Step up to the mark

My young cocker spaniel Luke has been let loose on the field trial circuit this season. So far he has done really well, being placed in all five of his novice trials, including a first. Understandably he has shown a lack of experience in marking some of his retrieves and that is something I need to work on if he is to go further in his competition career.

It is not only trialling dogs that require the ability to mark a shot bird. It is a skill that most gundogs need to develop, though some seem to have a natural ability to know where a retrieve has