It’s Heating Up Again!

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Aug 082013

The last time it was this warm, the dogs just melted and were realy lacklustre in their performances. Training too was difficult, restricted to very early mornings and late evenings. The rest of the day they just snoozed!
We’ve done our morning training and I’m starting to teach Daisy to operate alongside Poppy, not just with some basic tricks but with gundog work too. This will really improve her steadiness: it’s good for her to sit and watch while other dogs work.

Demonstration Testimonials

Dear Stephen,

I was extremely happy and impressed at how everything went off. Our correspondence before the event was very plain and straight forward, which, from an organiser's point of view, was most helpful.

On the day your demonstration was extremely informative and presented in an interesting and friendly fashion. Everyone enjoyed the first Dog’s basic training display and how you built on each stage as time went on, for a young dog it certainly showed what could be achieved by kindness and expert knowledge. The little Dog has a bright future ahead!

Poppy, the star of the show, was quite brilliant, not only in all her Gundog training but also the very entertaining tricks etc. she performed on the day. It was a great display and demonstration.

Provisionally, I would like to book you for next year, it is always the last Saturday in July, I will confirm everything after our next committee meeting later in the month.

Well done for a great display and once again many thanks.

Best wishes,

David Coley, Show Organiser

Shrewton Summer Show

What a fantastic informative joyful performance with beautifully trained dogs enjoyed by everyone.
Kim Swain, Warminster

You were all fantastic today!!! Meerkat!! A really eye opening demonstration that gives me hope for our daft lab-collie haha thank you!!
Andrew on Facebook

Your gundog training display at Cranborne Chase Woodfair was so entertaining and informative. Your guide to foundation work for puppies was very clear and helpful but the highlight was Daisy and Poppy's intricate 'collar and sausage-stealing trick' which was amazing.
Thank you for the one-to-one help you gave us in your busy dog training clinic afterwards, to see our dog walking willingly to heel for you has inspired us to have lessons. Thank you.
Anne Filkins, Norridge Farm, Upton Scudamore

Our neighbours have seen you twice at country fairs & have raved about your techniques. Can you help us with our dog?
Pip Davidson, Wimborne

I saw Stephen and his Gundogs at Cranborne Chase wood fair, this past weekend. I was wandering around the demonstration area, trying to get my daughter off to sleep in her pushchair, when Stephen started his presentation.
We have a 7 month old Lab/Collie at home who just about sits, but mostly chews on whatever she can find, mainly us. Hands, jumpers, hair, you name it, she is all over it!
Anyway, when I heard Stephen say that all that you need are three things, he grabbed my attention straight away. Although he had use of the entire arena, Stephen showed that you only need a relatively small area, the size of a small front garden, in which to teach your dogs the basic skills set, before opening up the area for more adventurous activities.
Stephen has a very engaging voice and his character is such that even a new dog owner is drawn to a demonstration that is as seemingly effortless as it is entertaining.
Both the dogs Stephen used were fantastic characters in their own right and certainly, during the second part of his demonstration, this was allowed to shine through in Stephen's demonstration of party tricks (MEERKAT)!!
All in all, Stephen has inspired me to try and have a go at training our little beastie at a few of the less adventurous of the activities. Maybe walking to heel, but I am not holding my breath!
After the demonstration, Stephen took the time to chat to as many festival goers as he could, with their dogs and give free advice and tips.
I highly recommend seeing Stephen, if you get the chance, as he is, without a doubt a fantastic crowd pleaser even before you add in the charm of his gorgeous dogs!!
Andrew Predeth, Oborne, Dorset.

Cranborne Chase Woodfair 2015

"Superb! I can honestly say that this was the most entertaining thing I have ever witnessed! You had the whole crowd, old and young, transfixed!"
Pam Kent, Chitterne

2 August 2014 - Jack's Jamboree Fundraiser, Codford

I was lucky enough to watch One Man and his Gundogs at The Wessex Country Fair recently and even luckier to chat with him after the demonstration. On mentioning writing a review of his demonstration, Stephen, tongue in cheek, informed me of the correct spellings for some adjectives I might need for the review-

Stephen told me “there are two p’s in appalling and two b’s in rubbish”!

Of course these are two adjectives I would never have need of using when reviewing one of Stephen’s demonstrations, however, it highlights his wonderful humility and sense of humour which shines through fantastically when you watch him.

Stephen starts with some classic dog training but makes it accessible for anyone. He follows with a brilliant display of his Gundog’s skills which is a joy to watch. You leave feeling you can achieve great things with your dog too, which is wonderfully empowering and an amazing achievement from one man in a demonstration with his dogs.

Then there’s the fun and tricks which always gets the audience going! Stephen does “voices” for the dogs and a brilliant array of tricks which particularly appeals to children but entertains the adults brilliantly as well. The trick at the end with Daisy “fooling” Stephen is genius and brings laughter all round!

It is the very fact that Stephen doesn’t take himself too seriously that is part of the charm of the show. If it’s hot and his dogs don’t perform perfectly, that’s fine. I love that. There’s no pressure and therefore it ends up being a lot of fun to watch.

You cannot help but smile and feel good when you watch One Man and his Gundogs. In this world of increasing connectivity, competition and complications, the fact that a man in a field with his beloved dogs can achieve this and enrapture and lift his audience is nothing short of astounding.

Thank you and the dogs so much for a wonderful show Stephen.

Lorraine Taylor

At today’s Warminster Carnival, gundog trainer Stephen Harrison and his dog Poppy gave a training demonstration and performed tricks to rapturous applause.

Fans of “Britain’s Got Talent” will have seen the dog “Pudsey” win the show and with it, £500,000 doing tricks like walking on his owner Ashleigh’s feet, walking on his hind legs, albeit flawlessly to music. Poppy did all this and more, including balancing a sausage on her nose until being allowed to eat it and carrying another sausage to her master, also uneaten.

Warminster Web

Warminster Carnival 2012

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