About Squareclose Gundogs
 My interest in gundogs began as a 12 year old boy who used to watch the local wildfowlers returning ashore after a morning flight on the River Tay in Scotland, I was always interested to know how they were able to train their Labradors and Spaniels to retrieve geese and ducks from the fast flowing River Tay in the middle of winter, and after listening to their accounts of amazing retrieves made by their dogs I was determined that I would ask for a Labrador for my next Christmas present.
My request wasn’t granted, but my wish became true about six months later when friends of our family decided to emigrate to Australia and they asked my parents if it was ok to give me their 10 month old Labrador dog puppy (Storm) as a gift when they departed, I took the dog to training classes which were run by the Tayvalley Wildfowlers Association and eventually he was good enough to use as a working dog (by that time I had also become the holder of a shotgun certificate) we had a great time over the next couple of years, before he died following an unfortunate accident.
Following the loss of my Labrador, my grandfather took me to visit Marshall Jamieson who bred the “Viewmount” Gundogs and we came home with my first springer puppy, Viewmount Vamp who was born on the 7th April 1974, Spud as we named him was also taken to the Tayvalley Wildfowlers Association training classes where I was given lots of encouragement by the trainers to run him in some working tests, I took the advice given and we won the Strathmore Working Gundog Club novice test during the summer of 1976, I had also began working as a trainee gamekeeper for Lord Dundee at his Birkhill Estate in Fife.
During the pheasant shooting season of 1976 I was asked by the late George Meldrum of the famous “Rumbleton” Labrador kennel if I would be interested in joining his son Bill Meldrum as a kennel boy at the Queens “Sandringham” kennels in Norfolk, this opportunity was accepted and I began working at Sandringham in late January 1977, although my stay at the kennels was only 13 months the experience gained from working alongside a top trainer like Bill Meldrum has remained with me all my life.
Over the following years I spent most of my time shooting over my dogs and taking them picking up or beating at commercial shoots in Scotland, it was at this time that I also started to attend field trials with local trainers such as Eion Robertson who bred the “Jenoren”spaniels, Ben Adamson of “Broomfield” spaniels and Willie Davidson of the renowned “Quarrybrae” springers these three men gave me more help and advice than any other trainers I know, which led me to trial a number of Springers that gained field trial awards.
During 1989 I decided to apply for the affix “Squareclose” to the UK Kennel Club, this was granted and from then on all puppies bred by myself have carried the name to various countries around the globe.
By 1991 my thoughts were turning to the working cocker as my next challenge, this led me to Peter Jones of the world renowned “Maesydderwen” cockers, Peter had a litter available out of his FTCH Wintonwildfowl Dotterel to FTCH Housty Solo so I purchased a black bitch puppy Maesydderwen Josie, unfortunately Josie and myself did not become great buddies and I called Peter to say that I had decided to move her out of my kennel, I was informed that Peter had a litter brother of Josie in his kennel that had been returned because the owners were having trouble training him, but I was assured that he would be worth looking at as a replacement for Josie.
Peter and I met up about 3 weeks after the telephone call and Maesydderwen Jackdaw spent the next 9 ½ years with me, he became a Field Trial Champion and won 31 awards during his field trial career, he had one certificate of merit in a novice trial, one certificate in an Open trial and a diploma at the Cocker Championship, the other 28 awards were all 1st to 4th placements at either novice or Open field trials, as a stud dog he sired 5 UK FTCH’s as well as numerous winners and award winners in the UK and overseas and his daughters “Jenoren Gypsey of Squareclose” and “Whinpark Chrissie of Squareclose” have produced many FTCH’s and winners including the US Cocker National winner.
It was an honour to be granted admission to the UK Kennel Club “A” panel for Spaniel Judges during 2003, (It takes a minimum of six years from judging your first trial to becoming accepted on the “A” panel in the UK subject to meeting all the required fields for number of trials judged, number of “A” panel co-judges and also having won both novice and Open qualifying trials) since that time I have been invited to judge in Scotland, England, Ireland and Sweden which has always been very enjoyable.
Another lifelong ambition was realised in 2003 when I was invited by Dennis Robbins of “Sundee” kennels in Alberta, Canada to join him and his friends Randy Blanchard and John Kelly for a goose and duck hunting trip at the same time as taking over two cocker puppies to join his kennel, I was also able to deliver a springer puppy to Bill Brockett of “Ponderosa Springers” in Kalispell, Montana.
To date I have sent dogs to Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Netherlands, France, Oman, Canada and the USA, with a number of the dogs becoming field trial winners and Champions in Scandinavia and Europe,
A number of the dogs exported to North America have also gained junior and senior hunter titles as well as 2 springers having qualified for the 2008 US and the 2009 & 2010 Canadian nationals.
In the UK we have bred 2 Open Field Trial Winners and 7 novice Field Trial Winners plus numerous award winning Springer Spaniels.
Field trials in recent years have played a much smaller part in my life than previously due to family illness and work commitments, but my aim is still to breed gundogs that can do a full days work in the hunting field or give a very good account of themselves in competition either in the UK or anywhere else in the world where the qualities of a top gundog are appreciated. |
