Field Editor Ben Randall advises on how best to shape a companion that will enhance rather than hamper a day’s shooting. Register for our newsletter
Immortalised in written accounts, tongue-in-cheek illustrations and cartoons since the advent of driven shooting, the scene of a ‘peg dog’ running riot mid-drive is typically portrayed as an amusing affair. But when ‘man’s best friend’– supposed to be sat quietly by his master in the line – runs amok on a shoot day, it can be far from a laughing matter.
To list what can go wrong, the majority of us game Shots need only sift through memories of past experiences in the shooting line. Hopefully, you will be thinking back to those occasions when a fellow Gun’s dog(s) – rather than your own – caused faces to turn crimson. Running-in, whining, swapping and stealing birds… any of these sound familiar? A good peg dog is the ultimate accessory for the sporting lady or gentleman, but a poorly trained, ill-behaved dog is nothing more than a liability, detracting from a shoot day that its owner and others have likely paid a lot of money for.
Now, I’m not for a minute suggesting that you should leave your dog at home until polished to perfection, but there are a few key principles which, if taken into consideration, will help you on your journey to training a peg dog to be proud of – a companion that will enhance your days in the field rather than hamper them.
Establishing a clear end goal for your dog’s training is a good place to start. Indeed, it’s surprising how many people buy a gundog without first giving thought to its intended role. The training of a peg dog, for example, will differ to the training of a dog that will be taken beating. I’d recommend sticking to one role and tailoring your training to this role from the outset. It is, of course, possible to train a ‘Jack of all trades’, but this generally requires a lot of time, good facilities and experience.
Put simply, all good peg dogs have the same basic set of attributes. They are patient, well-mannered, behave around other dogs and people, and will find and retrieve game without fuss. And, happily, all of these fundamentals can be honed from puppyhood…
From a young age, my dogs will be taught to sit, wait and watch as other dogs eat food or perform training exercises around them. This forms the basis of the patience and steadiness which is so important further down the line when it comes to the real thing. The key is to instil an attitude where the dog does not expect anything. Like spoilt children, spoilt dogs are such because they grow up getting everything they want – that might be endless retrieves, or even free reign of the family home with no rules or boundaries.
A dog that grows up expecting to be sent for every retrieve it sees, will be difficult to control in the shooting field – even more so when your focus is (supposed to be) on the shooting. Spoilt dogs swap retrieves, run in and generally do as they please.
A steady transition between different patience exercises, moving from food to dummies to real game, is a simple but hugely underrated process we can use to shape a calm and composed peg dog that sees being sent for a retrieve as a privilege, rather than a right. Exercises involving greater distraction and temptation should be introduced gradually as the dog matures and demonstrates its ability to remain calm and composed in the presence of temptation. You might, for example, progress from steadiness exercises with food and tennis balls in the garden, to patience training in the presence of experienced dogs, before then introducing new environments, sights and smells, and eventually moving on to brief spells where the dog will join you in a pigeon hide, simply to sit and learn to relax whilst you shoot.
Always keep the end goal in mind: a peg dog that will sit calmly in the line, watch birds fall and think ‘that’s not mine, that’s not mine, that’s not mine, but if I’m lucky I might be sent for one’, rather than ‘that’s mine, that’s mine, that’s mine, and even if you don’t send me for it, I’m going anyway!’.
So, what exactly is a peg dog? Well, it’s a dog that sits at your peg whilst you shoot and is then sent to retrieve game after the drive has finished. The peg dog can be any breed of dog, but it’s most commonly one of the retrieving breeds – a labrador is the most popular choice.
Game finding and retrieving
There’s little point in investing the time and effort training a rock-steady gundog if it cannot find and retrieve shot game to hand. Choosing a pup from good stock with proven working ability helps. Once you have the right raw material to work with, then it is up to you to train the dog to be responsive to verbal and whistle commands, but without losing the confidence to use its own initiative.
By using an array of dummy shapes, weights and sizes as training progresses, we can prepare our dogs for cold game training with different quarry types – from mallard and redlegs to pigeons and snipe. You might encounter any of these species on a driven day, and it is nice to have a dog that will pick them all when given the opportunity.
Manners and social skills
It goes without saying that good behaviour around other people and dogs on a shoot day is essential. Ideally, our dogs will be nonchalant, paying little attention to others. A dog that rushes up to others excitedly throughout the day can be frustrating, but one which is aggressive is a real problem and must be left at home until its behavioural problems have been resolved.
Good manners mean staying away from food at elevenses, not jumping up at people or into their vehicles, and remaining quiet between drives whilst in the dog box or gunbus. Socialisation with dogs and people in a controlled and positive environment from a young age is key to achieving this.
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FAQ
What does FTW mean for dogs?
What does hi lost mean?
What is a peg dog?
The short answer is that a peg dog is a dog that sits at your peg (shooting station) while you shoot, then retrieves game after the drive has finished. At the end of each bird release, hunters rotate to the next shooting peg. This keeps things interesting, and assures that every gunner has the opportunity to shoot from each peg.
How is a PEG tube placed in a dog?
The pet is anesthetized and a PEG tube is placed through the side of the abdomen into the stomach. Usually a temporary tube is placed first. If a permanent tube is required, it can be placed after a permanent stoma/fistula has developed from the stomach to the skin.
Can a dog become a peg dog without training?
A peg dog can be any breed of dog, but it’s typically a retrieving breeds, and Labrador Retrievers are the most popular choice. Needless to say, a dog doesn’t just become a peg dog without training.
Are driven birds peg dog averse?
In truth, most commercial driven-bird shoots are peg dog averse but some hide it. Generations ago, a gun picked-up his own shot prey, especially wildfowling, shooting vermin and walked-up. Even during my early days on driven birds, friends and family would bring dogs to join guns to collect what we shot.