2024 Gundog Training Holidays

Three or five day group gundog training holidays in Mid Wales with Completely Gundogs.

2024 Gundog Training Holiday dates

Spring 2024
  • 15, 16, 17 April 2024 - Monday to Wednesday - Novice, G2-G3 - FULL
  • 29, 30 April, 1 May 2024 - Monday to Wednesday - Advanced Retrievers, G4-G5 - FULL
  • 17, 18, 19 May 2024 - Friday to Sunday - Intermediate Retrievers, G3-G4 - ONE SPACE
  • 10, 11, 12 (non-training day), 13, 14 June 2024 - Monday to Friday - Advanced Retrievers, G4-G5

Summer 2024
  • 24, 25, 26 June 2024 - Monday to Wednesday - Novice, G2-G3 - FULL
  • 5, 6, 7 July 2024 - Friday to Sunday - Intermediate, G3-G4 - FULL
  • 5, 6, 7 August 2024 - Monday to Wednesday - Novice, G2-G3 - ONE SPACE
  • 19, 20, 21 (non-training day), 22, 23 August 2024 - Monday to Friday - Intermediate, G3-G4 - FULL

Autumn 2024
  • 7, 8, 9 October 2024 - Monday to Wednesday - Advanced Retrievers, G4-G5 - FULL
  • 25, 26, 27 October 2024 - Friday to Sunday - Intermediate, G3-G4
  • 8, 9, 10 November 2024 - Monday to Wednesday - Advanced Spaniels, G4-G5 - FULL

Completely Gundogs offer a range of three and five day gundog training holidays near Newtown, Mid Wales.

All breeds of gundog are welcome. Holidays are split into different levels to accommodate novice, intermediate and advanced gundogs.

Collette May of Completely Gundogs will be helping you and your dogs improve your knowledge and gain experience.

Dogs will be expanding on their skills of marking, taking memories and blinds in different and diverse terrain.

There might be opportunities for a cold game session, a water training session (weather permitting), a walked up scenario in cover, and remote dummy launchers.

Depending on the experience of the dogs and handlers, the time of year, and weather forecast, there may also be some opportunities for training off site at locations used by the local shoot. This will allow the dogs to work in a more diverse range of terrain and will provide the opportunity for more challenging training scenarios.

The social side of the holiday is as important as the training to most handlers so we try to go out to a local pub or restaurant one night for dinner.

As a rough guide, the novice holidays are suitable for all breeds of gundogs working at a Grade 2 to Grade 3 level. For those not familiar with The Gundog Club Graded Assessment Scheme levels, gundogs attending the novice holidays should ideally have: 
  • a reliable recall,
  • started the basics of off lead heelwork,
  • started training a stop whistle,
  • understanding of left, right and back direction casts,
  • a basic delivery, and 
  • some steadiness.
As a rough guide, the intermediate and advanced holidays are suitable for all breeds of gundogs working at a Grade 3 to Grade 5 level. For those not familiar with The Gundog Club Graded Assessment Scheme levels, gundogs attending the intermediate holidays should ideally have:
  • a reliable recall,
  • good off lead heelwork,
  • a stop whistle at a distance,
  • understanding of left, right and back direction casts,
  • a reliable delivery to hand, and 
  • steadiness.
Important note on shot: we often use starter pistols, bang boxes and dummy launchers on our holidays, particularly for the intermediate and advanced groups. As such, dogs attending the higher level holidays should be happy and confident with the sound of shot. While not essential, it is also preferable that dogs attending the novice level holidays have been introduced to shot at least once before attending. If you have not introduced your dog to shot before, or if you know your dog is gun shy or nervous about the sound of shot, please mention this to me when you contact me to discuss if the holiday will be suitable.

Total cost: The total cost of the three day holidays are £315 per dog and handler. The total cost of the five day holidays, which comprise four days of training and a rest day in the middle are £420 per dog and handler. Onsite accommodation is available with prices from £50 to £120 per night.

How to book your place: 
To ensure that your gundog is at the right level for the planned training activities on the holiday of your choice, please contact us directly to book.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Training costs are currently £105 per day, this includes a qualified trainer (Collette May) plus an assistant that is also a qualified dog trainer on most of the holidays.

We ask everyone to get in touch before booking so we can ensure that you end up on the right holiday.

Yes, we are happy to welcome all breeds wanting gundog training. We specialise in retrievers and spaniels. While we do not have as much experience with HPR’s, we can get them to a good standard but not an advanced level.

We are more than happy to take group bookings, we just ask for a minimum of 4 and maximum 6 in a group. If you are a trainer and want to bring a group of your clients to train here this can also be arranged.

We are located in Llandinam, Powys - detailed instructions of how to get here will be provided on booking.

In the area, there are two towns nearby which have food shops and pubs etc. Llanidloes is less than 10 mins away and Newtown is 15 mins away. Both have vets and a variety of shops. Nearest A&E for humans is Shrewsbury and Aberystwyth but we do have a small hospital for minor injuries in Llanidloes.  If you have time Hafren Forest and Clywedog Reservoir are both stunning and within 30 mins of here. Other places if you have time are the coast at Borth, Snowdonia, Brecon Beacons, Elan Valley and Lake Vrywy.  

