He would suggest if you have plenty of time to spend on training to get a puppy 8 – 10 weeks old and suggests you give some thought before buying a puppy you wish to train as a gundog, one of the considerations would be whether you want a dog or a bitch, bearing in mind that a bitch will be in season during part of the shooting season but can be less difficult to train he also strongly suggests you check both parents are from good working stock and that you can see both the dog and the bitch to check you are happy with them as working gundogs. However, if you do not have the amount of spare time required you could consider getting a part trained gundog which will give you the benefit of all problematic basics being resolved.

The next consideration would be what breed of gundog you go for, a Labrador would make a good Peg dog, where as if you are looking for a dog to flush, Springer Spaniels and Retrievers would be a better selection, but a lot is personal preference.

If you have never trained a gundog puppy yourself before or even if you are getting a part trained dog you would find the David Lisett at Buccleuch Kennel  range of DVD’s extremely useful, or Stan Harveys DVD Training The Young Labrador these DVDs are available at John Norris, or if you would prefer a book on gun dog training, John Norris has a great selection.

Julian also suggests that you always buy 2 dog whistles the same when you start to train your gundog puppy – in the event that one is lost it means you will always have another with the same pitch other essentials would be a slip lead and dummies which are all available on the John Norris website.

When you have invested time and effort in your dog you want to look after your investment and John Norris can help you as they stock a range of dog transport boxes, water bowls including the Dog Road Refresher Non Spill Water Bowl (As seen on Dragons Den).