If you have booked your first gundog class, or have recently picked up your first gundog puppy, you might be wondering about what equipment you need for training.
Like with all hobbies, there’s a ton of gundog gear, gadgets, tools and accessories on the market.
A lot of which will make cheeky suggestions that revolutionary product “x” has been carefully designed to either make you a better handler, or your gundog better at various behaviours or responding in certain scenarios.
But as the saying goes, “a bad workman always blames his tools”. And while you’d be forgiven for thinking you need the latest, fanciest, most expensive equipment for your gundog training, the truth is you don’t.
Especially in the early stages, it is much better to focus on a few essentials that make training possible and productive before moving on to the bells and whistles.
In this blog, I’ll list what gundog training equipment you’ll need to train your gundog as a beginner, as well as how to manage all your gear so you don’t waste your training time faffing.
Essential gundog training kit for clear communication
A whistle is one of the few pieces of equipment that you simply cannot train a gundog without.
Whistles are used to communicate with our dogs not just because they are clear and consistent, but because they carry further than most humans can shout, are easy for our dogs to distinguish at a distance and are less likely to disturb game.
You can train your gundog to respond to any whistle, but using a standard Acme whistle (instead of a fancy one made from an antler) does make life much easier.
The main benefit is that they’re all the same. This means you can always keep a spare one in the car and, if you do lose or break one, it’s easy to replace without having to retrain your dog to its unique pitch.
On the subject of pitch, you will want to choose the right model to match your gundog’s breed and role.
The quieter and softer Acme 210.5 is often used by spaniel handlers as it is the shortest range whistle. It is most fitting for beating dogs that are expected to work much closer to their owner and would suit a pet gundog owner with limited access to big open spaces.
The lower pitch Acme 211.5 travels further and so is a sensible choice for those with retrievers, picking up dogs, or pet gundogs that will be at medium to long range. It carries well over distance, although terrain and weather do have an impact on this.
Finally there is the Acme 212. This whistle is designed to carry through thick ground and is primarily suited for HPRs that tend to range further and spend a lot of time working in moorland and other dense cover.
I would always recommend getting two whistles. They come in a range of colours most of which can be easily spotted if you drop them on grass or in the woods. You will also need to get a lanyard so that it can be hung around your neck. You always want to be able to grab it without thinking because the time you spend fumbling around in your pocket is the time your dog has long gone out of sight or area.
Alongside your whistle, for our style of gundog training, you will also need a clicker to communicate with your dog.
While it is possible to use a “marker word”, a clicker gives your dog precise, consistent feedback. It tells them the exact moment they have done the right thing, which helps them learn what you want quicker and with less confusion.
Your timing matters far more than the type of clicker you use, but in outdoor gundog training, we prefer box clickers because they are louder and easier for your dog to hear in open space.
Like your whistle you will need to have this at your finger tips at all times and so we highly recommend you get a wrist lanyard for easy access.
Essential gundog training equipment for rewarding your dog
At Teach Your Gundog, we train using ethical, positive reinforcement based methods. That means rewarding your dog to encourage them to repeat the behaviour we want, over and over and over again.
While we do use balls and the opportunity to continue hunting or retrieving as rewards, especially in the beginning, food-based rewards allow for repetition without slowing down training or detracting from the behaviour we’re teaching. We don’t want a heelwork session to get derailed by delivery to hand issues from a retrieve.
If you are coming to your first class or 121, I always recommend that you bring a high volume of food rewards - way more than you think you will need. And then bring some extra.
Those new to training are often surprised at how many reps their dog can successfully do in an hour and anything you do have left over is easily used up for your homework.
Choose food you know your dog loves and that is safe for them to eat. Even better if you can bring something novel that they don’t have access to everyday. I often suggest frankfurters, cheese, ham, chicken, sausages, liver cake and sardine cake.
Cut everything into pea-sized pieces so you can reward often without overfeeding and, depending on how physically active training is, you might also want to also consider reducing the size of their meals on training days.
While not essential, one top tip is to also bring a mix of options. Choose things that have different values to your dog, different smells, and different textures. This gives you more options when something is tricky or when your gundog is finding a task hard and needs more motivation.
