The Ground
Rickneys Training Ground sits just outside Bengeo, near Hertford, and was built for one job: training gundogs. In one place you have ditches to cross and retrieve from, hedges and jumps, open ground, white grass, undulating ground, plantation areas and water. Everything a shoot day asks of a dog, laid out so we can work on it piece by piece.
It is the ground we recommend to anyone who wants to move their dog on, and we run regular group mornings there. The ground can also be hired privately through rickneys.com.
What a morning looks like.
We meet at 9.30 and train until 11.30. Groups are kept small, so every dog gets plenty of work and every handler gets the trainer's eye. Each morning uses the ground differently: retrieves over and out of the ditches, marks across the water, blinds through the plantation, and steadiness while other dogs work around you. You go home with something to practise and a tired, happy dog.
Who it is for.
Rickneys mornings are for dogs working at good Novice level and above: Novice, Novice Master and Advanced. Your dog should walk to heel, come back when called, sit quietly while other dogs work and retrieve to hand.
Not there yet?
A puppy course or a 1-2-1 is the way in, and we will tell you when your dog is ready for Rickneys.
Before you book
£50, paid on the day. Once booked, your place is payable if you cancel, unless we can fill it from the waiting list. Bitches in season cannot come to the ground.
Bringing family? One handler works the dog on the lead at a time, so you can take turns, with the other watching from the side. Children are very welcome too, as long as they sit quietly and watch from a distance, so the dogs stay focused. Please arrive no more than 15 minutes before the start, keep to 10mph on the track and keep your dog on a lead until the trainer says otherwise. Bring a collar, lead, whistle if you use one, dummies, treats and a game bag, plus a bowl and water for your dog.