Vicky Payne

I am Vicky Payne, Vet, COAPE trained behaviourist, gundog trainer, and spaniel fanatic!

I fell into spaniel ownership over 20 years ago and got hooked, but my first dog was challenging and drove me to study training and behaviour. My biggest love is being out beating or on a rough shoot with my dogs, but I also compete them on Gundog Working Tests and Field Trials. I have achieved Field Trial awards with two dogs, with one having Open awards.

I love using gundog training to help people who are finding their working bred dogs a bit of a handful. For me nothing beats working with your dog instead of fighting against them. Although I mostly working with gundog breeds, I have made two trips to The Falkland Islands, where the dog population has rather more Collies and Kelpies.

I am looking forward to sharing the secrets of how to get your dog hunting with you!

Workshop 1 – Hunting for Beginners

This will be an introduction to the most fun, rewarding, and tiring thing you can do with your spaniel. Learning to hunt together is the key to a spaniel that doesn’t run off in the woods and whose mental exercise needs can be met in as little as 20minutes when you are short on time. It may even be the start of a beautiful working relationship.

We will cover: what to hunt for, building the hunting obsession, retrieves as rewards, alternative rewards, stopping to movement.

6 handler places available

Workshop 2 – Hunting On

This session will cover aspects for hunting for more experienced combinations, perhaps thinking about trying competition or field work. We will cover wind and patterning, different sorts of ground treatment, controlling the area your dog hunts in, and helping your dog succeed in hunting. We will also look at stop to movement and how different types of reward can affect how a dog hunts.

6 handler places available