West Country Gundogs

First Beginnings

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Back in the summer of 2014 one conversation lead to another when Bob Pownall approached David Templar who approached Steve Cullis who approached Jim Penaliggon and together we took the opportunity to the Bristol and West Working Gundog Society. With the help and encouragement of Mark and his team at Living Heritage Game & Country Fairs and under the aegis of the BWWGS – the rest, as they say, is history!

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The First Bowood Gundog Test

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The first event was project managed and run by a small army of self-appointed enthusiasts most of whom were relatively new to the world of gundogs and competitive tests. What this group may not have known about the subject was more than compensated for by their verve and organisational skills brought from their professional working lives, coupled with their enthusiasm to give something back to an activity from which they derive so much pleasure. A significant number of those people were from “the class of Geoff” those that had taken their first gundog training lessons from Geoff Shore.

Under the watchful eye of retriever field triallers Steve and Paula Cullis the team got to work. Come the first day, some forty people had volunteered to help run the administration, catering, course set up and stewarding, throw dummies and so on.

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The Idea

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The idea was to augment the existing gundog scurries at the Wiltshire Game & Country Fair, to provide further entertainment and engagement for gundogs, their owners and families. This was to be distinct from the typical timed gundog scurries already established at the Fair. So evolved the concept of a mini-test "brashings style" of gundog working tests judged on a points system by experienced field trial and gundog working test experts; an idea used for many years to popular acclaim by the two Martins in the gundog arena of the BASC West Country Game Fair at Shepton Mallet.

 

The Tests

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A retriever and spaniel test was built with brashings, a course and a jump constructed. Judging was based on points awarded for hunting ability, steadiness, drop-to-shot, seen, unseen, memory and water retrieves.

 

Success

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Two very busy sunny days later and the team was thrilled by the response from the Fair visitors. From the young to the not so young, the novice to the experienced owner, everyone had a ball.  Happy faces all round said it all. The test arena became something of a “village green” a meeting point for the gundog community. The show days ended with a presentation of trophies and certificates to the winners, kindly sponsored by Skinners Pet Foods.

Judges set a kindly, supportive tone.  Those who had a go but found they could not complete the course, so as to get onto the competition leader board, were delighted to find that the judges kindly used their run, if they so wished, as a moment for a little tuition and coached them through the course.

Volunteer helpers and stewards excelled, dogs ran well, handlers got a buzz and everyone had a good time. New friendships were made which have resulted in more people taking up gundog training, tests and beating on shoots for the first time.

 

The Judges

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Retrievers - Steve and Paula Cullis
Spaniels - Alan Willis and Paul Hulin, Geoff Shore and Richard Biggs