The challenge of the heather

When working with grouse, a dog’s training, experience and fitness level are markedly more relevant than its breed, as David Tomlinson discovers

- David Tomlinson

RATHER more than a century ago, the correspondence pages of The Field were enlivened by passionate debates about the best breeds of dogs to work with grouse. With the eventual eclipse of the flatcoated retriever these discussions became less heated, but there are still many who have strong views on the subject. I asked a former headkeeper of a Pennine moor for his opinion. He thought for a moment, looked me straight in the eye and answered in broad Yorkshire: “There isn’t one. I’ve witnessed terrific work by almost any breed you can think of, and seen some of the best labradors in the business humiliated by one of my keepers’ spaniels. Regardless of breed, the best dogs are those that are both well trained and used to working with grouse.”

For a labrador that’s practised at picking up pheasants on cold winter days in lowland England, being asked to find a lost grouse on a hot day in deep heather is a real challenge. My keeper friend also pointed out that many of the dogs that accompany guns on driven days early in the season are hopelessly unfit. Working on a grouse moor is testing. The days are long, the temperatures often high, the hills steep, the conditions difficult. It’s hardly surprising that a sofa-lounging labrador from Surrey is going to find things tricky.