If you go down to the woods today.....

"You're sure of a big surprise" I said to Gunner as we set off for his training session.

He's been in the odd copse or spinney but not in a Real Wood. So that was the next test for the going-to-be-bestest-gundog......

It was chucking down with rain. We were undeterred! But wet!

A 400m grass track led to the woods. Gunner was very keen and alert. He 'pointed' at a pheasant which, a few yards further on, duly clattered up out of the corn. Dog sat without a word from me. On his best behaviour!

By the time we reached the wood both The Trainer and I were sodden from the boots up. Dog was just wet and excited!

The heavy canopy kept much of the rain off but the dense undergrowth was as challenging for human legs as dog's nose. I stumbled merrily on with Gunner hunting ahead but fairly close, alert to every sound and scent.

Our trainer was in charge of dummy throwing. Walking in parallel to us about 15m away, he soon started chucking things for our bold retriever to fetch. All very well, but apart from the general direction, I couldn't see where they went! Gunner had only his ears and nose to go on. And much of the time when I sent him out to 'fetch' I couldn't see where he went either..... Bobbing up and down, around tree trunks and overhanging branches, I tried (somewhat desperately at times) to give sensible directions. How he managed to follow these I don't know but the g-t-b-b-g retrieved each and every one. At one point our trainer complimented the dog on coping brilliantly with a severly handicapped handler! Actually, I came in for much criticism over my lack of crisp handling.

"Half the time I can't see the b..... dog. It's like training a gundog for the blind" I retorted, very slightly ruffled, on one occasion!

"If you think he's going wrong" said our trainer "then, the moment you catch sight of him, stop him and redirect him. After all, he's got a lot of white on him...."

"Easy as that, then?" I muttered to myself, peering through trunk and bush - sometimes almost on my knees - for my dog...

....who never once gave up trying or looking. Rory's tests became tougher. Lobbing a dummy into a hollow tree trunk surrounded by brambles, he was impressed to see Gunner keep on till he got it out. Distances and obstacles were increased. Hunting one moment and hardly drawing breath to stop, sit and go for whatever retrieve was put down for him, Gunner was clearly loving the woods.

"He's really come on in the last few weeks" said our trainer. I recalled the recent evening when he'd raced off in pursuit of a hare I had failed to see in time to stop him!

Then He set up a Really Big Test.

When neither Gunner nor I were anywhere near seeing what he was up to, he chucked a dummy deep into a vast growth of brambles about 20m away from us.

"Sit him and send him back" instructed the man.

Gunner went straight to the brambles. He knew it was there somewhere; but he kept skirting round the outside, jumping up to see if there was a way to fetch without going into the nasty thorny stuff. It took a number of minutes, stops, starts and redirections to get him into the middle. But in he eventually went, following all my directions to go 'back' --- until he found it.

The dog was so pleased to find it! He came bouncing back to me with it.

I was so relieved he found it and made a great fuss of him.

Rory was almost enthusiastic - for him - that he found it.

"That really surprised me" he admitted

"I thought he was in the wrong place" he continued "I didn't realise I'd thrown it so far back and began to think he was messing about - but I'll trust him now..... He didn't once think to give up trying."

We called it a day and set off back to the car, dropping a dummy just outside the woods. Again, Gunner paid little heed. But, almost back to the car (about 300 yards) I sent him back and, taking a short cut through the corn to cut off a corner, he went straight to the dummy, whipped it up off the ground and raced back to me with it.

"He really is the strangest spaniel I have ever come across" said Rory. "He appears to pay no attention, yet rarely misses a thing. He's making life hard for himself yet seems unbothered...."

Almost 4 weeks till our next 'lesson' as the trainer is away on holiday. Homework is to "keep pushing" the dog and "stretching" his memory. And for the dog's handler to be a bit crisper with directions and not get overconfident and lax. As if.......