Working Dog Photography

The Bettie Town Glen Prosen Challenge

This website contains affiliate links to the products and services I use and recommend. You won’t pay any more for the products or services but I may get a small commission. Thank you

your free SmugMug 14-day trial today, and save 15% on a new account.

Event photography

I was asked to do some Working dog photography for the team event the English Setter Club had organised. The images were going in a number of magazines which was organised by the club. My deadline for the magazines was 2 days after the event for the images.

Shooting over Setters & Pointers

The Bettie Town Glenprosen Challenge was a team event for Setters and Pointers held by the English Setter Club in memory of the Club’s late President Mrs Bettie Town held at the Glenprosen Estate, Angus Glens in Scotland. The idea of the day was to hold a competition between the 4 breeds of Working Gundogs from the sub group Setters and Pointers on a walked up Grouse shooting day. This was to celebrate the sport of shooting over Setters and Pointers. The teams were the –

Each team was made up of four dogs each with a handler and there were 4 Guns for the day including the Estate owner.

Setter & Pointer field trials

If you are not familiar with the Working Gundogs, then let me explain. Setters and Pointers at UK Field Trials do not retrieve the birds and the birds are not shot. At a UK Field trial for Setters and Pointers the dogs run as a brace (two dogs together) quartering the ground using the wind to scent the birds and will come on ‘point’ when they scent a bird. The handler will take the dog in on the ‘Point’ to put up the birds with the judge and a ‘Gun’ this person with the gun is usually the game keeper who will fire a shot when the birds get up to to mimic a shoot day for the dog. The dog has be steady to shot, as they would be on a shoot day.

Walked up Grouse shooting

On a walked up Grouse shooting day after a Setter or Pointer points the birds and puts the birds up into the air, they are then shot by the ‘Guns’. But a Spaniel or Retriever will Retrieve the birds, usually the game keepers dogs are the Retriever’s on the day.