After his beloved border collie died of old age, Paul Leeke bought his first springer spaniel which led to him breeding and training dogs for 25 years.
And as an accredited assessor for The Gundog Club, the grandfather of four, from Upton Magna, is now running an eight-week beginners course for people wishing to train their dogs in basic obedience and simple retrieving.
More and more pet gundog owners are turning to gundog training to help harness the strong hunting instincts of their pets and develop a strong bond between each dog and its owner.
The breeds include retrievers, spaniels, hunt point retrieve dogs and pointers and setters – but for Paul his passion lies with working breed springer spaniels which he describes as ‘high powered athletes’.
He said: “I started with one springer spaniel called Cindy. I knew nothing about the training but I decided I wanted to do something with this dog. I was invited to join a local gundog society and I met Graham Evans who is still a friend now.
“He was running classes and he saw potential in my dog. I won the training class award that summer and it was the first thing I had won in my life.”
Paul went on to experience success with Cindy in working tests that simulated a shoot, and after winning a number of them he decided to buy another spaniel to begin his breeding. He now has ten springer spaniels and has won numerous field trials.
Successful
He said: “In 1993 Larford Shail was arguably the best springer spaniel bitch I’ve had in my life. I was very successful in field trials with her and I qualified with her at the Springer Championships in 1997.”
Paul has since been approached by The Gundog Club to become an accredited assessor and he puts a lot of his achievements down to the guidance and training of Shropshire gundog trainer Ian Openshaw and help from friend Keith Carter.
He is hoping the one hour courses, which will run until May 9, will help people get the most out of their pets by training the dogs to be obedient and more capable of team work.
Paul, who has been in farming all his life and who works for an agricultural supply company, said: “The reason I decided to get back into training is because Claire, my partner, has given me all the encouragement to continue with the hobby/sport that I love.
“I get up at 6.30am and I am done by 7.30pm. My spaniels are working dogs and I take them out on shoots once a fortnight.
“They need lots of short bursts of exercise and I take them out for 20 minutes at a time.
“You have to be consistent with their training and never lose your temper with them.
“They need plenty of exercise but don’t need to go for two hour walks. A spaniel will do more in ten minutes than most will in an hour.”
Over the eight weeks, students will train their dogs in basic obedience and simple retrieving in preparation for a test which will take place in the final week.
To find out more visit www.thegundogclub.co.uk/Training/courses, email admin@thegundogclub.co.uk, or telephone 01428 717529.
By Charlotte Hester
