Week 1🐾 Blog Title: Autumn Beginnings – The Perfect Time to Start Thinking Gundog

Autumn is the ideal time to start building the foundations of your gundog training journey. Begin with connection, calmness, and curiosity.

🍂 Blog: Autumn Beginnings – The Perfect Time to Start Thinking Gundog

As the leaves turn and the days shorten, many of us start to reflect on the year that’s passed and look ahead to the next. For gundog handlers — or those curious about giving their dogs a job to do — autumn is a wonderful season to start learning, observing, and laying the groundwork for training.

This blog marks the start of our new Connected Canines seasonal series, “A Year in the Life of a Gundog – From Field to Firelight.”
Each week, we’ll explore a topic that fits the time of year — from building steadiness and handling through to staying motivated over winter. Even though our new groups won’t begin until the new year, these blogs will help you use the months ahead to prepare, reflect, and connect with your dog.

🍁 The Magic of Autumn

Autumn offers a sensory playground for dogs. The ground is alive with scent — pheasants in the hedgerows, damp leaves underfoot, and a hundred new smells carried on the wind. For us handlers, it’s a chance to simply watch and learn.

Notice what your dog’s nose tells you. How long do they investigate a particular scent? Do they lift their head and air-scent or keep their nose low to the ground? Learning to read these small details now will help you later when you begin formal hunting or retrieving work.

🦆 Building the Right Foundations

Before we ever pick up a dummy or whistle, gundog work starts with relationship.
If you can call your dog back with a smile, walk together calmly, and keep their attention even when pheasants are flapping in the distance — you already have the foundations of a great working partnership.

This time of year is ideal for:

Strengthening recall in real-world settings.
Practising focus around distractions like wildlife or falling leaves.
Playing short training games that build communication and trust.
Encouraging calmness before and after exciting moments.

Remember — you’re working with the dog you have today, not the one you had yesterday or hope to have tomorrow. Every interaction is part of the bigger picture.

🐶 For Puppies and Young Dogs

If you’ve got a young or adolescent dog, use the quieter months to gently shape the behaviours you’ll need later.
Things like sitting calmly before a walk, waiting for a release cue, or bringing toys to hand all translate beautifully into later retrieving and steadiness work.

Avoid overtraining — tired puppies can quickly become frustrated, bitey, or silly. Keep sessions short, upbeat, and always end on success.

🔦 Setting the Scene for the Year Ahead

Gundog training isn’t just for the field — it’s a wonderful way to give your dog a purpose, strengthen your bond, and enjoy the countryside together.
Over the coming weeks, we’ll look at:

How scent influences behaviour.
The power of calm.
Building steadiness and confidence.
Safe winter water work.
Indoor training ideas when the weather turns wild.

Each post will help you understand your dog a little better and prepare you both for the training year ahead.

❤️ Final Thought

Autumn is a season of beginnings — not endings.
Take the time to enjoy your walks, play games that strengthen your connection, and notice all the small ways your dog communicates with you.
Come the new year, you’ll both be ready to step confidently into your next chapter together.

Categories: : Autumn Series