Page 92 - K9 News - Issue 15 - March2021

I was up there most nights and weekends. I that the dog’s pointing remained higher in head
did have to keep the rabbits under control, but
with no real pressure from the farmer I would
take Ryan and Ruke for walks around the farm
seeking out working opportunities for them
both. There was little game available except
for the hares, some woodcock in the woods at
winter time and the farmer suggested I walk
the little brook after a good frost had occurred
where I would find snipe and a few duck. We
should discuss hares first, I love hares so I used
these to teach the dogs how to use the wind
and work a strong game scent. Hares can sit
tight but when they bolt it is instantaneous and
usually causes the dog to break the handler’s
command and give chase, I thank the hares on
that farm for tolerating my initial lack of ability,
with perseverance I became able to sit both
dogs as they flushed. With this knowledge I
could now feel comfortable about other game I
would meet on my journey to gain experience,
hares have nothing to fear from me. I have
been on numerous shoots over the years and
when a hare rises to flee, I turn and raise my
hat, never my gun. The first thing to learn when
introducing a dog to wild game is habitat. Where
should I look for pheasant, partridge, snipe,
etc ? If you just let your dog off the lead in the
hope that it will find game then your dog will
soon lose interest. As soon as you have good
whistle and voice control, perhaps hand signals
also, then expose them under control to game
scent. It took me a while but whilst working the
aforementioned brook for snipe I found I could
only use hand signals. Snipe are very jumpy
in daylight hours, the slightest sound and not
only one goes, they all go! I have now enjoyed
many ‘wild bird’ days around the country and
witnessed the poor beater trying to open a gate
and 100 snipe leave the field before everyone
is in place. That Brook was invaluable for me as
I Iearnt to work the dogs close, watching their
body shape change as they came onto scent,
if it was duck which were sitting tightly then the
head, neck and back stiffened and gradually
became lower until there was no movement
as the flush was imminent. Snipe tended to
probe into the soft banks and mud for insects
and worms, moving steadily along, this meant
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K9 NEWS DIGITAL / MARCH 2021
carriage and they slowly inched forward in time
with the moving birds. It was when the dogs
stopped and held a leg, sometimes just shaking
in anticipation, more often the GSP was classic,
front leg raised and the Weimaraner holding up
a rear leg, which seems characteristic of the
breed, then I could call the flush of a bird and
even if a shot was fired there would still be birds
to work further along the Brook, they seemed
less inclined to leave their feeding spots in the
fading light.
At that time we were frequent visitors to
Elaine’s uncle who farmed 350 acres near
Leamington Spa. He had no animals but grew
mainly cereals with about 20 acres of brassica
crops, we always took the dogs and he always
invited me to walk the farm with his gun. He
was a countryman and had invites to large
sporting estates so never walked his own
farm. There were really wild pheasants on this
farm and it was not only a privilege to be there
but invaluable experience for the dogs to pit
their wits against those birds. This is where
fieldcraft became so important, knowing where
to introduce the dogs into the hedgerow or the
brassica crop so that they could get within close
contact of these wily birds. We learnt together
and I can still remember as these birds flushed,
they would fly up and down at speed following
the contours of the hedge. Sometimes they
would surprise all of us with the dogs flushing
and as the birds exploded from their cover,
they would turn to get the wind in their wings
and come screaming down the hedge line and
as they passed me, they would flare upwards
and be gone. This decade saw Ryan and Ruke
become exceptional working dogs gaining
invites from many local shoot owners. It saw me
develop as a trainer and in doing so gave me
the knowledge to help others and to train and
work all the chosen ‘Ryanstock’ working dogs
until the present day.
The 1980’s started on a bit of a low after losing
Ryan, we were planning our litter with Feebie
Ryan’s daughter. It did however turn into a
bit of a purple patch for us by the end of the