One question that always comes up is can my gun dog also be a pet? Read the following article to find out the answer. It will also some great information on genes and training as well.


People often want to know if a ‘pet’ gundog can be a good ‘working’ gundog. The answer is absolutely – yes.

Most working gundogs are pet gundogs

The vast majority of successful working gundogs in the UK today, are first and foremost pets.

Most gundog owners do not work their dogs on a daily basis, even in the shooting season. Most gundogs live indoors as companions and spend their evenings snoozing on the hearth rug.

Some aspects of gundog training may be easier if a dog is kennelled but it is by no means essential to kennel your dog in order to succeed in training him.

There are two principle factors which will affect the ability of your pet dog to learn gundog skills and to perform in the field

Genes
Training
Genes

Your dog’s parentage, the genetic information he has inherited, are important. Whether or not he is a pet, a gundog with working parents is likely to be easier to train, and more successful than gundogs with show parentage.

However there is no reason why many show gundogs cannot achieve a reasonable standard provided they are willing to follow scent outdoors, and like to carry things in their mouths. If your dog has these characteristics you can make a start with gundog training.

Training

The way you train your dog is all important. The crucial fact to remember with a companion dog that lives indoors, is that training is not something that you do simply in special timeslots called ‘training sessions’ . It is happening all the time.

Every time your dog responds in any way to anything you (or your partner, or your children) do or say, he is being trained. For better or for worse. And this is why it may be easier to train a kennelled dog who is not influenced by the natural flow of family life and the disruptive influences of friends and children.

You can however, like many others do, succeed despite the influence of family life. It just takes a little effort and some planning. Don’t be afraid to make a start. Your dog will only benefit from the training.
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