CockersOnline Forum
Cocker Activities => Working => Topic started by: ips on March 15, 2017, 12:34:57 PM
-
Judging by the lack of activity on this sub forum I suspect not many people work there dogs.
Just for fun and to bring folk out of the closet do you work and if so what and were. I will start us off...
Season starts for us in Sept when we will be dogging in at a local private shooting estate, this makes me very popular with my mate the gamekeeper 😁
Nov we are beating on the estate every Monday except maybe six Mondays during the season when I am employed as "minder/loader" also beating every other Saturday at a small syndicate shoot that I am a member of. Its a shame the game season is so short as we both love being out on a shoot day 👍
-
We work :D. I have a 4yo worker. Start with dogging in late August/ September, and do a few live game training days. Then season starts for us properly in October. We beat and pick-up every Saturday 'til end of Jan and do a few walked up days which are my favourite. We've worked 3 seasons so far and I (and my dog Pip) love it. The gamekeeper and his wife are lovely and have become good friends. Hoping to accompany the gamekeeper out during summer to help pick up pigeons. (sadly can't shoot - I have tried!) This weekend we're doing a working test. We do a few fun ones during spring/summer just to keep us busy.
-
Brilliant.
Don't know about you but I consider working a dog to be "the most" fun you can have, end of. I absolutely love it even when its wet, cold and windy. I like dogging in because its just the two of us and its great steadiness training walking them in. Then of course beating and the intensity of an early season shoot day with lots of birds down. Then of course you get to shoot beaters day, boundary days and roost shoots. And we haven't touched on the wild life you see like fox, deer, hares etc.
Anyone with a spaniel should try it if its available to them as it will open your eyes as to what joy can be found by experiencing a working day with your dog especially when it all goes well.
Ps
Yes we have become good friends with our keeper and his wife. I have taken his son out shooting with me and we have had dinner with them. Keepers lead a solitary life but they are the salt of the earth.
-
We work Gemma or we have up to now. Hopefully will find some when we move to Wales. We loved walking the fields but since having Gemma with us its brilliant. Its not all about killing, to many it is a good day walking in the country air, sharing gossip, food and a quick niffter or two and if we get a shot or two, well thats a bonus. The difference it has made to us is that we now we have eyes wide open at all times. we are more aware of whats about. I mean I sit on the bus coming home from work and I believe I am the only person that has spotted the egret or the hares running about ( or the twerp that is going to pull out in front of the bus :fear2:)
-
Plenty of beating and picking up on offer in Wales and the Marches ;)
I work Pearl currently as Coral is still work in progress..... for me it's all year round. Working tests at the moment, I also help at the retriever test for the local Gundog club. We're going over to Derbyshire to one of the shoots to help with dogging in from August but will get the opportunity to do some steadiness work from when the poults are old enough. Also dogging in on the local shoot (non commercial military shoot so a lot of fun)
Season starts in September with a partridge day, then November and it's every Saturday plus alternate Tuesdays and Thursdays, would be more but I'm limited to the number of holidays I can take in January. Also help at three Field trials and will offer to help with another club if the dates don't clash.....you'd think I would be a stick insect with all that beating :lol: