Can you train with too many different gundog trainers?
Collette May 
With so many trainers and methods available, it’s natural to wonder whether working with more than one trainer will help or hinder your progress.
If you’ve been thinking about booking one of our Gundog Training Holidays here in Mid Wales, you might have hesitated for one unspoken reason: the worry that you’ll be “cheating” on your current gundog trainer.
Many people who’ve only ever gone to one gundog trainer not only feel a strong sense of loyalty to only train with them, but they’re usually also weary that working with someone new could mean new cues or conflicting methods, ultimately slowing their training progress.
You might be in the same boat - uncertain about whether integrating another trainer’s techniques will complicate things for your dog, especially when you’ve already seen positive results with your current trainer.
It’s completely normal to feel this way. After all, we as trainers preach that consistency is essential in gundog training.
You’re probably comfortable with your current trainer’s approach and have likely worked hard to get to this point with your dog.
You might even feel protective of the progress you’ve made - not wanting to do anything that will risk ruining the relationship you have with your trainer or damaging the behaviours you’ve spent hours, maybe even weeks and months, working on.
And that is completely understandable - you’ve invested time, money, effort, and likely emotion into your gundog’s education, and the last thing you want is to create confusion or cause a training setback.
But is training with more than one gundog instructor really going to set you back or undo the work you’ve done to date?
Or is this a chance to expand and improve your and your dog’s skills? After all, there’s more than one way to reach your gundog training goals, and different trainers bring unique insights that can help you deepen your understanding of the sport.
In this blog, we will look at when it’s important to stick with one trainer and when is the right time to explore training with other people, common concerns people have about working with more than one gundog trainer, and finally, how training with multiple people, especially in new environments like those offered on our holidays, could actually benefit your gundog’s development and boost your confidence as a handler.
Why it’s important to start with one gundog trainer
In the beginning stages of your gundog training journey - especially if this is your first gundog - it’s crucial to establish a strong foundation of basic behaviours.
If you have not trained a gundog before and don’t know what you’re doing, then trying to learn and use too many methods from lots of different people in the important early stages can be incredibly confusing for you and your gundog puppy.
Consistency is key when teaching the core cues, such as recall, heelwork, impulse control or steadiness, and the start of the retrieve. Clear, step-by-step tuition provided by one trusted trainer will set you and your gundog up for long-term success.
Whether you train your pet gundog for fun, want to compete in working tests, or are hoping to get your working gundog on a shoot beating or picking up, this approach is especially vital for newcomers who have limited experience and might not be able to see the full picture of what we need and want from our gundogs in the long run.
By sticking with one trainer at first, you have a much better chance of ensuring that you’re progressing steadily without rushing ahead or getting overwhelmed by varied techniques. A single trainer who sees you regularly should also be tracking this progress, tailoring the training to suit you and your pup, and making sure that you don’t skip any steps or forget to cover the essentials.
When can you train your gundog with multiple trainers?
If you’re a gundog owner who has trained dogs before and already has a solid understanding of the bigger picture, you’re in a strong position to begin working with multiple trainers, even from the puppy stage.
Since you’ve been through the process before, you know how to set clear training goals, can monitor your dog’s progress closely and make adjustments if needed.
With that foundation, you’re well-equipped to manage different approaches, selecting what works best for your dog while still keeping things consistent. This experience allows you to plan your training schedule thoughtfully, ensuring that all the basics are covered while integrating new techniques from different people as needed.
You’ll essentially be developing your own personal training style, one that draws on the best of what each trainer has to offer.
For first-time gundog owners, however, the path looks a bit different.
Your puppy needs to master the basics, and if you are new to gundog training, this will be best done with the help of one singular trainer.
As your dog grows up and training progresses, however, you will eventually move on to proofing and generalising the basic behaviours your dog has learnt.
This is where working with multiple trainers becomes beneficial, as they can provide new environments and distractions that will challenge your dog and improve their skills and ability.
Whether you’re working on steadiness in a high-distraction environment or refining recall in unfamiliar terrain, exposure is key to developing a well-rounded gundog.
If you limit yourself to just one gundog trainer for too long, you and your dog might miss out on crucial learning experiences, and if your gundog remains too familiar with one training location, they may struggle to adapt when faced with different real-world scenarios.
A new trainer may also be able to spot areas for improvement that your original trainer may have missed, offering fresh insights and helping you fine-tune your gundog’s performance.
By this stage, you should have built enough confidence and skill to take these suggestions on board, or ignore them if you don’t think they will be right for your dog, without feeling overwhelming.