We start at 9.30am and finish at 3.30pm each day. We break at midday for an hour for lunch. Please note that this is all based on the dogs, for instance we may take an early lunch if they need a break and we may finish early if they are getting tired.

No, you will have to bring your own food. We do have tea/coffee facilities and cakes and biscuits for breaks, but there are too many regulations to follow if we cater! We also try to arrange on meal out at a local pub or restaurant for those interested in socialising. 

Yes, it is now fully secure as we have added a gate to the yard. The fields and woodland are all stock fenced too.

We always block out extra night either side of these holidays if you wish to stay the night before and last day. If all our Mid Wales Holidays accommodation is fully booked, please note that there are plenty of dog-friendly BnBs locally too, which we can recommend based on previous clients' experiences. Our accommodation includes:

Y Beudy - £75 for the double / £70 for the single per night
Comprises of: 2 bedrooms: 1 double and 1 single, also the lounge has a double sofa-bed if needed. Sleeps 3 in bedrooms and a further 2 in the living room. A well equipped kitchen/diner, including a microwave, fridge/freezer, electric cooker and washing machine. A shower room with toilet and sink and built in cupboards. Large living room featuring beams, roof lights and exposed brick work. Freesat large TV and DVD player in the living room, board games and books provided. Stair gate provided to keep dogs off the carpeted areas if dirty. Oil central heating, electricity, bed linen, towels and Wifi all included. Y Beudy has multiple sitting-out areas with beautiful views all around. Use of the barbecue, private garden, ample parking, cycle store and kennel available on request. It is all on the ground floor however there are a few steps up to the living room and up to the double bedroom.

Penrhyllan - £120 per night
Comprises of: 1 double bedroom with oak beams and vaulted ceiling, also the lounge has a double sofa-bed if needed. Sleeps 2 in bedroom and a further 2 in the living room. A well equipped kitchen/diner, including a microwave, fridge/freezer, cooker and washing machine. A shower room with toilet and sink and built in cupboards. Large open plan lounge/kitchen diner featuring oak beams, sofa bed, TV, DVD player and Sky Q box with Netflix and sports. Hard floors throughout the living areas. Central heating, electricity, bed linen, towels and Wifi all included. Multiple sitting-out areas with beautiful views all around. Use of the barbecue, private garden, ample parking, cycle store and kennel available on request. All on the ground floor. This cottage has wonderful oak beams and great views of the valley and mountains.

Caravans - £50 per night
We have 2 x 2/4 bed touring caravans located at the bottom of the yard next to the fields. The views are the best on the site and access for the dog’s straight to the fields is a bonus. The caravans are fully equipped with bathroom including a shower, toilet, oven/hob, microwave, dining table, heating and all the kitchen equipment you will need. The awnings give you more space for the outdoor gear. The caravans are all dog friendly and suitable for those that prefer to have their own space during the gundog holidays or those looking for a cheaper option to the cottage. We have auto fill water containers so no need to keep filling them up and electric hook up to the caravans. All vans have heaters that warm them up really quick in those cooler months. Space for parking next to each van.

There is plenty of parking next to the accommodation both at the top of the yard and at the bottom by the caravans. We are at the end of a very quiet lane with only one other house, so no one comes up to the house except for deliveries.

All the accommodation options are dog friendly so they can be with you inside. However please use your common sense and do not let them in the accommodation if wet and muddy. There are plenty of taps and hoses to clean them off and towels on request if you have forgotten yours. You can put them in your vehicles or the kennel temporarily until clean and dry if easier. Please do not let them on the furniture and carpeted areas unless clean and dry, stair gate is provided in the cottage and the awning can be used if using the caravan.

We also have one kennel that can sleep 2-4 dogs (depending on size) and a stable that can be used as a large kennel too. Please crate your dogs or use the kennel or cars if you are leaving them unattended. Damage has been done to the property previously due to dogs getting stressed being left while another dog is being trained. 

For training, please bring a bag suitable to carry a few dummies, a few dummies, treats, lead, whistle, and any other toys you use as a reward for your dog. A long line if your dog needs one too.   The weather is often changeable here so lightweight layers are best with good quality waterproofs for the showers. The barn and kennel area can be used to hand wet coats and store boots etc to save bringing them inside.

If you are staying with us, please bring everything that you would bring to a self-catering holiday property. We provide linen, cleaning products and loo roll but please bring your own towels, food for yourself and your dogs and anything else your dogs will need. We have spare bowls, blankets and towels for the dogs if required.

Yes, we have two big freezers empty ready to turn on when guests arrive. Also, there are two spare fridges for lunches and treats for those not staying on site. These can be found in our double garage and barn.

Yes, in the cottages but it does not quite reach the caravans. We do have incredibly good mobile reception though. If requ ired, you can come up to the house to get WiFi or borrow one of our MiFi boxes.

Yes, that’s fine as long as you let us know at the beginning, so we provide you with suitable accommodation.

Yes, you can but please ensure they are both happy to be left while you take the other dog out. It is not fair on the dog or other guests if they bark the entire time they are left.