The dates for 2027 are as follows:
- Module One - 15th to 17th March 2027
- Module Two - 17th to 19th May 2027
- Module Three - 19th to 21st July 2027
- Module Four - 11th to 13th October 2027
Add ethical gundog training to your professional skill set
As a professional dog trainer, you are already working with gundogs, even if you do not consider yourself a gundog trainer.
Retrievers, spaniels, HPRs and gundog crosses are common in puppy classes, adolescent courses and one-to-one training. But their instinctive drive to hunt, chase, carry and retrieve can bring challenges that are difficult to resolve through general dog training alone.
The GTA Foundation Handler’s Course will help you understand what these dogs have been trying to tell you.
Across four practical modules, you will develop the breed-specific knowledge and handling skills needed to support gundogs and their owners using ethical, science-based and non-coercive training methods.
You will learn with your own dog (even if it is not a gundog breed), observe gundogs of different breeds and abilities, and explore practical exercises that can inform your existing classes, workshops and one-to-one work.
The Foundation Handler’s Course is also the first required step on the pathway towards becoming a GTA Accredited Instructor and an ABTC-registered Animal Training Instructor (ATI).
Finding a particular gundog challenging does not mean that you lack dog-training knowledge. You may simply be trying to solve a gundog problem without enough appropriate gundog training in the dog’s life.
The Foundation Handler’s Course will help you understand how a gundog’s natural motivations influence behaviour and how to provide suitable outlets for them.
You will explore how ethical gundog training can help owners develop:
- More reliable recall around scent, wildlife and other distractions
- Calmness and steadiness
- Greater connection and engagement outdoors
- Controlled hunting and retrieving behaviours
- Delivery to hand, instead of destruction or resource guarding
- Better responses to cues in real-life environments
- Other more constructive outlets for instinctive behaviours
These skills are valuable whether a client wants to work their dog, take part in a dog sport or simply enjoy everyday life with a fulfilled and responsive family pet.
No shooting, live game or intention to work a dog in the field is required for you to use much of what you learn with pet dog clients.
The Foundation Handler’s Course comprises four three-day, instructor-led modules spread across the year.
Modules one to four of the Handler's Course Worcestershire will take place at Kemble's Field near Pershore and Evesham.
Many practical sessions are taught with one dog and handler working at a time. This allows you to learn from your own training while also observing different breeds, handlers, behaviours and training challenges.
For professional trainers, this is a valuable opportunity to expand your practical experience. You will see how exercises can be adapted for individual dogs, how problems can be broken down and how small details can affect the outcome of a training session.
The content of each module is tailored to the people and dogs attending rather than delivered as a rigid, one-size-fits-all programme.
Topics covered on the Foundation Handler's Course include:
- Ethical gundog training the GTA way
- Learning theory and clicker training
- Positive-reinforcement strategies
- Drive, motivation and arousal
- Understanding hunting and retrieving behaviour
- Cue-driven behaviour
- Isolating and strengthening cues
- Breaking exercises into achievable stages
- Troubleshooting training problems
- Targets
- Transitions
- Chains and sequences
- Training flexibility
- Working across different terrain
- How a shoot day is organised
- The roles and responsibilities of working gundogs
- Shoot etiquette and preparation
You will work in the classroom and across practical training environments depending on the abilities of the group.
The Foundation Handler’s Course will give you the opportunity to work towards the Gundog Assessment Programme (GAP) Levels 1 and 2.
Throughout the course, you will learn how to train the skills and exercises required at these levels using ethical, positive-reinforcement methods. By the end of the course, you will have the practical knowledge needed to train dogs towards GAP Levels 1 and 2.
Trainers who complete the Handler’s Course, and meet the other eligibility requirements, will be able to apply to become a GAP Assessor for Levels 1 and 2, enabling them to incorporate the programme into their own training services.
Your first step towards becoming a GTA-Accredited Instructor and an ABTC-Accredited ATI
If you would like to become a GTA-Accredited Instructor and work towards registration with the ABTC as an Animal Training Instructor, the Handler’s Course is where your journey begins.
During the course, you will have the opportunity to complete the Clicker Trainers Competency Assessment Programme (CAP) Level 1 assessment. There is no additional assessment fee when CAP Level 1 is completed during the course.
Completion of the Handler’s Course and CAP Level 1 are required before progressing to the GTA Teacher’s Course. The Teacher’s Course and subsequent assessment process develop and assess your ability to teach handlers as well as train dogs.
Who is the GTA Foundation Handler’s Course for?
The Handler’s Course is designed primarily for professional dog trainers who want to develop the knowledge and practical skills needed to support gundogs and their owners.
It is also suitable for:
- Aspiring trainers who want to build a strong foundation before establishing a dog-training business
- Enthusiastic gundog handlers who want to deepen their knowledge and practical skills
- Trainers planning to progress towards becoming a GTA-Accredited Instructor
- Pet gundog owners interested in ethical, reward-based gundog training
- Handlers who would like to work their dog in the field or develop a more fulfilled family pet
You do not need previous gundog training experience. The course is suitable for all gundog breeds, including cross-breeds, and for dogs of different ages and abilities.
Module Four includes a group shoot experience day on the Kemble’s Field training shoot.
You can attend without working your dog if they are not ready. Depending on your dog’s breed, ability and your goals, you may also have the opportunity to participate as a handler-and-dog team, either beating or picking up.
The day will help you understand how a shoot is organised, the different roles performed by working gundogs, shoot etiquette and what is expected from dogs and handlers in the field.
For professional and aspiring trainers, this experience provides valuable context for supporting clients who work their dogs or would like to prepare for the shooting field.
If gundogs already make up part of your client base, this course can help you understand what they have been trying to tell you.
Develop your practical skills, support more owners and take your first step towards becoming a GTA Accredited Instructor and an ABTC-registered Animal Training Instructor.
Questions about whether the course is suitable for you or your dog? Email members@gundogtrainersacademy.co.uk.
Students enrolled on a GTA in-person course receive 10% off GTA online membership. Please email members@gundogtrainersacademy.co.uk after enrolling if you would like to join.
If you choose to secure your place by paying the £500 deposit today, the remaining balance of £2,250 (£2,750 in total) is to be paid in full at least one month before the beginning of the course. If you would like to pay this in monthly instalments, please email members@gundogtrainersacademy.co.uk