AS BOOK TITLES GO, Gundogs: Training and Field Trials is not the snappiest, so it’s no surprise that it didn’t take long for the work to be known by the name of its author, Moxon. For generations of gundog trainers, Moxon has been their bible, and it remains just as useful today as it did in 1952 when it was first published. Of all the many gundog books on my shelves, Moxon is still the one I refer to most often.
Peter Moxon’s kennel editor for 40 years, writing an entertaining weekly column based on his experience as a professional gundog trainer, field trial competitor and boarding kennel proprietor. was his first book; it featured 36 black-and-white photographs, the majority taken by Horace Hall. My favourite is one titled ‘Picking Up’. It shows Peter, with pipe and trademark trilby, sitting with his two spaniels a few feet behind the waiting Gun.
