Gundogs

A lifestyle – not a part-time hobby

By Liz Rymill 

A passion for the sporting life was etched into Rolf Budgen’s bones as a boy. He vividly recalls tailing after his father on hunts and game bird drives in England, helping with the upkeep of the animals but spending most of his time with the gundogs. “I’ve always had an affinity with them; we had different breeds growing up, and I’d watch them work and learn their different natures and talents in the field,” he says. 

Rolf carried his love of the outdoors with him to Tasmania, where he and wife Delia embraced hunting, sporting shoots, fly fishing – and working gundogs. “The breed that really stood out for us was the English Springer Spaniel. They’re the true all-rounder – prepared to go into tough cover, work all day and their instinct is unmatched,” explains Rolf. 

Rolf Budgen with Rosstula Gundogs’ Patrick Torrens and their English Springer Spaniels. (Supplied: Rolf Budgen)   

Now based in South Australia, the pair enjoy working their team of Springer Spaniels in social outings – including walk-up shoots and duck hunts – and in competition trials with an enthusiastic and knowledgeable contingent in Southern Australia. 

Rolf notes the work-ethic and drive of the “plucky little springer spaniel” as ideal on walk-up rough-shooting gamebirds (particularly pheasants) and as a constant companion during duck and quail season. 

“Springer spaniels excel in hunting for waterfowl and thick-cover upland birds. The really good ones can be almost wizard-like in the way they approach the game.” Although the occasional springer can be hard-headed, most have soft temperaments and want to please. “They’re happy little dogs, intensely interested in everything connected to the world of training, retrieving and hunting. Despite their high drive, they’re very trainable, loyal and devoted,” says Rolf. 

Horses Hounds for Courses 

In Australia, the four main Working Gundogs disciplines include Retrieving; Hunt, Point and Retrieve; Spaniel; and Pointer and Setter, with Labradors, Brittanys, Retrievers, Pointers, Setters, Spaniels, Munsterlanders, Weimaraners and others chosen for their instincts and specific skills in retrieving, flushing or pointing. 

Of the retrievers, the Labrador has earned its place as the world’s most popular gundog,  having emerged from relative obscurity when it arrived in England in the early 1800s. History notes that a group of aristocrats bought a pack of Labradors from fishermen returning from Newfoundland and developed the breed as a shooting companion on their own estates. Characterised by its typical broad head and snout, dense waterproof coat and thick, muscular conformation, it is suited for tasks that smaller gundogs sometimes cannot withstand. 

On any duck swamp, rice field or wetland, labradors are a leading and consistent companion renowned for their intelligence, trainability and strong retrieving instincts, especially in water. 

Perhaps somewhat overlooked yet closely linked to the lab is the working golden retriever. The late expert gundog trainer, gamekeeper and author Keith Erlandson said, “A good golden is second to none…and I believe a top specimen can actually be superior to the very best labrador, but I will admit that such dogs are very thin on the ground.” Emerging in mid-19th century Scotland, these attractive retrievers, with a keen desire to work in both cover and water and famously soft mouths, have contributed massively to shooting, Erlandson noted. 

In the field, the regal pointer is a sight to behold. Its striking silhouette has also inspired countless artists for centuries – with any English hunting scene incomplete without a German Shorthaired Pointer (GSP), English Pointer or Brittany. The top choice for versatility is the GSP, known for pointing, retrieving on land and water and its stamina. The English pointer works tirelessly to locate game, while the medium-sized Brittany is known for its agility and versatility in the field. 

At home and in the field, Spaniels may be smaller, but they do not lack on work ethic or effectiveness. The Cocker is intelligent and agile, originally bred for hunting woodcock, while the English Springer Spaniel – mentioned earlier – is high-drive and enthusiastic and almost unmatched at flushing game from heavy cover. 

The shooter’s best friend 

Gundog ownership is not a part-time hobby, but a lifestyle lived and enjoyed every day for both parties involved. “Our dogs want to be a part of our lives, not a toy to be set aside when we’re done playing with it. That goes for training, too. Train them yourself and you will be that much closer,” says Rolf. “I think when our gundogs are family, they know it and respond accordingly, more likely to please at home and afield.” 

Delia and Rolf Budgen work their English Springer Spaniels at Penola, South Australia. (Images: Liz Rymill) 

Rolf argues that giving your dog a ‘job to do’ fulfils the innate need to search and pick up – and will help with the prevention of many potential issues – from your spaniel going ‘self-employed’ hunting, to your retriever developing a shoe fetish. 

“If you put the effort in early on in your relationship, you’ll reap the rewards out in the field for many years to come,” says Rolf. 

Rolf Budgen’s Springer Spaniels after a day on game. (Supplied: Rolf Budgen)