Gundog working tests

About gundog working tests

Gundog working tests (GWTs) are the main summer competition for people who train working gundogs. They use canvas dummies rather than shot game, so they can run outside the shooting season, and they let owners measure a young dog’s progress from a first novice working test to open competition. Here is how dummy tests for gundogs work, who organises and trains, and what to ask a breeder.

What this work involves

Under Royal Kennel Club regulations, GWTs are competitions that, “by artificially simulating shooting day conditions”, assess working ability without any game being shot. Tests are run separately for three sub-groups:

• Retrievers (and Irish Water Spaniels)
• Spaniels (other than Irish Water Spaniels)
• Hunt, point and retrieve (HPR) breeds

There are no GWTs for pointers and setters.

Recognised classes include Puppy (dogs under 18 months), Novice, Open, Novice Dog/Novice Handler and Unclassified, which covers water and team tests. Exercises include marked retrieves, where a shot is fired before the dummy is thrown, as well as unseen (blind) retrieves, hunting for hidden dummies and water work. Each test is usually marked out of 20, and a dog that fails an exercise scores zero for it. Dogs compete without collars, and harsh handling is banned.

Who trains and supplies these dogs in the UK

GWTs are run by owners and clubs. Owners train their dogs themselves, often with help from professional gundog trainers and club training days.

The Royal Kennel Club sets the GWT regulations (Annex G to its Field Trial J Regulations) and each year authorises societies, such as breed clubs and gundog societies, to hold tests. All dogs entered must be registered with the Royal Kennel Club and be of a breed in the relevant sub-group, and open tests need at least one Royal Kennel Club field trial panel judge from that sub-group.

The Gundog Club created a non-competitive graded training scheme. Dogs are assessed against a set standard rather than against each other, and pedigree papers are not required. The club says it stopped trading in 2026, but the graded scheme continues. Its former instructors still carry out graded assessments, arranged directly with candidates, and the club’s website keeps the standards and lists assessors.

Breeders listed on this site sell puppies. Some professional trainers sell started or trained adult gundogs, but that is a separate arrangement, and this directory does not list trained dogs.

Breeds and lines

The breeds most often seen at working tests are the Labrador Retriever, the English Springer Spaniel and Cocker Spaniel, and the German Shorthaired Pointer and Hungarian Vizsla, the most common HPRs.

In most gundog breeds, working (field trial) lines and show lines have drifted apart. For working tests you usually want a working-bred pedigree with recent generations that have done well in the field. For Labradors, the Royal Kennel Club’s recommended health checks include hip and elbow scoring, eye testing and several DNA tests, among them exercise-induced collapse (EIC) and prcd-PRA.

What to ask a breeder

1. What do the parents do? Do they compete in working tests or field trials, or work on a shoot beating or picking up?
2. Are there field trial or working test winners in recent generations, and are both parents themselves worked?
3. What are the parents’ hip and elbow scores, eye results and breed DNA test results, and can I check them?
4. Will the puppy be registered with the Royal Kennel Club? This is needed to enter RKC-authorised working tests.
5. If the tails are docked, which vet did it, and can I have a copy of the working dog certificate?
6. Which puppy would suit a first-time handler rather than an experienced trialler?

Legal and welfare notes

In England and Wales, docking a dog’s tail is an offence under section 6 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006, unless it is a certified working dog docked by a vet at no more than five days old. In England, the types covered are spaniels, terriers and HPR breeds. In Scotland, since June 2017 a vet may shorten the tail of a spaniel or HPR puppy by no more than the end third, at five days old or younger, if shown evidence that the dog is likely to work in connection with the lawful shooting of animals. In England and Wales, showing a docked dog at an event where the public pay admission is an offence, unless it is a certified working dog shown only to demonstrate its working ability.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a working test and a field trial?

A field trial takes place on a real shoot, with game. A working test uses dummies to simulate a shooting day, so it can run outside the shooting season.

Can my pet gundog enter a novice working test?

Yes, if it is registered with the Royal Kennel Club and is a breed eligible for that test. Unregistered dogs and crossbreeds can take Gundog Club graded assessments, which are open to all gundogs.

How do I find a gundog test near me?

Breed clubs and gundog societies publish their schedules, and many also run training days. Local gundog trainers usually know which tests suit a beginner.

Do your dogs run in working tests or field trials, or work on shoots? Add your listing to Canine Breeder so owners looking for a working-bred gundog puppy can find you.