Below you will find a list of recent testimonials, most recent at the top.
Steve recognised the potential in my bitch and has been largely responsible for bringing her up to field trail standard. He has also supported me with my other bitch who has developed into an excellent shooting dog. Apart from training days as part of the Lammermuir Gundog club Steve is happy to give individual lessons which are particularly beneficial. Steve understands that not only has the dog to work for him but it has also to have a strong rapport with its owner. I look forward to the training days which are both informative and fun. Steve is supported by his wife Alison who provides a delicious lunch which makes a happy ending to the morning. Dr Maeve Gold
Our training sessions at Lammermuir Gundogs with Steve have been relaxed and with great humour along the way, which is greatly needed when you own a Flatcoated Retriever called Ebbers!! Ebbers has a huge personality and it is sometime difficult to contain her enthusiasm! Steve has shown great patience with her (and me) and channelled her into a working mode with great success. We have come so far in a year with Steve’s guidance and sense of humour! We are looking forward to competing this year! Ebbers and I love our group sessions and gain so much from them. I am so looking forward to taking my future project (yet again another Flattie) to Steve! Lammermuir Gundogs are very friendly, advice flows along with the tea and coffee provided by Steve’s wife Allison, it is a pleasure to be in their company. Thanks to Steve and Allison from Deborah and Ebbers
I would have no hesitation in recommending Steve Leach for teaching both you and your dog how to behave in the field. His patience is remarkable and providing you are prepared to put in the homework between lessons then you will, like me, make real progressDrew Ramsay & Hamish the Australian Labradoodle
Stephen and Allison at Lammermuir Gundogs offer a very friendly and professional service to their clients. When looking for a replacement for a long serving springer, a chance meeting at a shoot, put me in touch with Stephen who had a litter of cocker pups available, and I am now the proud owner of ‘Belle’ who is in training, and me as well !, with Stephen. Their facilities in the Lammermuir hills, offer a safe environment in which to train and provides all the obstacles you are likely to encounter when working your dog. Joining the puppy class with other owners has been a great experience, seeing how they all progress together in the varying stages of their training, as they grow and develop their individual personalities. Stephen also does ‘one to one ‘sessions which are great to iron out any difficulties that do inevitably occur, more to do with me rather than my pup!. Attending the classes on a regular basis is great socially and spending a few hours with like minded people, finished off around the kitchen table over a coffee with some lovely home cooked cake ( thoroughly recommended ) to discuss the mornings events. There’s so much to learn when training a working dog, as I have learnt since attending his classes, and Stephen’s ability to bring this out of both dog, and handler, in a very friendly and enjoyable way, only adds to the pleasure this gives to the experience of seeing your dog progress and behave in the way you would wish.David
Steve and Allison are keen and enthusiastic and for them the business is a lifestyle. I came to them as a novice dog handler and Steve has kept me motivated and inspired confidence all the way! In addition to the hands-on training, I’ve had plenty of ‘homework’ and this has helped me improve my training at home. In addition, they’ve been an invaluable source of knowledge and advice regarding behaviour, diet … and illness. When we faced an illness with Deefer, Steve and Allison were really supportive both practically and emotionally with helpful advice. And Allison always puts on a great spread after training to warm us through! Especially after braving the cold and wet in the Borders! I would thoroughly recommend them to any owners serious about gun dog training and obedience for their dogs (and themselves!). Thank you both Anne
My friend and I discovered Lammermuir Gundogs when discussing our naughty puppies and looking for dog training locally, my problem being a VERY enthusiastic one year old cocker spaniel who could travel through two fields in a matter of seconds!!! So off we went to LGD to meet Steve who quickly named Rita “the pocket rocket”. With the patience of a saint Steve has got Rita to listen to me and given her a purpose in life, other than runninfgfor miles. She loves to please and really loves all the retreiving excersises that we have been given. I do not shoot and she will never be a gundog but joining Steves classes has been super for socialising her with other dogs and for me its great to meet others that have the same problems and a real joy when they get things right. Its not always the dogs fault so its not just dog training its people training too… Oh …. and the food is great too. Allison is the best hostess and the first ladies day was well attended and everyone had a great time. Steve and Allison are a great team who love their dogs and are happy to help with all the little problems that occur from time to time. The “pocket rocket” now knows that when we head out on a Sunday in the car we are off to Lauder and she LOVES it!! Thanks to Allison and Steve we have met new friends canine and human. Pat Law
Ladies Day 19th May. Had a great day at Ladies day , the day started at 9am first thing was coffee and pastries served by Allison this gave us a chance to meet everyone, we then had a morning of obedience training. W e then had a short break with some lovely canapes and a glass of pimms or a soft drink. We where then split into groups and where given a taste of what it would be like if we were on a test, it was good to see how far our dogs had come or how much they had to learn to get to that stage. My dog Sydney still has a lot to learn. All the dogs that where there were all at different stages so it was good to see what could be achieved with lots of hard work. Steve is very encouraging and gives lots of advice and is very patient. The day finished of with a lovely lunch. Thanks Steven and Allison for a great day, highly recommended. Sandra
