Want something to work towards?
You’ve learnt the skills.
Now you can put them together.
GAP gives you and your dog a clear goal with, structured training and assessment theough the Gundog Trainers Academy’s Gundog Assessment Programme.
TRAINING WITH A PURPOSE
You don't need to work your dog on a shoot.
You don’t need competition ambitions.
And you do not need to commit to all six GAP levels.
GAP is simply a way to take the gundog skills you are already building and give them somewhere to go.
You train the exercises. You develop them over time.
And when you are ready you can work towards the assessment.
More than just a class.
GAP stands for Gundog Assessment Programme.
It is a six level programme created by the Gundog Trainers Academy, beginning with Foundation at Levels 1 and 2 before progressing through Enhanced and Graduate levels.
For anyone who has heard me talk about Gundog Grades in the past, GAP gives us a structured progression and assessment.
A clear route through your training.
WHAT IS GAP?
MONTHLY GAP TRAINING
What we're working on.
Each month we'll explore different Foundation skills, using the GAP exercises to guide our training. Book whichever sessions suit you, with time to practise between visits.
Bumble and Heelwork
Exploring together, building connection and developing heelwork around distractions.
Retrieve Patterns
Developing retrieving skills and exploring different patterns and approaches.
Stop Whistle and Hunting
Working on the stop whistle alongside hunting skills, adapting exercises to the dogs attending.
Directional Cues and Retrieves
Developing directional cues and applying them within retrieving exercises.
All sessions take place at Liberty Orchard, starting at 10am. Places are booked individually.
LOOKING TO GO FURTHER?
GAP Level 3 and above
I'm also looking at running separate sessions for handlers interested in developing their gundog skills beyond Foundation.
From Level 3 onwards, the emphasis shifts towards more specific gundog work, whether you're interested in the shooting field or working towards the higher GAP grades.
I'm gathering interest before arranging dates, so please get in touch if this is something you'd like to explore.
Register your interestJANUARY AND FEBRUARY 2027
Our last regular four week gundog course at Ace.
We're finishing our regular consecutive gundog courses with one final four week block at Ace Secure Dog Field.
Four sessions give us time to build on exercises from week to week, work through individual challenges and develop skills together.
With a maximum of four dogs, there's plenty of opportunity for individual attention and working at your own dog's pace.
We're not saying goodbye to Ace.
It's just the regular consecutive courses that are finishing. Will still return to Ace for training sessions, skills workshops and other opportunities.
Going forward, our next group training will take place monthly at Liberty Orchard, with individually bookable GAP Foundation sessions.
Individual gundog training and occasional skills workshops will also be available for those wanting to work on something more specific.
GAP FOUNDATION
Levels One and Two
Foundation is where we build the core skills that everything else develops from.
GAP gives us a framework for training, but that doesn't mean every dog needs the same exercise on the same day.
We'll look at where you and your dog are against the Foundation criteria, identify what needs developing and work from there.
You can attend whichever sessions suit you, practise between visits and work towards an assessment when you're ready.
Skills we might work on
INDIVIDUAL GUNDOG TRAINING
Sometimes you need a session of your own.
Group training isn't for everyone, and sometimes there's a particular skill you want to spend more time on.
Individual gundog sessions give us the opportunity to look more closely at what you and your dog are doing, work through difficulties and develop your training at a pace that suits you both.
We might work on retrieving, hunting, steadiness, directional handling or specific GAP exercises. Or we might simply look at something that isn't quite going to plan.
You don't need to be attending the monthly groups to book individual training.
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1
GET STARTED
Book
Book a Foundation GAP session and come along with your dog.
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2
FIND YOUR STARTING POINT
Review
We'll look at where you and your dog are against the Foundation exercises.
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3
BUILD YOUR SKILLS
Develop
We'll work on the areas that need developing, at a pace that suits your dog.
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4
KEEP WORKING
Practise
Practise between visits and attend further sessions whenever you need them.
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5
WHEN YOU'RE READY
Assess
When you and your dog are ready, book your GAP assessment separately.
Train. Develop. Assess.
HOW IT WORKS
Fancy giving it a go?
If you have trained gundog with me before, you can now book individual GAP Foundation sessions and start working towards Levels One and Two.