FORWARD ALLOWANCE

Perception of forward allowance is a personal thing — one person’s inch is another’s farm gate. Your perception can vary due to your style or technique. Forward allowance shouldn’t be a measured decision but rather a fluid, instinctive swing on the line extending out in front of the target. If the target is close then you should perceive little or no lead. If the target is at a medium distance then you may need to see some forward allowance. If the target is a long crosser you may see a lot of lead. If you look to see how much lead you are giving then you will look at the gun and your swing will falter. When shooting repeated targets shooters try to replicate the same lead picture, but in doing so forget about the line and follow through. Funny how many people focus on the first target the first time they shoot it then, in a desire to replicate the shot, start poking at some gap they think they saw the first time. Keep it smooth and concentrate on the line of the target. Think about the line and let your subconscious take the shot — it will be more reliable than your conscious mind looking for the perfect gap.

Graham Watkins runs Gamegoer Gundogs and has been training gundogs professionally for more than 35 years. He has competed in Field Trials and working tests, with several dogs achieving Champion and Winner titles.

Got a problem for Graham?

Contact him by emailing: sportinggun@ti-media.com

1Before even thinking about steadiness in your gundog, it is vital that you build up a strong desire to retrieve because, ultimately, you will have to use this to start the steadying process. From a young age you can encourage the dog to retrieve anything and at this stage you certainly don’t want to hold it back as this can frustrate the dog and lead to it making noise.