Ashleygrove Gundogs

We have been involved with gundogs in some way for over 20 years. First shooting over our own dogs on the local country estates, then handling our dogs in the beating line or picking up teams out on the shoots. Avis spent 6 years working for Labrador Rescue in the South East. These days we are still working our dogs locally in the winter,  while, out of the shoot season, breeding and training Labradors, Springers and Cockers. Now we are also enjoying teaching our handling skills to other gundog owners via our private lessons and group courses.

We breed once a year from either our Labradors, or Spaniels, who are all active in the field and we like our puppies to go to working homes where they will be stimulated and happy. We pay a lot of heed to the temperament of our pups and expect them all to fit into a family home as well as work to the gun.

Our trainer, Avis Boreham gained a great deal of experience attending residential gundog courses in Devon over a period of 4 years run by  Steve Kimberley of Kimberley Gundogs. Along with her own experiences working with rescued Labradors, attending other gundog courses and obtaining a qualification in Canine Psychology, she has developed training methods which are based on building a sound relationship with your dog and learning some basic canine communication skills to achieve trust on both sides. You will be encouraged develop a good training regime for you and your dog, that fits into your life, and suits your personality. We are always happy to share our experience with our trainees and can also help you with advice on equipment, whelping, feeding, kenneling etc. Avis has entered her dogs in working tests and achieved some nice results in the past but has to admit that she does not really enjoy the competitive side of dog work.

We have many contacts in the Gundog world and can usually put you in touch with a specialist if we are not able to help you ourselves.

In the winter months, (Dec, Jan, Feb) we suspend our training classes briefly as we are busy out on the local shoots working our dogs in picking up teams. Between us we have about fifty days picking up in the shooting field each winter. Some of the shoots are small friendly farm affairs; some are the bigger driven days on the larger estates. We are very lucky to have the opportunity to take our dogs out in the countryside and see them do what they love best. By the end of January the dogs are happy to rest up and spend February lazing about and we feel much the same. By March we are all ready to start training again in preparation for the new seasons work and maybe the odd working test along the way!

We are suppliers and users of CSJ Feeds and carry a large stock of their basic food 'Champ'. This brand is proving very popular amongst Gundog people as it keeps the dogs in great condition, reduces waste, keeps their teeth clean and most importantly they love it! Other varieties can be ordered in advance. If you are interested in finding out more about this excellant feed please have a look at their website CSJK9.

 We also stock Joint-Aid supplement which helps to support cartilidge in dogs joints. If you have a older dog showing signs of stiffness he will certainly benefit from this added to his feed. If you have active younger dogs consider using this as a maintenance for their joints to help keep them fit and healthly longer.

We have a great product for the gundog world, a brand new dummy for training your dogs. Shaped like a rugby ball the dummy is very tough, floats, and the manufacturing quality is superb which should mean it will last. The dummy's shape really helps the dog deliver well as it must pick up in the centre to acheive a good balance and as soon as the jaw relaxes the dummy pops out into your hand. We have been thrilled with the results and I can highly recommend this product.

We always have a small stock of these dummies so you can call to arrange to collect.

You will also find Jill and Ian Clinton at Working Dog Co. very friendly, knowledgable and easy to deal with. Go the website Workingdogcompany to find out for more.