Let them let their hair down
I have been told that I should not let my dogs have any ‘free’ time and they should only ever get exercise through their training. Is this right?
Fran says: This is a difficult question to answer as different trainers have different points of view on this subject. Personally, I let my dogs have free time to stretch their legs and basically just be dogs. I let them run as a pack but within my control, and that means they can run around like loons but when I call them I expect them to respond immediately. I also pick my ground and I make sure there are no birds or hares about that could cause mayhem. I think it does the dogs some good to let their hair down and it gives them a break from the mental rigours of training.
Tony says: Double gunning is a classic game-shooting tradition and was first done with side-by-side shotguns. This helped spread the work between two guns, keeping them cool compared to using one gun and a stuffer. Loading an over-and-under by stuffing can be fast and efficient, with the added advantage of a larger fore-end to protect the hand