Common concerns about “cheating” on your current gundog trainer
Unless there’s been a change in circumstance, such as moving house, many first time gundog owners are hesitant to explore the option of working with anyone other than their first gundog trainer.
It’s natural to feel a sense of loyalty to your current trainer, especially if you’ve built a good relationship and attribute your early success to their methods and support.
When people chat with me about this, most explain that they are scared of introducing new cues or different ways of doing things. There is always a fear that going to someone else will cause problems which their original trainer won’t help them to fix because they went elsewhere for training.
Before we move on, it’s crucial to note that another gundog trainer could give you bad advice, which could negatively impact your training.
When it comes to finding different gundog trainers to work with, it’s important to proceed with care. Not all trainers are going to be the right fit.
Just as no two dogs are alike, trainers differ greatly in their methods, experience, and philosophies. If you’ve been working hard to train your gundog using a specific approach, such as positive reinforcement, bringing in a trainer whose methods don’t align with your values can do more harm than good.
For instance, if your dog is sensitive and you’ve focused on building their confidence and trust through reward-based training, going a trainer who is likely to encourage a hard approach and will suggest that you punish them when something doesn’t go right, could undo the confidence-building work you’ve done and potential leave lasting damage.
This is why it’s critical to do your research and choose any new trainer thoughtfully, making sure their overall training approach is compatible with your own. It’s also worth remembering that just because a trainer is ‘famous’ or well-regarded by some doesn’t necessarily mean they are the right fit for your dog’s personality or your training goals.
Finally, if you think you’ve found a good trainer but you’re still worried about “cheating” on your existing one, then remember that introducing a new gundog teacher into your life doesn’t mean abandoning your primary one.
If they are a good trainer, they should understand this and be encouraging and supportive of your overall gundog training journey, especially if it will help you to expand your dog’s experiences and skillset.
The benefits of training your gundog with more than one person
If you’ve already established a solid foundation with your dog, learning from other trainers can actually enhance your training rather than detract from it.
One of the key benefits of training with more than one person is the opportunity to work on different types of training grounds. Gundogs need to be able to perform reliably in a variety of environments, such as fields, water, woodland, steep hills and thick cover.
Each new trainer is likely to offer unique training spaces that offer you access to these different types of terrain and many will also have purpose-built gundog training features like cover crops, jumping pens and water, all of which mimic the real-world settings in which your dog will eventually work.
By making use of these, your gundog will become accustomed to working in a variety of settings. This not only improves their adaptability but also helps to proof and generalise behaviours, ensuring that the skills they’ve learnt are reliable no matter where they’re working.
If you’ve been training for a while, it’s perfectly normal to be curious about the options if you feel like your dog’s training has hit a wall or if there are areas your current trainer may not be addressing fully.
Each trainer will have their unique style and areas of expertise, so if you’re experiencing a plateau or facing issues that your current trainer doesn’t seem able to address, it might be time to consider a new perspective.
No trainer knows everything, and even the most experienced professionals may specialise in certain areas more than others. By broadening your training circle, you can tap into a wealth of specialised knowledge that can help with specific challenges you might be facing.
Perhaps you have a retriever you want to take picking up, but your current trainer only has spaniels and goes beating. Maybe your young male cocks his leg on the way back from every retrieve, but your current trainer only has bitches. If your gundog is struggling with a particular behaviour or training aspect, finding a trainer who has dealt with that issue before can be the breakthrough you need.
Equally, if you plan to have more than one gundog, another major benefit of working with more than trainers is that it allows you to build your own personalised and comprehensive training toolkit. You can cherry-pick the techniques that resonate best with you, and over time, you’ll build your own personalised training style.
Additionally, working with multiple trainers provides valuable socialisation opportunities - not just for your dog but for you as well. The gundog community is a close-knit one, and training with different people helps you build relationships with other handlers and trainers.
These connections often lead to lasting friendships and many people who have met on the gundog training holidays have kept in touch and now have more people they can celebrate their wins with and share experiences, tips, and advice.
Finally, training with more than one person can help you to stay motivated and will encourage you to continuously improve as a handler. When working with different trainers, you’re more likely to be challenged with new techniques, exercises, and expectations that push you and your dog to grow. Rather than falling into familiar routines, you’ll be exposed to fresh ideas that can reignite your enthusiasm and keep your dog engaged and sharp.
If you are ready to train your gundog with more than one person and would like to take advantage of the ground and facilities we have here at Completely Gundogs, why not book one of our gundog training holidays? Your gundog will need to have good basics in place as our holidays start at novice level and go up to advanced. Find our more here: https://www.completelygundogs.co.uk/courses/2025-gundog-training-holidays