Nick Ridley is a professional gundog trainer, photographer, and author. For several decades, he's written about working dogs for all the prominent fieldsports magazines. He also runs and operates a photography business and posts videos about his days spent shooting with his cocker spaniels on YouTube.

But why did he choose cocker spaniels? A breed that is harder to train and control than the reliable springer or Labrador? We discuss if cockers are the Land Rovers of the canine world, why they're unvalued in shooting compared to a peg dog - and yet need far more training, and why Nick doesn't pick up anymore.

Nick also shares his thoughts on dogs vs. bitches, how many dogs are the right amount of dogs, and why rough shooting is more akin to hunting.

We also discuss "Practical Gundog Training" which is the name of Nick's new book, coming out in July. All that and so much more, if you're interested in gundogs or fieldsports, this is the episode for you.

Pre-order Nick's Book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Practical-Gundog-Training-Nick-Ridley/dp/1846894085

Watch Nick's Videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ1IeEGEImftzvnvrVMHchw

The Video That Made Me Want A Cocker: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCzSRpaGaNQ

Find me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joe.reilly/?hl=en

Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JoeReillyPodcast

All overlay content contained in the episode is from Nick's YouTube channel.

0:00 - 0:21 - Introduction 

0:21 - 3:55 - Why Cocker Spaniels? 

3:55 - 5:05 - Cockers & Land Rovers 

5:05 - 9:10 - Better Than Labs & Springers? 

9:10 - 15:05 - Spaniels Are Undervalued In Shooting 

15:05 - 23:50 - The Real Thing vs. Training

23:50 - 27:20 - Fake Social Media Videos 

27:20 - 29:21 - Why Nick Doesn’t Pick Up Anymore

29:12 - 35:23 - Rough Shooting Is Actually Hunting

35:23 - 44:29 -Practical Gundog Training: Nick’s New Book

44:29 - Dogs vs. Bitches 

49:10 - 58:40 - Nick’s Training Stories 

58:40 - 1:04:08 - How Many Days Does Nick’s Dogs Work?