plus double marks off the throwers both front & back. A lot going on for the dogs to keep track of, but these experienced handlers produced some outstanding work. More long blinds placed out of the beet & up on to a grassy bank proved challenging for some, but all were picked with varying degrees of competency, good to watch.

By late afternoon the day had turned very warm, so we ended with blinds across a deep water filled d**e, enabling all the dogs to cool off nicely. Overall a day of noteworthy achievements & some cracking dog work! Well done to this great group!👏

05/08/2023

Our August training kicked off with wet & windy conditions, as we got pelted throughout the day by regular heavy downpours. Nevertheless we soldiered soggily on through the waterlogged beet, a stalwart bunch of dedicated handlers, we kept reminding ourselves that we do this for fun…🤪

We worked the dogs all morning into a strong head wind, which presented inevitable problems for several of the dogs. Flat refusals to take a cast into wind, certainly showed where the cracks in one’s training were… Other dogs rose to the occasion & simply used the wind to best advantage, turning expertly at exactly the right moment to effortlessly scoop of their marks.

Today’s very capable group made for some impressive dog work, lovely to see the dogs picking long launcher marks with great skill & style! We then picked lengthy blinds from alternate corners of the wood, a challenging exercise which tempted the dogs to follow the dog ahead of them, which of course would draw them to the wrong corner… A good test for dogs to take & to hold a line, & one which created some rapid & rigorous handling scenarios when wrong birds threatened.

After lunch we slip-slided our way down the hill, picking a range of blinds en-route. We also tested people’s marking skills by putting out three separate short marks in a semi-circle, then having each team nominate which handler would pick which dummy, & in what order. Nothing like a bit of competition to raise the bar!

We ended a good day with launcher marks landing out of sight in the rough, the sloping ground & high cover meaning one had to trust one’s dog to work independently. After several nail-biting minutes of hunting, a collective sigh of relief was heard as each dog succeeded in their tricky task…very much a “trust your dog” scenario! Some angled blinds, pushing the dogs across a ditch & into the wood rounded off a day of advanced work, by some highly skilled competent dogs.

Well done to this great group, a pleasure to watch!