The perfect peg dog is made not born.  A fault-free season will only follow an excellent summer training plan. So follow The Field’s advice on the 7 things to do in the off season with your gundog. (Read: Things to do in the off-season with your gun.)

Whether you are still mastering ‘sit’ or have your sights set on the first day in the field, follow The Field’s 9 gundog training tips. From making that blind retrieve to securing your spot as top dog, you can’t go far wrong with The Field’s advice.

Activities for off-season with your gundog

1.If your dog is fully grown but still missing birds like a pup, use the summer to improve their retrieving. Read pick up points on retrieving for a few simple ways to improve your dog’s work.

2. Prepare your gundog for a scurry. If you’re thinking about taking your dog to a scurry and scramble at a country fair then be prepared.

3. Are you still the pack leader or does your dog (or dogs) think otherwise? Natural hierarchy among dogs can be manipulated to keep them all in check. Janet Menzies advises on how to make sure you outrank the entire pack as pack leader.

4. Work on the whistle. There are only three basic whistle commands: stop, come, and turn. If you make sure your dog is 100% on the whistle you hardly need to speak, which looks extremely stylish. Just keep practicing.

5. Use food in your training regime, it can do wonders for obedience. Most people know about holding the bowl up above the dog’s head to teach it the sit command, but you can extend this in lots of ways. Put the bowl down on the other side of an obstacle to get them used to jumping. If the dog is still listening to its boss even when its head is filled with thoughts of food, it will do the same when its head is filled with thoughts of pheasant. Try it at feeding time now.

6. Calm down. Insist the dog does exactly what you want it to do and don’t give it another command until it has. If everything is going pear-shaped, get it sitting looking at you while you both take a deep breath and then start again.

7. Finally, perhaps the end of the season marks the end of a career. If it is time to retire a long-serving companion, read gundog retirement: looking after an old dog. Making their final years comfortable and happy is only fair.

And if you want to follow Field dog Bramble’s summer training in her mission to become the perfect peg dog, follow her on Instagram @BrambleFoxRed

This article was originally published in 2017 and has been updated.