The world of working gundog training has never been more inclusive and accessible. You can choose the traditional route of sending your dog away to one of the residential gundog schools and receive him perfectly polished at the beginning of next Season. Or you can grab a whistle and slip…
Amateur dog handlers tend to be forgiving of their dogs' faults. However, consistently good behaviour is important for progress
Many years ago an old friend suggested that my wife and I might like to stay with him in his house in Devon during a brief visit to the West Country. Looking back, I still feel guilty that, after accepting his kind offer, I failed to mention that we would…
Dogs are remarkable animals: they will live, and even thrive, on the most unlikely of diets. Vegetarian food for dogs has been around for years and now vegan food is gaining in popularity (although not, I suspect, among readers of The Field). Dogs are not great ones for complaining and…
Breast-high: warming air allows scent molecules to rise up through evaporation and convection so that even ground scenters can carry their noses high. Dead ground: lower-lying, colder or wetter patches sometimes cause gundogs to lose the scent even of a bird lying dead. Running mute: it is a fault for…
Scents and sensibility Every working dog uses one of its senses above all others – usually its nose, and sometimes its eyes or even ears. Here are the breeds by hunting style. Clean booters Confusingly bloodhounds do not hunt the smell of blood but other scents caused by human movement.…
Is it really a good idea to neuter your dog? The question was prompted by a friend after she had taken her spaniel bitch to the vet to have her final puppy injections. “The vet assumed that I would be having her spayed, and even went as far as asking…
The purest of canine lineages have been bred by the bluest bloods in the land, who have continuously fostered the finest lines. This is a Bark's Peerage of aristocratic kennels.
For a dog, the finest perfume is eau de fox, essence of dung … anything is better than smelling clean. But having a dog smell lingering in your car isn’t the pleasantest way to enjoy a journey. So we’ve asked around those in the know and discovered some remedies to…
First and foremost we want our dogs to be safe and comfortable when they are out and about. Here, we round up the best travel accessories for your dog but be sure to also take a look at our other invaluable guides, including the best beds for working dogs, essential…
