Shooting Answers

GUNDOGS

Double trouble

I am just about to get my first gundog and have the opportunity to buy two pups from the same litter. I keep being told that this is not a good idea. What do you think and, if I do, how should I go about training them?

Fran says: My instinct is to say don’t do it. However, much will depend on your circumstances and how you plan to house the pups. If they are to be looked after in the house, then I would probably advise against getting two from the same litter as the management of their training could be quite problematic. Litter siblings will often form a strong bond and it can be difficult to get them to focus on you as the handler. You may also encounter separation issues when you take one away from the other. If you plan to kennel them outside, I would suggest you use separate kennels and train them at separate times.

Taking on two dogs at one time and training them yourself means that you will have to make extra time for each of the dogs and therefore you must make sure you can accommodate this additional work.

It may well be better to buy just the one puppy, get some help training it and gain some experience and then in future, if circumstances allow, add another pup to your team.

WILDFOWLING

The call of the wild – it’s a hoot

We have a few bunches of Canada geese on our marshes and I