Patrick’s top tips

• If you fancy doing something similar, take your time to check the small print when browsing – there are literally thousands of online adverts for such devices, and most are not suitable

• The cameras cost about £25, with screens being similarly priced

• Before you finalise the mounting position, a magnetic base will allow you to experiment with lots of different camera locations without drilling any mounting bracket holes

• Get used to the strange perspective these cameras give – objects that are really quite close will appear miles away

• Since these cameras appear to be rather temperamental, it’s worth checking that the image hasn’t flipped every time you power them up

Before starting on this exercise, your gundog needs to be a keen retriever. Find an area of rough grass, get the dog focused on you and throw a fur ball out towards the grass. Do not hold the dog back and let it run in. The idea is that the dog is so keen to get the retrieve that it doesn’t even think about the cover.

I like to use a slightly heavier ball so that it buries itself in the thick grass and so the dog has to work to find it.

Find some rough grass, focus your dog and throw a ball towards the grass

The dog should be so keen to get the retrieve that it doesn’t even think about the cover