About Us
We have a Weimaraner called Slate and a Slovakian Rough Haired Pointer called Grey. Our dogs are much-loved pets and members of our family and they also work on shoots.
When Slate was young, we dabbled casually in several different dog-sports to find something which we liked; which Slate liked; and which we had a reasonable chance of modest success in, using whatever abilities Slate came with, as a Weimaraner. We tried out agility courses, tracking seminars, trick-training courses, competition obedience seminars; and we also showed Slate at championship shows. Ultimately, we settled on gundog work.
Over the coming years with Slate, we did have some modest successes: We competed in (a lot of) gundog working tests, winning out of large Novice and Graduate classes and being consistently placed in the top 5 dogs of large classes; we competed in about three field trials, gaining the Guns’Award once; we gained the KC Working Gundog Certificate; we passed a Natural Ability Award; picked up and beat on many shoots; attended many gundog training events for both retrievers and HPRs; and we got Grey, who was bought specifically with gundog work in mind. (Not sure whether she has fulfilled her potential, but that’s another story!!)
So we did achieve our objective of having fun with our dog in field events – and we met lots of lovely and supportive people in the Weimaraner community along the way: My friend Mike and I created the Working HPRs forum together in 2006, and – largely through Mike’s tireless promotion of it – it now has over 1000 members.
Alongside all of this, I had a strong interest in clicker training and reward-based methods. As part of our ‘dabbling in things’ with Slate, I had picked up bits and pieces from some great trainers – trainers competing in many different canine sports, including working trials, obedience and agility. Particularly influential was Anne Bussey’s method of training the clicker retrieve, which was helpful when applied to gundog work. I attended many seminars at Learning About Dogs, the UK’s main clicker training centre, gaining CAP1 and CAP2 clicker training qualifications – and our dogs were clicker trained from a young age.
There is nothing about gundog training which means that it has to be the antithesis of clicker training, but there is a tension between these two worlds which can make them difficult to combine. It is partly that the gundog world is somewhat behind other dog sports in the knowledge and application of learning theory and reward-based methods.
Slate is getting on a bit in years now, but we have embarked on our CAP3 clicker training qualification. I have no idea if we’re going to finish it, since it seems a never-ending task.
I also run training classes as an APDT registered dog trainer, including a ‘Clicker Gundog’ course. I’m always looking to further my own knowledge and to improve my training skills in various ways.
I hope you enjoy our blog!
[...] slate and grey's blog About Us [...]
i am thinking of getting a SRH{ puppy and would like to speak to you. Please could you email me your details. With thanks.
I live on the west coast of the US. We are very interested in an SRH, both as a family and hunt dog. I have only found one place in the US that has the breed– in Utah– wondering if you know anything about them; or if you have suggestions about finding one in the UK or even the Continent, and getting it all the way here. I have read several of your posts and am very wary of the health issues you have discussed. We would have no interest in breeding the dog, so would take one that would not be appropriate to be bred, even a rescue; but we don’t want to take one with obvious chronic health problems either. Anyway, any suggestions you may have would be welcomed. Many thanks.– ps