Update on Iris the Working Springer

You may remember we’ve been following the progress of Iris, theSpringer Spaniel. I’ve been helping Charlie train Iris as his first working dog as he pursues a career in gamekeeping. I recommended a Springer over a Cocker for his first dog and the results have proved this was the right decision.

Iris has been with Charlie for a year now. In that time, she’s gone from a cute puppy to his working companion. Charlie has had lots of opportunities to beat on shoots in his local area in the last season. Towards the end of the season, he’s been able to introduce Iris to the shoot environment. At first, she was very timid – there’s a lot of other dogs and people to get used. Riding on the beaters wagon is a noisy experience and Charlie kept Iris close to him and on a lead.

Iris worked on occasional drives, learning all the time. She is a fearless dog, quite happy to throw herself into deep cover and to chase down a pricked bird. Being a young dog, she tires quickly and needs plenty of recovery time after working. Iris hasn’t had much experience of being shot over as a peg dog so did not accompany Charlie on the end of season beaters’ days.

A full time job for Iris

Charlie has now started a job as an under beat keeper at his local grouse shoot. The estate covers 5000 acres of grouse moor, with some valley woodland where the new owner is hoping to establish a small pheasant shoot too. There’s plenty for Charlie and Iris to be getting on with. There’s also a whole new set of skills for Iris to learn as a working Springer out of shoot season. Much of the day she is in one vehicle or another, travelling around the estate with Charlie. She also needs to sit quietly in a workshop environment while various estate maintenance tasks take place. Most importantly, during spring and summer it is vital that ground nesting birds are not disturbed so her ability to stay at heel with her handler will be tested.

It’s great to see how this young dog has progressed. Whilst she is kennelled, she is able to interact with the other household dogs and family members in a calm way. As with many Springers, she has a joyful and loyal personality and I hope will prove a great working companion for Charlie for many years to come.

Posted: February 10, 2022