Riverlily is an award-winning training school run by people who train, compete and pick up with their own dogs all year round. Every course is taught by an experienced, qualified trainer who knows what it takes to build a real partnership between gundog and handler.
FOUNDER
Abbie Reid
IABTC Qualified Dog Training Instructor · Diploma in Canine Psychology
Thousands of hands-on hours in the training field have taught Abbie one thing: every dog is different. Since founding Riverlily in 2012 she has trained gundogs of every breed, character and temperament, building a club where dogs and handlers learn together in the Hertfordshire countryside. Her own team of nine related Labradors compete in Working Tests through the summer and pick up on local shoots all winter. Training is reward-based, structured and progressive, and most lessons finish with tea and cake.
120
Working Test Awards
5
Field Trial Awards
2025
Novice Field Trial Win
Always remember you and your dog are a team. If you are enjoying the training, I am sure your dog will be too.
The Trainers
Jon Cowen
Trainer
Jon has trained at Riverlily since 2012, working with hundreds of handlers, many now back with their second or third dogs. He runs three Labradors of his own, picking up on local shoots through the winter and competing in Working Tests each summer.
Relax. If you enjoy training, your dog will too.
Sue Davidson
Trainer
Sue has trained dogs since 1988, first in obedience and showing, later qualifying as an instructor and behaviourist. A Kennel Club Good Citizen judge, she came to gundog work twenty years ago with her Golden Retrievers and teaches handlers and dogs to work as a true partnership.
Train the basics and build a bond of trust, and you will enjoy a lifetime of fun together.
Harriet Newcombe
Trainer
A Riverlily trainer since 2020, Harriet has taught hundreds of dogs and handlers and especially loves the Puppy New Recruits and Cadet classes. She competes in Working Tests, picks up on four local shoots, and won a Novice Field Trial with her Labrador Lara.