Welcome to Smart Gun Dogs
Featured Courses
Positive, purpose-led training for gundog breeds
Thousands of us choose gundog breeds as family companions. Smart Gundog Training is here to help you unlock their potential — whether you’re a pet owner or working with your dog in the field.
We teach gundog-specific skills that are practical, enriching, and deeply rewarding for both dog and owner. These behaviours are instinctive to your dog — we show you how to shape them through force-free, structured training.
Is This Right for You?
-
Your gundog is "going deaf" off lead, especially around distractions
-
You're struggling with chasing, recall or overexcitement
-
You want to learn how to work with your dog's natural drives, not against them
Our Core Values
-
✨ Force-Free Ethical, positive reinforcement methods that build lasting trust.
-
🎉 Fun Training should be enjoyable — we use play and games to teach serious skills.
-
✅ Achievable We break down complex behaviours into small, trainable steps based on your dog’s stage of development.
-
🎓 Experienced Oliver began working with gundogs at Force Green Kennels at 14. He now works his own spaniels and wirehaired vizsla on local shoots.
Knowledge & Philosophy
Oliver started working with gundogs in his first job at Force Green Kennels. He joined beating teams at 14 and has since spent many years shooting over dogs. Today, he actively works his springer spaniels and wirehaired vizsla, often handling all three together in the beating line and assisting with picking up.
We believe every dog we live with, train, or meet has something to teach us. That mindset is at the heart of Dog Smart.
Our team holds industry-recognised dog training qualifications and keeps up to date through ongoing study — courses, webinars, books, and training days — plus the daily lessons from our own dogs.
This commitment ensures you receive up-to-date, ethical, and practical training that fits both your dog and your lifestyle.
We also share real-world examples and gundog updates on our Facebook page — follow Smart Gundogs here.
Smart Gundog Training at Dog Smart
Skills We Cover
Foundations:
-
Off-lead connection
-
Heelwork
-
Boundary and gate control
-
Working calmly around distractions
Fieldwork Essentials:
-
Recall and stop whistle
-
Hunt and directional control
-
Retrieve
-
Steadiness
Enrichment and Confidence Building:
-
"Off switch" training
-
Environmental awareness (reading body language)
-
How and when to use play as a reinforcer
Advanced Handling:
-
Cue proofing, fluency, chaining
-
Duration, distance, distraction
-
Realistic training setups with launchers and cold game
Equipment We Use
We supply the majority of training equipment including:
-
Canvas dummies (puppy, doken types)
-
Cold game (when available)
-
Dummy launchers (blank fired, remote, and air)
-
Drag lure machine, dummy droppers
-
Place boards, marker posts, starter pistols
Recommended to Bring:
-
A suitable whistle:
-
ACME 210.5 – Spaniels
-
ACME 211.5 – Retrievers
-
ACME 212 – HPR breeds
-
We do not require the use of slip leads.
Where We Train
-
Brasted (Little Warden) – secure venue for foundations and 1:1s
-
Bitchet Green, Sevenoaks – large fields, woodland, pheasants
-
Southborough Field – large 20 acre field, great topology, brilliant for mock drives
-
Southborough (private lake) – ideal for water work
If you know of land we could hire for gundog training, let us know: trainers@dogsmarttrainingbehaviour.co.uk
Take a look at some photos of our venues below
The private lake we hold the water days on in Southborough
Spaniels in the Southborough 20 acre training location
6 acre Bitchet Green Training location
Teak & Harry In the Bitchet Green Field
Hunting spaniels in the cover in the 20 acre field
A cold morning at Bitchet Green training location
The smaller fields of Little Warden training venue in Brasted
Standing on the line marking from the dummy launchers at Bitchet Green smaller field
