I have worked with dogs for more years than I care to remember, I first got involved in field trials almost twenty years ago. My first bitch Int FTCH Simonside Rosewillow of Witchwillows (Rose) actually trained me she was that good. I must thank Morris Thurnbron for the pup! At that time in my career my training ground was very limited and despite todays obsession with having vast acreages of ground teeming with game and rabbits I did most of Rose's training on a football pitch!

For me, good blood lines are what matters the most. It doesn't matter how good you are, or not as the case may be! Rose simply took each lesson I gave her and ran with it, for her it was literally a walk in the park. I have managed to keep some of Roses' blood lines in my kennels as you will see from the pedigrees of my current dogs.

As anyone will tell you, field trialing is a funny old game, one week your dogs are "Premier Divison" and they can do no wrong and the next it’s as if you haven't put any training into them at all. I would say luck has a lot to do with winning or losing a trial, without that bit of luck on the day you will struggle to win a thing.

My next bitch was FTCH Drury Skylark of Witchwillows. A very stylish bitch with enough drive to start a car! Lucy was a joy to train and shoot over. She was a pleasure to work and I learnt a lot from her, sadly she has long passed on. I noticed after her I seemed to receive a lot of ribbing from my friends, telling me "Well George, it’s easier to make a Field Trial Champion from a bitch !" Two bitches, two champions, what about the boys?? To me that was like a red rag to a bull!

Next came Mally, FTCH Mally Harbut of Witchwillows, (Roses' Grandson) But luck would throw in its hand once again. Unfortunately not long after his win he was sadly killed in a road traffic accident.

I have some very exciting youngsters in my kennels and this year I would hope that Helmsway Hawk of Witchwillows "Scott" will be made up to a FTCH later this season...as they say "watch this space"!

I'm also working with a young bitch pup at the minute "Gypsy", she is just six months old. She is a daughter of Scott and one of Roses' grand-daughters so I'm hoping great things will come for her in the future, only time will tell.

All my other dogs are coming along wonderfully at present, time will tell how they progress in the trialing world over the coming months and years. I hope good things for them and myself. As we Geordies say 'we could all come a cropper at the last fence!!'

I think that’s about enough from me for now my friends. Take a look at the pedigrees and photo's here. I'm sure you will become as enamoured with my dogs as my grandchildren are. When I have a kennel full of puppies, I have a kennel full of grandchildren too!

Witchwillow Gundogs

Feel free to give me a ring or drop me a line anytime with any enquiries. I'd be more than happy to help.

George Wilson

E-Mail for further details on our dogs.

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