what to look for in a gun dog trainer and when to start

[redlottie]

We did a grade 1 gundog training course with our first working cocker Otto from when he was 6 months.  It was a good basic start but as someone said can be restrictive as it is the same day and time for 8 weeks with an exam in the last week.  That said he passed with distinction 

Since then we went down the route of either 121's or joining other groups of like minded people with dogs of similar ability arranged through the trainer directly.  This was primarily to have a bit of flexibility on the days and times of the training but also because Otto gets more out of these sessions as opposed to the regimented grade sessions as we are working to a programme specifically for him.

My new boy Albie is 5 and a half months and so was too young to join the latest grade one the trainer was offering through the gundog club so he too is having 121 sessions and absolutely flying with them after just 4 weeks of lessons.

I would thoroughly recommend it, our trainer is based in Leek and I can't recommend her enough.  In fact the dogs now stay there on holiday let as well 

[maddy74]

Would anyone mind me asking the personal question of what the rates are for one to one training, Ive made some enquires but no prices have come back as yet.Im so green I wouldnt know if it was the right price or not....lol   Also the price of the group training? Are they usually on a weekend?

[hanandhen]

I pay about £35 for an hour 1-2-1.

[maddy74]

Blimey, thats a bit more than I thought but I guess its worth it in the end. How many one to one sessions are needed, I guess it depends on the dog. I hope mine learns quick.....   

[hanandhen]

I know what you mean, but it was really worth it! I went once every 5-6 weeks, so it wasn't too often. I guess I had maybe 6 or 7 sessions, now I go to a group obedience class every so often and I'd just have a 1-2-1 if we had a specific problem to work on. I'll probably have a session before the start of next season, but that will be it. I don't know if my trainer is comparatively cheap, expensive, about dead on? I just know she's really rather good

How many you need will depend where you are starting from, how your dog is and how good you are about doing your homework

[maddy74]

Hanandhen,

THank you for that,

I better start saving the pennies....lol 

[Sarah1985]

I use a lady that charges £20 an hour for my two dogs being handled by me and my OH. I think its £15 if its just one dog.

She runs classes through the gun dog club that are much more expensive, and once you have approached her through them she says has to pay commision to them for every lesson you have with her after that, which pushes the price up. But because we've contacted her directly she knocks off the commision price, which makes it more affordable.

[redlottie]

I pay £17.50 for a 121 which lasts 45 minutes and £15 for a group session per dog which is an hour.  We do go weekly though and with 2 dogs the price mounts but as it is our hobby as well as a hobby for the dogs we do all benefit so we are prepared to pay for it.

[Black Red + Yellow]

Around £20 for what is supposed to be an hour but he's a mate so usually the lesson is about 2 hours.  £25.00 for Training Days which last from about 9 - 3...these are big group sessions for all different abilities....really good fun....i always go with my video

[PippaMattinson]

Hi Sarah

she says has to pay commision to them for every lesson you have with her after that, which pushes the price up.

I am wondering if there is some confusion here.  The Gundog Club does not charge commission to any of its trainers and never has. 
If you would like to confirm whether or not your trainer is actually GC accredited please feel free to PM me   

Pippa

[Petepreston]

Has anybody here had recent contact with the Gundog Club? Are they just more active in the south of England or am I missing something?

Their website is rarely updated, the training dates page is blank, and there is nothing happening in Scotland - apparently. Have I mistaken them for an active and national organisation when they are quite niche? Is there another more active club out there that I haven't found?

I lost momentum for training Posie because I couldn't find any specific training locally, so I thought I'd try Agility in the meantime. Unfortunately we have two clubs; one isn't taking any new members and the other hasn't returned my enquiries. Grrr.

[PippaMattinson]

Hi Pete

The Gundog Club's courses page is updated almost daily,  I wonder if you have bookmarked an old page?  I don't think I am allowed to link but if you go in from the menu on the home page you will find current course dates under the Training Locations link

We are encouraging trainers to move over to an Affiliate Registration system where students book training directly with trainers rather than booking through us, which makes the training  cheaper for students, and is the reason why there are fewer 'in-house' courses listed now.  There is an Affiliate trainer starting in Borders soon.   Whereabouts in Scotland are you?

Pippa

[Petepreston]

Thanks Pippa. I followed those instructions (the page wasn't blank - it had a link that I didn't click. Oops!) but it confirms what I thought: everything is in the south of England.

I'm in Aberdeen and there was a course run earlier this year but I missed the start. There was no next date available and when I checked the site stats it said the pages hadn't been updated for months. When I look for trainers I get nothing more than a list that states there is a trainer in Aberdeenshire, but no link or details.

I'm going to www.thegundogclub.co.uk

[PippaMattinson]

Hi Pete

I get nothing more than a list that states there is a trainer in Aberdeenshire

That’s because our Aberdeenshire Instructor is not on the Affiliate Register yet, so training with him has to be booked through our office, on the telephone.
I am sorry that we don’t have any courses in Aberdeen at the moment.  Our Aberdeenshire instructor regularly puts aside course dates for us.  Unfortunately there simply is not sufficient demand in your area to fill many of his courses.  Courses simply fill better in areas where there is a denser population and higher average income.  This is especially true since the recession got under way.
We are encouraging our trainers to move over to the Affiliate scheme because it is much better for students, and we are prioritising outlying areas where students find it harder to get on a course,  I am hopeful that we will be adding Aberdeen to our Affiliate courses list quite soon.

Sorry I can’t be more helpful at the moment. 
Pippa

[Petepreston]

That's an interesting point about population. Is it safe to assume that most proper working dogs are just trained by their owners then? Aberdeen is 30 miles from plenty of highland shooting and less than 60 from most of the shooting estates in the north east of Scotlad, so it's fair to say we probably have more genuine working dogs than the most of the UK.

I bumped into a retired gamekeeper on a walk some weeks ago and realised afterwards that I should've asked if he could help train Posie. He knew a lot about working breeds, and Cockers in particular. Posie came from a working farm but unfortunately they are over an hour drive away, so not an option for us.