It can also help when training different behaviours in different settings. For example, cubes of cheese are easy to throw and easy to see on grass, small cubes of meat paté work well for shaping and luring, and kibble is useful for scattering and hunting.
You will need to keep your food in a proper treat pouch. It should be big enough to get your hand in and out of comfortably and quickly. A lot of good training vests have deep front pockets which can fit a decent size pouch in. Otherwise, if you’re planning to wear it on your hips or waist, then I always recommend having the pouch on a belt strap rather than a clip as these often fall off and can be difficult to move once you’re training. Please do not be tempted to just have plastic bags in your pockets. You will be surprised at how much they slow down training and cause access issues which in turn makes training harder than it needs to be.
As well as food, you will also want to bring a few of your dog’s favourite toys as we use play as part of our training - click here to learn more.
You do not need to bring all their toys, and instead I recommend you focus on the ones they love most and ones which will help you develop a range of play skills like a ball for chase and something for tug.
Essential gundog training equipment for retrieving
Dummies come in a huge range of shapes, sizes, and weights, and if you go looking online you will quickly realise just how much choice there is.
You do not need to buy everything that exists, but you do need to think carefully about what your dog can actually see and what stage of training you are working at.
Dummy colours
Colour matters far more than beginner gundog handlers expect. Dogs do not see colour in the same way that we do, which means that in certain situations, like training on grass, they will not be able to see certain dummies.
Blues and purples tend to show up well against most backgrounds for our dogs, which is why they are often a sensible choice for beginners and puppies as they can be seen easily on grass or in woodland.
On grass, green dummies can be slightly unpredictable. Some shades of green with more blue in them stand out clearly to our dogs, but those with more red tones usually disappear almost completely.
Pink, orange, and red are much harder for dogs to see on grass, even though they are very easy for us to spot. This contrast is very helpful when we start teaching true blinds. You can set up exercises and line your dog up with confidence without making it too easy for them to spot where they should be running to.
Fur dummies, feathered dummies, and bird-like patterns are designed to blend into the background in a much more natural way. They do exactly what nature intended by camouflaging themselves against the ground and cover. Depending on the context, they can be surprisingly difficult for a dog to spot, which is useful when you are building more realistic retrieves where we would like our dogs to start using their nose to find the retrieve.
When it comes to colour, I usually suggest starting with white (or two tone) dummies, as these are the easiest for most dogs (and humans) to see in most environments. It makes it much simpler when it comes to learning to mark properly and running straight to the area of fall.
As your gundog becomes more confident and you start to work on lining your dog, white dummies can also be seen more reliably at longer distances.
Dummy shapes and sizes
Endless dummies, which have no toggle, are particularly useful for young or playful dogs who like to grab the toggle and swing the dummy around rather than bring it back cleanly.
Removing the toggle takes away that option and also reduces the chance of your dog smacking themselves in the face with it, which can quickly become a rehearsed habit if it is allowed to continue.
For beginners and young dogs, you will also want to keep the weight and size of the retrieve sensible so that the pick up and carry feels achievable from the start. A paint roller or a very lightweight dummy can be a good way to introduce the idea of retrieving without making it physically difficult.
The most important thing at this stage is that the object fits comfortably in your dog’s mouth and allows them to succeed. It genuinely does not matter what the object is in the early stages, even if it is something as basic as a sock stuffed with other socks, as long as it helps your dog learn the mechanics of picking up and bringing back with confidence.
Other dummy considerations
If your dog is reluctant to pick up normal dummies or lacks motivation, real fur can sometimes be the thing that makes retrieving feel more worthwhile to them.
Once your dog is retrieving reliably and understands the job, you can begin to introduce heavier dummies, different sizes, and some of the more novel and varied options that are available to increase excitement and work on arousal.
Whichever dummies you choose, I recommend having two identical dummies to begin with so that you can practise trade offs during your training. This helps reduce the likelihood of your dog running off to play with the dummy instead of bringing it back, decreases resource guarding tendencies and helps with reliable delivery to hand in the long term.
