Found It, Fetched It - Gundog Training for Family Life

This episode of Found It, Fetched It features pharmacist and Lyme Resource Centre trustee Arlene Braley and vet Ian Wright (chair of ESCCAP) discussing tick prevention and tick-borne disease risks for dogs and people. Arlene shares her son’s long, severe illness after an unrecognised tick-borne infection, motivating her Lyme charity work and emphasis on knowledge and early action. Ian explains UK tick species and life cycle; peak activity now spans much of the year; practical avoidance (staying on paths, protective clothing, repellents); pet prevention products suited to lifestyle; and the importance of post-walk tick checks. They outline correct tick removal with proper tools and avoiding stressing the tick. Arlene describes human Lyme signs (EM rash, summer flu-like illness, fatigue, headaches, migratory joint pain), the need to document rashes and history, relevant NICE/Royal College guidance, and that there is no prophylactic antibiotic after a bite; they also mention the Tick Surveillance Scheme and available resources and tick-removal tools.

00:00 Ticks Are Everyone’s Problem
01:07 Meet The Guests
04:02 Arlene’s Lyme Story
07:27 Tick Threats Beyond Lyme
09:22 Tick Life Cycle Explained
11:20 Avoiding Bites Outdoors
12:33 Pet Preventatives That Work
15:24 Tick Checks And Hotspots
17:41 Tick Season Is Longer Now
18:48 Safe Tick Removal Basics
20:59 Symptoms After A Missed Tick
23:10 Early Detection Matters
23:53 Chronic Lyme In Pets
25:17 Tick Prevention Planning
27:29 Humans And Tick Risk
28:54 Wait And Watch Signs
29:18 Rash And Early Symptoms
32:34 Disseminated Lyme Symptoms
34:20 Advocating With Your GP
38:02 Treatment Guidance Basics
39:44 Tools And Tick Removal
41:43 Surveillance And Outdoor Safety
44:43 Wrap Up And Resources

Link to ESCCAP : https://www.esccapuk.org.uk/page/Ticks/7/

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If this episode gave you something, a laugh, a lightbulb, or just the feeling that someone gets it, that's exactly why we make it.
📚 Not sure where to start with your gundog training? Grab the LWDG Gundog Progress Gap Map. Work out where you exactly where you are and what to work on next, no more guessing needed.

Abbie Reed of Riverlily Working Dogs joins Jo to break down what a charity working test actually involves, from the admin behind the scenes to what your dog needs to be able to do on the day. They talk through the six tests you're likely to face, how judges assess you differently to an official working test, and why your own mindset does more heavy lifting than your training log.

In this episode:
What separates a charity working test from an official Kennel Club test, and why unregistered and crossbreed dogs are welcome
The basic skills your dog needs before you enter: steady to shot, steady to a thrown dummy, a clean retrieve, and a stop whistle
A walkthrough of a typical test day, from signing in and the exercise area to being called forward by the judge
The six common tests you might face, including the double mark, replacement blind, and the water splash
Why eighty percent of how the day goes comes down to the handler's mindset, not the dog's ability
How volunteering or helping at a test teaches you faster than training your own dog ever could

About Abbie Reed

Abbie Reed runs River Lily Working Dogs in Hertfordshire, where she's organised ten charity working tests over the last twelve years. She competes and picks up herself, and she's spent years watching handlers of every level walk into the test ring, which makes her the person to ask when you're wondering whether your dog is actually ready.

Key takeaways
You don't need a perfect dog to enter a charity working test, you need a dog who's had the basics installed and will have a go.
Judges at charity tests are more lenient than official ones, but they still expect a certain level of control before you toe the line.
A zero doesn't mean failure, it means you've found exactly what to train next.
Volunteering at a test teaches you faster than training alone ever will, because you get to watch dozens of dogs and handlers instead of just your own.

Resources mentioned
Riverlily Working Dogs — Facebook (Friends of Riverlily Working Dogs, and Riverlily Working Dogs), Instagram, website currently being updated

Thanks for being here.

If this episode gave you something, a laugh, a lightbulb, or just the feeling that someone gets it, that's exactly why we make it.
📚 Not sure where to start with your gundog training? Grab the LWDG Gundog Progress Gap Map. Work out where you exactly where you are and what to work on next, no more guessing needed.

Jo and Claire Denyer tackle one of the most common worries handlers carry quietly: the belief that a dog needs to behave better before it is ready to see a trainer. They cover why the opposite is true, what so-called difficult behaviour is often really communicating, and how the most challenging dogs frequently become the dogs of a lifetime.

In this episode
Why your trainer needs to see your dog at his cheekiest, not his best behaved
The warning moment most handlers miss in the seconds before their dog disappears after a scent
Why difficult young dogs so often mature into the hardest working, most rewarding dogs
How watching other dogs at group classes and charity tests fast tracks your own handling
What displacement behaviours like scent marking and cushion humping actually mean
Claire's recent case of a golden retriever whose recall problem was nothing like it looked

About Claire Denyer
Claire Denyer is an LWDG Group Expert and professional dog trainer who works with handlers and their dogs every week, from group classes and one-to-one sessions through to behaviour cases referred by local vets. She brings a rare mix of straight talking and genuine compassion, and her whole approach is built on helping the handler, not just the dog.

Thanks for being here.

If this episode gave you something, a laugh, a lightbulb, or just the feeling that someone gets it, that's exactly why we make it.
📚 Not sure where to start with your gundog training? Grab the LWDG Gundog Progress Gap Map. Work out where you exactly where you are and what to work on next, no more guessing needed.

Ten years ago, the LWDG was bringing in about two hundred pounds a month and felt more like a nice idea than a business. This week marks ten years of the LWDG and ten years of Claire Denyer's Family Dog Services, so to celebrate, Claire turns the tables and interviews Jo in a business blind date. They talk about the exact moments it stopped feeling like a hobby (a national award for one of them, a very muddy fall on her bottom for the other), the bit of the job they still find hardest, how training has changed over a decade, and where they hope to be in another ten years. It's funny, it's honest, and it's the story behind the brand you've been part of.

Thanks for being here.

If this episode gave you something, a laugh, a lightbulb, or just the feeling that someone gets it, that's exactly why we make it.
📚 Not sure where to start with your gundog training? Grab the LWDG Gundog Progress Gap Map. Work out where you exactly where you are and what to work on next, no more guessing needed.

You trained it and you were proud of it. Then one day, in front of people, your dog looked straight at you and carried on sniffing. Recall going wrong feels personal, like the dog is calling you a liar. In this conversation, LWDG Group Expert Claire Denyer explains why recall almost never breaks where you think it does. Claire walks through how to rebuild it from the ground up, why the cheese-word panic never works, and how to use a long line as a way to talk to your dog rather than a way to hold them. If your dog has been stuck on the lead because you no longer trust them, this is the episode that gets you both off it.

Thanks for being here.

If this episode gave you something, a laugh, a lightbulb, or just the feeling that someone gets it, that's exactly why we make it.
📚 Not sure where to start with your gundog training? Grab the LWDG Gundog Progress Gap Map. Work out where you exactly where you are and what to work on next, no more guessing needed.