Languedoc Gundogs

20/11/2024

Today marks the anniversary of the passing of my very first dog, we have loved and lost other faithful canine companions who are equally as missed and I feel a bit guilty that I don’t publicly remember them (though I do think of them often, remember lessons they each taught me, and frequently look for their stars in the sky for a quick chat).

Ruby’s anniversary brings different thoughts; where would I be had I not had her, what job would I have and what would I be doing with my life?

Ruby is not only the reason I met my husband, and have 2 amazing children, but she’s also why I am a gundog trainer today - I made all the mistakes, I believed all the same things that many first time owners believe, I thought we would learn together and muddle through on our own. I believed that her pottering around my horses field occupying herself was good for her; she was out and utilising her natural instincts. I soon learnt that I was assisting her to become self-employed, and to not need me. I had many times of joy and also several of tears, frustration, and wondering where I’d gone so wrong.

She taught me so much about working dogs, about the way their mind works, how no two days are the same and how once you crest the wave it’s one of the most rewarding places to be. She gave me confidence in myself, and sparked my desire to help others achieve their goals with their dogs, as I had with mine.

So believe me, when we speak for the first time on the phone or meet for the first time in the field and I say that I have been where you are - I mean it. I have. And there’s always a way to get to the other side; to reach an enjoyable, fulfilled, and mutually trusting relationship with your dog. One where any thoughts of not being good enough are distant ones, and where now you look forward to taking your dog with you on long walks, can’t wait to get out training, and cherish working together on the shooting field in harmony.

To Ruby, thank you for each and every valuable lesson you taught me through our 14 years together and I hope you’re being just as mischievous up there as you were down here, xx

06/11/2024

New podcast recorded, and the LWDG Christmas Challenge planned (all from my ‘in-car’ office). Love working with these fabulous ladies ❤️

29/10/2024

Loving my updated logo by Jemma Thank you sooo much! ❤️

17/10/2024

New delivery from 🎁
Absolutely loving my new micro hunting dummies, perfect for getting those noses down and properly hunting an area. Now to decide who gets the first turn..
Thank you Sue, xx

22/09/2024

Thrilled to be working with Field and Fireside as an ambassador. Their products are superb, their service is excellent and it’s all delivered with a friendly and welcoming smile.

Whatever items you have on your gundog training wish list, head over to their website and take a look!

We are delighted to be able to introduce you to Sam Thorneycroft-Taylor, of Languedoc Gundogs, who has joined us as an Ambassador 🤩

Sam is based in Gloucestershire where she provides gundog training & behavioural services. Over the years she has helped people train their dogs to be well-rounded shooting companions, well-mannered family pets and test & trial standard competitors. Sessions take place at her training fields and are tailored to your individual needs.

Sam is also called upon to do gundog demos at country shows & game fairs, has been featured in several fieldsports and dog related publications and regularly appears on podcasts.

You can find out more about Sam & the services that offer on their website and on our Trusted Partners page on the website. You can also follow her Instagram accounts and .foundation

📷 .photographic

10/06/2024

Huge thanks to The Ladies Working Dog Group for an amazing weekend in Wales. So much fun to work alongside the incredibly talented Jemma Whistle and Wag Dog Training, Claire Family Dog Services, Sue Field and Fireside, Charlotte and .

Thank you to all the ladies who attended, listened to our lectures, and provided encouragement and laughs along the way!

Big thanks to Mr P for keeping us (and the technology) going all weekend 😊

07/05/2024

This weekend we ran a Scurry Experience Event for The Ladies Working Dog Group in Oxfordshire.
We had a fabulous group of ladies from up and down the UK who, along with their beautiful dogs, learnt the in’s and out’s of scurries.

After a morning of introductions to the most common scurries found at country shows and game fairs, an afternoon of practice and learning how to knock a few precious seconds off the clock, we concluded the day with a fun competition.

We all had so much fun! Thank you to Amanda & Tony at South Oxon Pet Services for allowing us to use your grounds and for arranging some delicious treats!
Thank you Sue at Field and Fireside for providing amazing goodie bags for the participants, and to Beth Payne for organising prizes for the competition!
Thank you to my husband Alex Thorneycroft-Taylor for your expert training, and to our children for assisting all day with dummy throwing, timing runs, a lemonade stand, and generally helping with any job required.

Planning is already underway for our next event, and we can’t wait!

09/11/2023

We had an unusual visitor come along for his “brother’s” training session today; he must have enjoyed himself though as he stayed to participate in the next few sessions too.. 😁

02/10/2023

This evening saw the last of our in-field evening training sessions for the winter months; we’ve had a brilliant time training until sunset (and we’ve been treated to more than a few spectacular ones (though I have to be honest - this evening was more ‘fog and rain’ than sunset so I pinched a photo from a month ago)).

One to one sessions are still available during the day, and online sessions in the evenings.

Remember that just because the daylight hours are getting shorter, the darker evenings at home are a perfect opportunity to practice good behaviours such as ‘settle’ or a send to bed, or to brush up on your positional skills or to increase your dogs attentiveness in a lower distraction environment - every interaction with your dog holds an opportunity for training.

17/06/2023

Come along and see us at Mole Valley Farmers, Berkeley (Gloucestershire) this afternoon. We’ll be on hand to answer your questions and there’s a fun dog show too!

