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Everyone has their preferred piece of equipment, items they have used and had success with, items that have created a better response. As a trainer I see plenty of different whistle options, however my favourite are the Acme 211.5 whistles, I train Labradors so this tone is the one for me, but if you have a spaniel you can choose the 210.5 or a HPR 212.5. Their tone is sleek and easy to recognise, they are comfortable in your mouth and you can create your own cues. Yes there are plenty of cues that you can choose.  They come in lots of flashy colours, my personal favourite is the purple and close behind is the bright orange, but you have a choice of black, blue, red, pink, khaki and neon green.   These are a great addition for any dog owner.

It’s really easy for me to tell you to do certain things to make sure you and your dog have a harmonious relationship, but the reality is not every dog/family/household fit under the same umbrella. I can advise and guide you, however each situation is unique. There are certain steps you can take to ensure your dog has an outlet for certain behaviours, however each dog will have their own ideas as to what they like or don’t like.  For example, some dogs will love the root chews with some pate smeared on, some will love a Yak chew, some will love a deer antler. The key to a harmonious relationship is knowing your dog and understanding what flavour they like and also what textures. Some will LOVE the root chews with venison pate, some will love a buffalo horn with rabbit pate. Whatever it is, the best thing to do is to try new things. Explore the world with your dog.  if you want a content happy and snoozing dog on a night, give them some things to try. Some new things. Licki mats with pate/peanut butter. An olive chew or even a beef trachea. Try it and see what happens.

I get asked a lot what the best gundog dummy is when starting out. For me personally I would always recommend the basic 1lb or 1/2lb gundog dummy. Not in any fancy colour, although they do come in fancy colours.  for young or small dogs the 1/2lb is perfect, and for more experienced or bigger/older dogs the 1lb is ideal. Don’t over complicate your training, keep it simple. The darker colours help bring out your dogs natural ability to hunt if it’s fallen in longer grass or cover. Although for your marking ability the brighter colours are a good starting point for a novice handler. Being able to mark the dummy is important for handler too, so if you struggle with this aspect choose a brighter colour.  These are fairly inexpensive pieces of equipment, most of them float, but be warned if your dog chews them they do have either sand, sawdust or black little beads in them, something you do not want your dog to ingest. So these are definitely not to be left with your dog. Always monitor them when they have them.