Picking-up dogs for driven shoots

About picking-up dogs for driven shoots

A good picking up dog is the quiet backbone of a driven day. While the guns shoot, pickers-up stand well back with their dogs, marking where birds fall and collecting wounded birds as quickly as possible. This page explains what a picking up gundog needs, who breeds and trains them, and what to ask a breeder when you are looking for a Labrador for picking up or another retriever for shooting.

What this work involves

Pickers-up work well behind the line of guns on driven pheasant, partridge and grouse days. Their job is to make sure every shot bird is found, prioritising runners: BASC’s picking-up code of practice says wounded game should be retrieved before game known to be dead. If a wounded bird has to be retrieved during the drive, only an experienced dog should be sent, and only when it is safe; after the drive, the team sweeps the ground methodically.

BASC’s guidance also sets out what the dogs need: to be trained, under control and responsive, to deliver game readily to hand and undamaged, to mark falling birds, to be directed to birds they did not see fall, to retrieve from cover and water, and to be steady to fur, feather, deer and livestock. Dogs should be silent while waiting, and a hard-mouthed dog should not be picking up. Many pickers-up run more than one dog, but BASC advises working only one at a time unless you can handle more.

It is a long day in all weathers, over plough, woodland, water and heather, so stamina and a sound body matter as much as brains.

Who trains and supplies these dogs in the UK

The supply model is private breeders and owner training. Nobody sells a certified picking-up dog. Pickers up dogs start as puppies or part-trained youngsters from working kennels and are trained by their owners, often with help from a professional gundog trainer or club classes, then brought on quietly on real shoot days.

• BASC, the UK’s largest shooting organisation, publishes a picking-up code of practice and gundog advice.
• The Royal Kennel Club licenses field trials, which it says were developed to test the working ability of gundogs and resemble, as closely as possible, a day’s shooting in the field. Field trial awards in a pedigree show that a line can do the job.
• Gundog working tests, run by clubs for their members, simulate shooting-day conditions with dummies and no game shot. The RKC notes that most gundogs are not ready for competition for at least two years.

Breeds and lines

The Labrador Retriever is the classic picking-up dog: biddable, soft-mouthed, strong in water and content to wait. The Flat Coated Retriever and Golden Retriever are used in smaller numbers. English Springer and Cocker Spaniels are valued for hunting dense cover for lost birds and are often run alongside retrievers.

Look for working rather than show breeding, with field trial or working test results in the first two or three generations, and health testing appropriate to the breed: BVA/KC hip and elbow scores and a current eye certificate, plus DNA tests such as prcd-PRA, and for Labradors CNM and EIC.

What to ask a breeder

• Do the parents pick up on shoots, and can I see them work or speak to the shoot captain or keeper?
• Are there field trial or working test awards in the pedigree, and how recent are they?
• How steady are the parents on a busy drive, and do they whine or run in?
• What are the hip and elbow scores, and which eye and DNA tests have been done?
• How soft-mouthed and keen in water are the parents?
• Do you sell part-trained young dogs as well as puppies, and what exactly has been done with them?

Legal and welfare notes

Picking-up follows the shooting seasons. In England and Wales, the Game Act 1831 sets the seasons for pheasant (1 October to 1 February), partridge (1 September to 1 February) and grouse (12 August to 10 December). The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 covers other quarry, including duck, geese and woodcock, and in Scotland the game bird seasons too. In England and Wales the Hunting Act 2004 allows a dog to retrieve a hare that has been shot, on land that belongs to the hunter or where they have the occupier’s permission to hunt hares. Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, in England and Wales a working spaniel may only be docked if a vet certifies it is likely to be used for work such as the lawful shooting of animals, and it must be no more than five days old; Scotland has separate rules.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best dog for picking up?

For most people, a working-bred Labrador: a soft mouth, steadiness and water work in a biddable package. A well-bred spaniel or other retriever can be just as effective.

How many dogs should a new picker-up take?

Start with one well-trained dog. BASC advises working one dog at a time unless you can handle more.

Can I buy a trained picking-up dog here?

No. Breeders on this site sell puppies and sometimes part-trained young dogs. Bringing a dog to the standard a shoot expects is the owner’s job, often with a professional trainer.

If your retrievers or spaniels come from working lines whose dogs pick up regularly or compete in field trials, list your kennel on caninebreeder.co.uk so shooting people can find you.