Essential gundog training targets
We often use targets and place boards in our training to give our gundogs clear, physical information which can take a lot of pressure out of early learning and help build understanding much more cleanly.
Both of these tools give your dog a clear physical target, which helps them understand and execute specific actions, whether it’s staying in place, recalling to a specific spot, or just focusing on you in a distracting environment.
Placeboards
Placeboards have multiple jobs within our style of gundog training. They are essentially raised platforms that act as a “location target” for your dog, indicating where they should go.
We use them for teaching heel position and heelwork, front position for recall, transitions from one position to another, steadiness, stop whistle, lining up for blind retrieves, fast out and back for the retrieve pattern, and directional retrieves.
You will need to start with a placeboard large enough for your dog to sit or stand comfortably. For most Labrador-sized dogs, a board around 24 x 16 inches and roughly 2 to 4 inches high works well, but this is not a fixed rule.
Spaniels may feel more confident with a smaller board, while larger HPRs may be more comfortable on something with a bit more space. What matters most is that the surface is non-slip so your dog feels stable and safe when they step onto it, rather than worrying about losing their footing.
Marker posts
Go-to targets are similar to placeboards in that they provide a physical target, but instead of remaining in a place, they encourage your dog to actively seek out and touch the target with their nose. This can be particularly helpful for teaching the straight lines that your dog will need for retrieving, or sending them out to practice the stop whistle.
Standard white electric fence posts can work well if you cut them down to a shorter size, as they are easy to push into the ground and are visible without being bulky.
Portable marker posts, such as the ones available from Mystique, are particularly handy because they fit into the back pocket of most training vests. The spike is also stored safely inside the tube, which means you can carry them around without stabbing yourself every time you bend down.
Cones can also work, and they are cheap, but they are awkward to carry in and need to be sturdy enough not to blow over in the wind.
You will usually want at least two to begin with so that you can set up simple lines and exercises. But as your training progresses, you will probably find that you want more so that you can set up complex exercises and grid-based drills.
Essential gundog training equipment for organisation
If you spend some time watching good gundog handlers you’ll notice one tiny detail they all have in common. They all have access to the right equipment for the situation, know exactly where it is on their person and how to access it easily while they are training, competing or working their dog.
It’s an often overlooked skill, but being prepared with your gear can make a big difference in the training field.
There is nothing worse than turning up to find you have lost or forgotten something. It makes you feel uncomfortable and unconfident before you have even started.
By keeping your equipment in the same place, you should feel more in control which will transfer down to your dog.
It will also help you to remain focused on the task at hand and avoid what I often call “faffing”. Rifling through pockets can waste significant time at best, but can at worst negatively impact your dog’s learning and understanding, particularly if they are waiting for reinforcement.
When it comes to storing your equipment on your person, the best solution is a dummy vest. They spread the weight of the contents easily across your shoulders, they don’t flap or dangle in the way of your dog, they have a lot of pockets, are often waterproof and can be worn over coats and jackets in the winter yet are equally comfortable over a t-shirt in the summer.
Dummy bags are fine provided they are well-organised and secured so that they do not swing forward and interfere with your dog.
The main bulk of your vest or bag will be taken up by your dummies which are typically easy to pull out due to their size. Aside from that, you will then need to decide where you are going to store all your other training equipment such as whistle, lead, treat pouch, clicker, ball, get it bowls, posts and go-to targets, placeboard, steady fob, water, as well as things like poo bags, car keys, mobile phone, glasses, and note pad.
Putting some thought into this and getting into the habit of keeping everything in the same place will be invaluable in the future as it will soon become second nature for you to quickly reach for your lead, whistle, dummy or treats.
All the gear and “no idea”?
If you feel like you have all the gundog training gear but are unsure in moving forward with your gundog training, our group gundog classes in Haslemere, on the Surrey, Sussex, Hampshire border, are designed to help with all the basics. For more information on group training click here.
If you are ready to move on to some more advanced gundog skills and would like some support, Jules offers 121 gundog training classes at her ground in Haslemere and Loxwood. Click here for more information.
Teach Your Gundog also runs several progressive and advanced group classes. If you have not trained with us before, please email hello@teachyourgundog.co.uk for more information.