Whistling in the wind

In this time of lockdown, the internet and especially Facebook are full of training exercises for handlers and their dogs – some better than others, most attracting plenty of comments. Much of the advice revolves around the dog and not the handler, yet more often than not it is the handler who needs to change his or her understanding or body language as that can have a direct effect on the dog.

A few years back I was undertaking a photo commission at a shoot and the shoot captain had two rather smart-looking labradors. He was telling