Retrievers don’t have to be labradors. The flatcoat was the Downton Abbey gundog and Edwardian gentleman’s favourite retriever. Every 10 years for the past four decades a friend has bought…
Gundogs
Teckels: the wire-haired dachshund is a sporting sausage dog
Teckels are small dogs with a big personality. Their mischievous and charming nature makes them one of the best country house dogs. And they can compete for prowess when ratting…
21 best crossbreed dogs
21 best crossbreed dogs for working in the field and at home. Your taste may run to the Downton Abbey gundog, or a labrador when breeding or choosing a puppy.…
Dog insurance
It pays to have dog insurance. Five years ago, on a bright spring morning, I met up with friends to walk our spaniels on Dunwich beach. My seven-year-old springer, Fleur,…
The Downton Abbey gundog
The Downton Abbey gundog - What would Lord Grantham have used as a gundog? A flatcoat or a labrador?
Dog theft prevention
Labradors and cocker spaniels continue to be the two most popular breeds of dog in Britain – and where there is desirability, crime is never far behind. Growing concern over…
GUNDOG CLASS: Retrieving
Even the crème de la crème of top professional retriever or spaniel trainers would agree that handling a gundog is not rocket science. For a start, much as we love them,…
Prepare your gundog for a scurry
Dogs are great levellers. Picture the scene: you have gone to the local country fair and paused to watch the gundog scurry. The standard isn’t high, so you decide to…
Glorious Goshawk
Dame Juliana Berners wrote, in the Boke of St Albans, of the allocation of species of hawk and falcon to their corresponding human ranks in mediaeval society: And yit ther…
Breeding or choosing a puppy
It’s a conversation anyone who has travelled in a gun bus will be familiar with. “That’s a nice-looking bitch you’ve got there. Are you planning to breed from her?” “Funny…