As the shooting season moves into its final week, many working dogs are still out regularly — even as routines are about to change. This short transition period matters. Keeping some consistency now can make the move into the off-season smoother for both dogs and handlers.
Things to focus on end of shooting season:
1. Maintain routine where you can
Regular feeding times, walks, and rest periods help avoid a sudden drop in structure once days in the field come to an end.
2. Adjust workload gradually
If outings begin to reduce, taper activity rather than stopping abruptly. Lighter exercise paired with familiar tasks helps dogs stay settled.
3. Add low-impact enrichment
Scent work, short training sessions, or retrieving drills at home keep minds engaged without adding physical strain.
4. Keep an eye on recovery
As always, check pads, joints, ears and overall comfort — particularly in the final stretch when fatigue can show more easily.
This period is less about pushing on and more about taking care of dogs that have worked hard all season, while setting them up properly for what lies ahead. As the year moves on, many handlers begin to look ahead — planning training and conditioning programmes, and deciding which events to attend over the summer.
With attention turning to the months ahead, summer diaries soon start to fill. The Game Fair hosts some of the sport’s most prestigious gundog competitions, including the Home International, the Euro Challenge, the Minority Gundog Breed Challenge . These are key dates in the calendar for anyone involved in working dogs, so make sure you’ve secured your tickets to see some of the very best dogs and handlers in action.