30/03/2023

Sometimes you just have to accept that you make a good pillow.. 😁
Our eldest lad has been suffering from Vestibular so his daily happenings have been different of late; today saw some rare sunshine so in amongst his solo mooch we had a little rest, some cuddles, and watched the world go by. With our souls restored, I headed back to work and he caught up on some more sleep 🥰

22/01/2023

What is socialisation?

Contrary to popular belief, socialisation is not about teaching your puppy to play with every dog it sees or to jump up at every person it passes.

Correct socialisation should be exposing your puppy to anything that it may experience during its life, but also to become ‘indifferent’ to it, and to want to be with you more.

This week I recorded a podcast with my good friends Jo Perrot of the and Jemma Martin of

The podcast, “Don’t worry, my dog is friendly”, is all about why we shouldn’t allow our dog to run riot as it pleases and also why we shouldn’t have to put up with being bombarded by every other dog on the planet.

You can find the LWDG Pod Dog podcasts on most mainstream platforms. Happy listening!

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0RHsgmZsI0ahxISxIvBnBG?si=Wur4P-3oS4ui_S9oG8qN0g

27/11/2022

In this weeks The Ladies Working Dog Group podcast, I talk with Jo about the importance of body language and understanding both the dogs’ use of it, and ours too.

You can listen to the LWDG Pod Dog on Spotify, Google, Apple, and Amazon with a new podcast released every Friday.

We all want to have great relationships with our dogs. They are furry family members that bring us joy, comfort, and companionship.

In order to have the best possible relationship with our dogs, it is important to understand their needs and how they communicate with us.

This week's podcast and blog with LWDG Group Expert Samantha Thorneycroft-Taylor of explains more about your dog’s Body Language.

LWDG POD DOG is a free podcast for working dog handlers and trainers.

The podcast is released every week on Fridays and covers a range of topics related to working dogs.

Ladies - for more free content, visit www.ladiesworkingdoggroup.com/threedayfree

25/11/2022

Today I was asked what is meant when we say ‘to have a bond with your dog’.

For me it’s so much more than just fulfilling your dogs physical and mental wellbeing needs, and your dog knowing that you’ll do these things for them.

When I say physical and mental wellbeing needs I mean providing appropriate nutritious food at regular intervals, fresh water, and (age appropriate) regular exercise & training.

For me, having a proper bond with your dog should be fulfilling for both of you. It should mean that you have trust and confidence in each other - you trust your dog to not make silly decisions on a whim (we have, of course, taught our dog the difference between right and wrong as he grew up), he has confidence in you enough to know that you won’t ask too much of him or place him in situations that are inappropriate for his age/stage of training/emotional state.

It means that your dog is confident and has faith that when you go away (be that for 5 minutes, an hour, or an extended time away (for example on holiday)), you will return and he has no need to panic or become anxious. He is comfortable in his own presence and doesn’t need to follow you everywhere for every second of the day.

It’s about willing the working day to hurry up and finish so that we can get home to our faithful companion, it’s about enjoying their company, and wanting to be with them. It’s having a fulfilling relationship and a ‘warm’ feeling when in each others company.

It’s having a dog who stares into your soul when they look at you.

When we bring our new puppy home it is our obligation to teach them all manner of things and to ensure they are mentally stimulated as well as well socialised and shown the appropriate behaviours for various situations. If we rehome an older dog, we have the same obligations but we may also be helping them through various issues that may have arisen from events in their past.

Sometimes, a bond can be fractured; maybe something happened that lessened the trust, maybe we haven’t educated our dog to an appropriate level for the situation we’ve found ourselves in. In almost all circumstances, with time and effort any fracture of the bond can be healed.

In short, having a ‘proper’ bond with your dog is nourishing and rewarding for you both.

31/10/2022

Languedoc Gundogs HQ’s pumpkin 😊

08/09/2022

Rest in Peace Ma’am.

22/06/2022

Having a dog that will drink on command is especially useful when we experience unusually high temperatures.

In the UK we don’t need to worry about this too frequently but given that when our temperatures do rise, they tend to do so without much gradual increase (it can be cold and wet one day and then high 20’s the next), it can catch many dogs and their owners by surprise.

I train my dogs to drink on command in the same way that I toilet train them (when they are puppies and they go to the toilet, I will pair a command (in my case “quickly”) with the action/behaviour). Over time and with multiple repetitions I can then take my puppy/dog outside and give the “quickly” command and they know what is expected.

With “drink”, I add my command when my dog is already drinking - either when I’ve seen them moving toward their water bowl, or I’ve ‘weighed it in my favour’ and am offering a drink after exercise/training and therefore can pretty much guarantee they’re going to require a drink.

Again, through consistency and after many repetitions, I can then take my dog to the water bowl and give the “drink” command and they’ve learnt what is required.

This command could be used if you know you’re going to be apart from your dog for a while and would like to know they’ve had a good drink before you separate, or if you have a dog who doesn’t tend to drink much but it’s unusually warm, or if you need your dog to have a drink pre exercise/training as a few examples. There are many other opportunities and uses where it can be a helpful command to have ‘in your back pocket’ too.

Remember to ensure that you avoid exercising your dog during the heat of the day at the moment; try to walk/train early or late, or avoid outdoor/strenuous exercise altogether and find some mental stimulation exercises/games for your dog indoors.

03/02/2022

Today’s training companion(s) - there were a couple more in the bushes. I love the relationship that has developed between myself & my dogs, and these wild animals - they know that we will not cause harm or chase, and as a result they don’t run away when we are near.