Nature versus nurture Is a good gundog born or made?

We want our gundogs to be able to give us pleasure and sport, be well trained and look good too. But where can we find such a paragon, asks Tony Jackson

Like a good many country people I have, in the course of rather too many decades, owned and trained a succession of gundogs. My first dog, acquired as a puppy, was a yellow Labrador dog bought through a local advertisement. It never occurred to me to ask to see its pedigree or discuss its parentage. This, combined with basic training knowledge acquired through books and articles in the sporting press, enabled me to produce a dog that was quite useless in the field, albeit charming.

I moved on to a springer spaniel acquired from a renowned working gundog kennel in Wales and, after listening to some sound advice, decided to send it for training to the then Shooting Times kennel editor Peter Moxon. A wise move! And a pity he could not train me as a handler. However, the dog proved outstanding as a rough shooter’s dog and gave me pleasure and sport over several years.

The spaniel was eventually replaced by a German shorthaired pointer, a dog that quickly justified its immaculate breeding for the shooting field and, notably, for deer stalking. It seemed to know instinctively what was required and, while competent at pointing and retrieving in the shooting field, proved an outstanding asset when deer were on the menu.

I then got another yellow Labrador, a bitch that had been trained to field trial standard by Scottish trainer Joe Maclure, currently captain of the Scottish Gundog Team. This is a dog with a pedigree glittering with 32 field trial champions and 14 field trial winners, an animal that taught me the art of handling and training, skills I used to educate one of her puppies, which is now picking-up on several shoots.

My experience with gundogs over the years leads me to the conclusion that an impeccable working background and pedigree are the priority when selecting a puppy for a working life in the shooting field. But there are exceptions to the rule. A great friend trained a Labradorspringer cross, with little knowledge of its ancestry, to work both as an outstanding rough shooter’s dog and for deer work. I have seen it sit unmoving beneath a high seat and then, if required, to work a blood trail to a successful conclusion.

There are, I suspect, many dogs with indifferent backgrounds that can still work to a reasonable standard in the field and give their owners pleasure and sport. So

“A good working background is essential, whatever the breed of gundog”

here’s the poser: does a brilliant working pedigree almost guarantee successful offspring in the shooting field, or is it possible to produce and train a gundog from an indifferent background to, at the very least, an acceptable standard?

I asked Joe Maclure, who has been training and breeding Labradors for 20 years at his home near Stirling under the prefix Silversnipe. Joe has trained two field trial champions and

more than 18 field trial winners and he believes a good working background and pedigree are essential, whatever the breed. But he pointed out that however promising the pedigree, it is still possible to find a dog that, through an inherited trait or genetic problem, does not meet expectations.

“For instance, there is a tendency for some Labradors sent for a dummy simply to stand over it and fail to retrieve, a fault that is inherent in the breeding,” he said.

Margaret Allen, known in working gundog circles for her Tanderswell Kennels in Dorset, has trained Labradors and other working breeds for many years. She has enjoyed success in field trials and the show ring, runs training classes and picksup on several shoots. “There’s not the slightest doubt that dogs bred from the best working pedigrees can still exhibit serious faults, such as hard mouth or making a noise in the field,” she said. Though sire and dam may mate, their pedigrees somehow just don’t “click”.

“However well bred a litter may be it’s perfectly possible for one or more puppies to exhibit faults such as a whip tail, ear at the wrong angle or yellow eyes,” she continued. “Even if both parents have ideal hip and elbow scores, their whelps may not. On the other hand, it is still possible for a good gundog to be produced by parents with indifferent pedigrees. But the best chance of acquiring a dog with real potential in the shooting field is to make sure its sire and dam have really good pedigrees with, ideally, plenty of field trial champions and winners in the pedigrees.”

This is also the opinion of Paul Rawlings, a successful breeder and worker of springer spaniels. “The quality of gundogs today is far better overall than it was some years ago and they are certainly more trainable,” he said. “In the 1970s you might only get two potentially good puppies from a litter of springers, but today it is far better in that respect. However, you can’t work with poor material so it’s essential to make sure the background and pedigree of both parents have the right working credentials.”

Pedigree is key

There are few gundog experts who would dispute that it is essential for the would-be owner to study and understand pedigrees; the significance of any show blood; hip and eye scores, and to delve into the working background of a litter to improve their chance of picking the perfect dog. It is shrewd to ask to see both sire and dam, to assess their physique and standard of training. And while a puppy from unregistered parents may turn out well, it cannot be registered with the Kennel Club, undermining any hopes of responsible breeding.

I believe that there is only one answer to the original question.

If you are seeking to acquire a working gundog as a whelp, make certain you see the pedigrees of the sires on both sides and try to understand their implications. I would avoid any reference to show blood and would prefer to see a hearty smattering of field trial champions and winners in the generations. Yes, it is still possible to pick a dud but the odds are stacked in your favour. Now all you have to do is train the dog.

It is vital that you learn as much about the puppy’s background as possible, and preferably see its parents Below: Leading trainer Margaret Allen