Who Let The Dogs Out?

Once, all working dogs were consigned to life in a draughty kennel, but now, attitudes and training methods have softened. Katy Birchall considers whether cherished pets can be great gundogs, too.

- Katy Birchall

To kennel or not to kennel? A question that has caused heated debate in the shooting field and near-catastrophic family fallouts for decades. In the Edwardian era, gundogs were commonly housed in rows of purpose-built kennels, presided over by strict gamekeepers who might be in charge of hundreds of dogs, depending on the size of the estate. However, times and attitudes have changed. Today, a gundog is often a much-loved pet that lives in the house, as well as a working companion in the field—but is it really possible for a dog to fulfil both roles?

‘I compete with and work my dogs, but I also love them and want to spend quality time with them,’ enthuses Tracy Corbin of Corbinsbere Gundogs, Wiltshire. ‘Of course it’s possible to have a pet gundog, as long as you have boundaries and it doesn’t conflict with their training.’

Mrs Corbin, who was recently voted the Countryman’s Weekly gundog trainer of the year, admits she wasn’t always so convinced. ‘I used to think that working dogs had to be in the kennel and I mustn’t do this and I mustn’t do that, but now it’s a mixed environment. My kennel dogs can come into the house and lie in their beds. They’re not allowed to jump all over the sofa; they’d only come up if I invited them. You have to make sure you’re not giving the dog confusing messages and that everyone in the house is on the same page.’

'The idea that if you love a gundog it won’t be hard enough is an outdated opinion'