Breed dogs for gamekeepers’ and estate dogs? Advertise here
Buyers and trainers use this page to find breeders whose lines do this work. List your kennel free, tick the industries your dogs work in, and advertise litters and stud dogs from proven working lines.
No breeders are listed here yet, so the first profiles get the page to themselves.
- Free basic profile: your breeder or company name, website, social media, location, breeds and industries.
- Litters and stud dogs advertised in their own sections, never mixed with puppies for sale.
- Premium showcase for your services and prices, previous customers, awards, video, gallery and health certificates, with your phone and email shown to buyers.
- Sponsored articles about your breed or industry, written and published by our team.
- Featured placement at the top of this page, labelled as sponsored.
Is it free to advertise here?
Yes. A breeder profile and your litter and stud dog adverts are free. Premium profiles, featured placement and sponsored articles are optional paid extras; see pricing.
Do I need a licence to advertise puppies?
In England you need a dog breeding licence from your council if you breed three or more litters in 12 months or breed and sell dogs as a business, and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own schemes. Licensed breeders show their licence number and issuing council on every advert. Puppies must be at least eight weeks old before they go to new homes.
Is my listing already here?
We add licensed breeders from councils' public registers. Search for your kennel name; if it is listed you can claim it and edit everything.
About gamekeepers’ and estate dogs
A keeper’s dogs work all year, not just on shoot days. If you are looking for a gamekeeper dog, a keepers dog for a shoot, estate dogs for a sporting property or a terrier for a gamekeeper, this page explains the jobs, who breeds these dogs in the UK and the law that governs their work. Canine Breeder lists breeders; we do not train, sell or certify working dogs.
What this work involves
Dogs for gamekeeping do three main jobs.
- Dogging-in. After gamebirds are released, keepers walk the shoot boundaries with a steady dog to push wandering birds gently back towards the coverts and feed rides. The dog must hunt close and never chase or catch.
- Shoot days. Spaniels work in the beating line, flushing birds over the guns, while Labradors and spaniels pick up behind the line, retrieving shot birds and finding wounded game quickly.
- Pest and predator control. Terriers deal with rats around release pens, feed stores and buildings, and are used against foxes only within strict legal limits.
Who trains and supplies these dogs in the UK
Keepers’ dogs come from private working lines. Many keepers breed from their own dogs or buy from other keepers and working breeders, then train the dogs themselves. No organisation supplies or certifies trained keepers’ dogs.
- The National Gamekeepers’ Organisation (NGO), formed in 1997, represents gamekeepers, offers members training events, insurance and legal advice, and works to explain keepers’ conservation work to the public.
- BASC (the British Association for Shooting and Conservation) publishes advice on gamekeeping, gundogs and pest control, including a gundog code of practice, and runs working-dog training events.
- The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT), a registered charity, researches game and wildlife management and offers advice on best practice.
Breeds and lines
- Spaniel (English Springer): the keeper’s all-rounder, used for dogging-in, beating and picking-up.
- Spaniel (Cocker): smaller and quick, and good in thick cover.
- Labrador Retriever: the standard picking-up dog, valued for its nose, soft mouth and steadiness.
- Jack Russell Terrier: a common keeper’s terrier for rats and pest control.
- Border Terrier: hardy, persistent and often easy-going with other dogs.
What to ask a breeder
- Do the parents work on a shoot or estate, and in what role: beating, picking-up, dogging-in or pest control?
- Are the parents steady around release pens, poultry and livestock?
- Which health tests have the parents had, such as hip and elbow scores, eye examinations and breed DNA tests?
- If the pups are docked, can I see the vet’s certificate?
- For terriers, how do the parents behave with other dogs, and what work do they do?
- Can I speak to a keeper who has one of your dogs?
Legal and welfare notes
- Flushing to guns. In England and Wales, the Hunting Act 2004 allows stalking or flushing out a wild mammal with no more than two dogs, on land where the hunter has permission, to prevent serious damage to things such as game birds or livestock, provided reasonable steps are taken to have it shot dead by a competent person as soon as possible.
- Below ground. One dog at a time may be used below ground to protect game birds or wild birds kept for shooting. The person must carry written evidence of the landowner’s permission to show a police officer, follow the code of practice, take reasonable steps to prevent injury to the dog, and have the animal flushed and shot as soon as possible.
- Scotland. The Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Act 2023 allows two dogs above ground for wild mammal management unless NatureScot or the Scottish Ministers license more, and one dog below ground for foxes, fitted with a tracking device, with the landowner’s permission. It has separate exceptions for falconry, game shooting and deer stalking, also limited to two dogs.
- Tail docking. In England and Wales, apart from veterinary treatment, docking is lawful only for certified working dogs docked by a vet when no more than five days old, with evidence that the dog is likely to be used for work such as lawful shooting or pest control. Spaniels, terriers and hunt-point-retrieve breeds are the permitted types in England; Wales and Scotland have their own rules.
Frequently asked questions
What is dogging-in?
It is the keeper’s daily work, after release, of walking the boundaries with a steady dog to move straying birds gently back into the shoot’s coverts, so they are not lost to roads or neighbouring land.
Do gamekeepers buy trained dogs?
Most keepers train their own dogs, starting with puppies or young dogs from working lines they know. Some buy started dogs. Either way, the training is the keeper’s.
Can a keeper use a terrier below ground?
Only within the Hunting Act 2004 exemption in England and Wales, or the 2023 Act in Scotland. In England and Wales that means one dog, for the protection of birds kept for shooting, with written permission and following the code of practice.
If you breed spaniels, Labradors or terriers from lines used by keepers and estates, list your kennel on Canine Breeder and tell buyers what your dogs do on the shoot.