From puppy to working Gundog

"You mean I just gotta wait........."

Well..... it finally came... just over 18 months from his first serious training session Skipper's inaugural day at 'work' arrived..... Not that he was aware of that.

Waiting...... again

The whole day passed without incident - which was just what we needed to start his career. He spent it all at heel, observing, listening, following (yawning and sleeping during the long waits between drives) and digesting new experiences - loading on and off the beaters wagon, strange dogs and people doing even stranger things, more birds than he's ever seen in the totality of his life, hares and deer springing up ahead of him....... no wonder he fell asleep straight after dinner..... and slept all evening..... So much stuff to process. There'll be plenty of time for hunting in the weeks, months and years ahead. For now I just want him to take it all in and realise that shoot days are nothing to get excited about. With luck and a following wind he's got another 8 seasons ahead of him....... plenty of time to unpack all the wonders of being a working gundog. For now.... it's enough for him to think of himself as a Walking Gundog.