Lammermuir Gundogs is the place for all gundog training. I was new to this type of training, a Novice as you say and the advice/training that I have received for Bella starting at 8 months to present 14 months has been fantastic! I Didn’t think about entering working tests but Steven the trainer at Lammermuir Gundogs suggested I should as he could see her potential. Bella has gone on from winning first place in a puppy working test, to a first place novice working test and just recently won first place in the ‘Buccleuch Open’ working test. These achievements have all been possible due to the training that I have received and the advice that I have taken on board along with doing the homework that was set for me. The training days are fun for handlers and dogs and I would totally recommend Lammermuir Gundogs for all your training needs, Steven is available for one-to-one training and advice for you, if and when required. Also the training aids that are used at training are available to purchase on training days, which I found really helpful as Paul always has supplies on hand for you to view. Not forgetting the lunch at the of the end of the training session, it is fantastic, all home made by Steven’s wife Alison. Thanks to all at Lammermuir Gundogs. Steven
The WDC dummies are great and combine fun with useful exercises. The pheasant dummy in particular targets a specific role to get the young dog familiar with picking up, holding, balancing and retrieving the larger bird. A very worthwhile dummy to have in any dog trainers bag. Don, Dublin
Lammermuir Gundogs is the perfect place to start gundog training, the training days are relaxed with lots of great advice. The lunch at the end of the day is excellent. Steve is also available for 1 to 1 training which I’ve done and will be doing again because it gives you the chance to cover new things without the distractions of other dogs. I also like the fact that all the dummies they use on training days are available to buy from either Pauls mobile shop or the web site. If there is something you need that is not on the web site, just ask, they might be able to get it for you. Many thanks to all at Lammermuir Gundogs Peter
Having only been to two of the training days we have had a great day on both. Apart from the great advice and suggestions for training, one of the other important benefits to me with a young dog is the social interaction with the other dogs to see how he copes with other distractions. Also to see various levels and ages of dogs being trained, or even just chat within the group about any dog related issues. The second training day gave me an idea, through feedback from the trainers, of how well my training was progressing and which parts to either continue to focus on or new things to try. The light lunch at the end was fantastic but also allows you to have a friendly chat on any topics covered or answer any questions you may have. Thanks to All Drew
As a novice handler I cannot reccomended Lammermuir Gundogs enough. The training is tailored to the abilities of each dog and uses positive reinforcement to build up each lesson step by step. As a vet I recognise the importance of dogs being stimulated and enjoying their training, it is never repetitive and it is wonderful to see the young dogs progress. My cocker spaniel can’t wait to get out the car! Whether you are a serious field sports enthusiast, or just want a well behaved and happy working pet, I think the friendly team at Lammermuir Gundogs can help you achieve your ambitions Morven
I bought two cocker spaniels who are really good natured but quite a handful. I naively thought I could train them myself – how wrong was I!! Despite their great natures, they basically didn’t do anything I told them and the catalyst came when one of them disappeared for 6 hours! I was told about Lammermuir Gundogs by a dog behaviourist. After meeting the dogs, Steve recommended one to one training and it is the best thing I have done for both the dogs, and myself! They now sit, stay and actually listen to me. Steve has shown me that I need to change the tone of my voice to get the appropriate response from them, as they needed to learn to respect me. And like people dogs have off days too and not to get too despondent when this happens. Although there is still a long way to go as my two dogs were over 2 when then started, I feel they have came on leaps and bounds. Steve has the patience of a saint, is easy to talk to and you can contact him anytime for advise between classes Liz
We are fortunate in Northumberland and Borders to have amongst us a number of first rate professional gundog trainers both male and female. A chance meeting on a Northumberland shoot with a keen shot whose opinion I respect introduced me to Steve Leach of Lammermuir Gundogs who trains just outside Thirlestone. Those of us who have tried to train our dogs know only too well that there is a world of difference between the advice given in the books and DVD’s and what we are capable of achieving with our dogs. Time and again we run into problems ,often not particularly serious in themselves, but before too long they mount up and we are out of our depth. When that happens to me, as it does all too frequently, I have no hesitation in contacting Steve; not only does he, despite his comparative youth, have a wealth of experience training and picking up but crucially he is able to impart his knowledge in a relaxed friendly manner which both owner and dog enjoy. If the training is enjoyable, as it invariably is with Steve, so the mistakes fade and owner and dog move on. A particular strength is his ability to ” Read ” the dog and explain not only how to correct a fault but also why it has arisen in the first place which in turn helps to avoid new problems arising. In short a first rate trainer, easy to work with and a thoroughly decent guy. Tony