Shooting Gazette – September 2019

WWW.SHOOTINGGAZETTE.CO.UK SEPTEMBER 2019 93

Gundog update GUNDOGS

Q

Aredummylaunchers
worthexploring and
investingin?

A

Theycertainlyhave
a placeintraining.
Especiallyif youwantto
projecta dummysome
distanceofcourseandthe
bangislouderthana starter
pistolandmoreakin to a
shotgunsound.
Introducea starterpistol
beforeyoutryoneofthese,
justtobesafeinintroducing
shotsounds.Theycomein
eithera hand-heldlauncher
and static remote controlled

version.Thereareairpowered

launchers,butI haveseen

dogswhoreactnervouslyto

thedifferentsoundtheymake.

Blankscomeina numberof

colourcoded‘strengths’of

green,yellowandredtogive

varyingdistances.I useboth

launchersdependingonthe

situation.Thehandheldone

ismoreconvenient,lightand

portableandstillgivesa good

distanceandisusefulif you

arecoveringdifferentterrain.It

isfarmoreflexibleinthisway

buta littlelimitingif youneed

to keep a focus on the dog or

workonsteadinessandnot

running-in.It canalsobequite

scaryif youputa .22blankinit

meantfordistance;believeme

it hasquitea kick.Thestatic

launcherworkswelltoenable

youtoconcentrateonthedog

andpropelthedummyfrom

somewhereelse.Thedummies

areusually‘seen’bythedog,

soit isallaboutsteadinessand

retrieveoncommandandhasa

limitedlifespan,asyouprogress

tounseendummies.

I guessthatisthepointreally.

Theyareusefulbutatwhat

price and how much use would

yougetoutofit?Theyare

readilyavailablebutinmy

opinionnotcheap,unless

youaretraininga number of

dogsovertime.

Thefinalpointisto

understandthesethings

arequitepowerfuland

potentiallydangerous,so

treat them with respect.

Gundog Q&A By Mike Barnes

Mikehasbeenroughandgame

shooting,stalkingandfly fishing

for 30 years.Hispassionisworking

andtraininggundogsinthefield,

withanemphasisondeveloping

thetraineraswellasunderstanding

thedoganditsparticularpurpose.

HeisaninstructorwiththeGuild

ofDogTrainersandcoacheswith

LincolnshirePetGundogs.Healso

runsRutlandGundogsandcanbe

contacted on 07803 617859.

Double diet boost for

working dogs

Twonewproductsfrom
VetSpecareaimingto
ensureworkingdogsget
thenutrientstheyneedto
ensureoptimumgrowth and
development.
VetSpecWorkingDog
Puppy&JuniorFormula
(forworkingdogsfromfour
weeksto 12 months)and
VetSpec Working Dog Adult

Formula(forworkingdogs

over 12 monthsofage)are

madewith44%chicken,

rice,vegetablesandherbs.

Thespecialised

supplementsalsoinclude

Biotin,andotherassociated

nutrientswhichimproves

thecoatandpromotes

suppleskin.Forinformation,

visit vetspec.com

Cold press technology

keeps the goodness in

Perthshire-basedcompany

WilsonsPetFoodhasbranched

outfromitsheritagemuesli

productswitha coldpressed

dryfoodwhichoffersoptimal

nutrition.Thenewrange

makessureallthegoodness

containedina numberoffragile

superfoodsincludingginger,

turmeric,thyme,cranberry,

dandelionrootandmerrygold

yellowarenotdestroyedinthe

manufacturing process.

Therecipescontaina high

proteincontentforextra

energyandincludeallthe

vitamins,minerals,pre-biotics,

botanicals,naturalanti-oxidants

andaminoacidsanyactive

workingdogneedstomaintain

healthandvitality.Therecipes

aregrainandglutenfreesoare

idealfordogswith allergies or

intolerances.

Forinformation,visit

wilsonspetfood.co.uk