Visit Minnesota’s Game Fair to get an across-the-pond perspective on dog training

During the past few decades, Irish-born Labrador retriever trainers have gained an impressive reputation following notable international success – particularly given the small size of Ireland.

Why the success? As with anything in the world of dog training, there’s a multitude of reasons. It’s the old nature versus nurture discussion, and while specialized breeding programs are a strong part of that formula, the nurture side of things seems to give Irish dogs and trainers an edge.

Matty Lambden is an Irish gun-dog trainer, breeder, and A Panel Judge from the Irish County Westmeath who competes under both Irish and English kennel club rules. Founder of Tamrose Labradors, Lambden has produced five field trial champions and represented Ireland at international events including the Skinners World Cup and CLA Game Fair. He also serves as Honour Secretary at the Utility Gundog Club of Ireland.

Lambden will be at Game Fair during the first weekend (Aug. 8-10) hosting daily seminars at 11 a.m. in the Outdoor News Main Seminar Tent along with Dave Bavero, of Waterstone Labradors, out of Texas. Their focus will be on field-trial training in general, with a focus on the highly refined methods of Ireland and the U.K.

When asked what’s unique about Irish dog trainers that brings them so much success, Lambden said it’s because so many of them are doing it only part-time as he is, so a strong work ethic is key.

“The standard is high, and people like to make sure everything is good,” he said.

 

Competing across Ireland, the U.K., and Europe, the stakes are high and margins for error are slim. With all that intensity, Lambden said the psychological part of it can be more challenging for the humans than it is for the dog.

“There’s sometimes when you are nearly doing it for the dog – he deserves this and you have to work hard to get it,” he said.

Dave Bavero runs Waterstone Labradors out of Texas hill country near San Antonio and will be presenting at Game Fair with Lambden. Bavero trains British and Irish Labradors and has been instrumental in shifting perceptions in the United States around the unique qualities of those dogs.

Bavero says he loves the dogs’ natural game-finding ability, calm temperaments, and hunting instincts, and a lot of that comes from careful breeding and the higher standards of field trials across the pond.

“The standard in Ireland and the U.K. for trials is very high. It would be different than a lot of the American competitions,” Bavero said.

MORE COVERAGE FROM MINNESOTA OUTDOOR NEWS:

Minnesota duck numbers up during spring survey, but bluewings take dive

Appeals court rules against Minnesota deer farmers

DNR offers $4.65 million to southwest Minnesota parks after closure of Upper Sioux Agency State Park

Any noise out of a dog and it’s disqualified, he added. In the United States, those behavior issues tend to be overlooked more often, so long as the dog performs in the field.

“British and Irish Labradors have to be very calm, relaxed, quiet, and they have to be able to do the field work, so there’s that balance,” Bavero said.

For that reason, those dogs are in higher demand here in the U.S. because they are calm and quiet in the field as well as by the fireplace in the home.

Another feature of training Irish Labradors is the exclusion of electronic collars, and Bavero said he’s one of only a few American trainers who hold true to those Irish training methods. There is also high demand in the United States for the genetics of Labradors from Ireland and the U.K.

Irish Labs also tend to be fit and strong dogs due to the rough terrain. Bavero has visited, trained, and hunted with Lambden many times over the years and calls a hunt there, the “Irish fitness test.” Between the bogs, hills, thick cover, and rocky terrain, it’s quite the challenge, he says.

The spark, the dog

Lambden got his start in dog training as a young boy in Ireland, less than a year after his father passed away.

“I got a dog around 9, and I suppose that was a bond coming through, and from there I learned the skills of hunting,” he said.

That first dog was a Jack Russell terrier, and it gave Lambden a great introduction to the world of dog and human working together. “Field craft” is the term Lambden used. As a teenager, his outdoor pursuits became a passion, and he grew particularly fond of shooting ducks, a sport that is best with the companionship of a well-trained dog.

After high school and advanced studies in the U.K., Lambden returned to Ireland in 2004 and decided he needed a good dog for duck hunting as well as possibly getting involved in field trials. He searched for a dog with a field-champion pedigree that he could afford.

Growing up, he’d learned a lot by reading stories about hunting, dog training, and field trials in the renowned British periodical, Shooting Times & Country Magazine. He flipped open a copy of the magazine and saw a puppy for sale from a man named Michael Hoey, who was an A Panel Judge. (An A Panel Judge is a highly experienced and accredited judge authorized to officiate at the highest levels of competition, including championship-level field trials for retrievers.)

“So for me, these were the best dogs you could see, so I was just lucky that I got that dog,” Lambden said.

For the next two years, he trained the dog, using articles from the magazine to guide him. He would read, then apply what he learned, read and apply, fueled by how much both he and his dog were progressing.

Two years later, Hoey called Lambden up: “Well, young lad. How’s the dog going for ya?” Hoey told him about a working test coming up in a few days and invited Lambden to bring the dog out for a try. Lambden entered as a novice, and ended up winning.

“And that was it,” he said.

The life of both dog and owner instantly set on a new course.

Like so many top-notch trainers will tell you, achieving great success with just the right dog unlocks a whole world of possibilities.

“He was a very forgiving dog – thankfully, for a novice trainer – which taught me a lot, and also what should be expected from a good animal,” Lambden said.

The next step was to get involved in field trials. The duo ran in 13 trials, making Willowmount Ricky into a field trap champion and winning a 16-dog open stakes in Lough Coutra Estate in County Galway Ireland amidst raised bog, heathered hills, lakes, and mountains.

Running Tamrose Labradors

Lambden now lives with his family in the town of Mullingar, a vibrant market town in the heart of County Westmeath, located in Ireland’s midlands region. The area is known for its rich history, scenic lakes, and strong musical and agricultural traditions – plus it’s only 40 minutes from Dublin Airport.

It is an ideal location for Tamrose Labradors, the name of his training and breeding facilities with gently rolling farmland, open boglands, and numerous wetlands. He’s qualified dogs for the Irish Retriever Championship multiple times and earned awards for three of them.

Lambden also travels throughout Ireland and the U.K. doing competitions, judging, and training in Europe, including Spain, Italy, and Austria.

He also has a full-time job separate from dog training and three children between the ages of 3 and 11. And he coaches the under-10 rugby team.

Lambden has been to the United States in the past, but it was only on a sightseeing and shopping trip with his wife to New York City.

“It’s going to be a lot different this time. No more Macy’s and shopping bags,” he said.

It will be his first visit to Game Fair in Ramsey, but he’s no stranger to the CLA Game Fair held in the U.K., an event that inspired Chuck and Loral I Delaney to start a similar type of event in America in 1982.

Bavero is a long-time visitor to Game Fair and said there’s nothing else like it in the United States.

Sharing expert advice

“I’m a huge believer in trying to enhance what’s in the dog instead of restricting it,” Lambden said. “I like to see that natural ability – everything is flowing and the dog is happy. And that connection between dog and handler.”

More than anything, speaking with Lambden and Bavero about field trials, training Labradors, and the business of dog training reveals a tremendous respect for the connection between dog and human.

A well-trained dog should be having as much fun as the person training and running the dog, Lambden said. “If something’s going wrong, are we going to try to correct it, or was it taught right? Why can’t the dog understand? So we try different steps.”

For Lambden, it’s about building a good thought process for both the handler and the dog. Even when a dog is a good distance from its trainer, working on a scent, he said eye contact is an important skill to train, and it’s something that comes with careful consistency.

“That connection between dog and man is really important,” he said.

How to build that? Come to their seminar at Game Fair’s first weekend and ask them for yourself. Lambden will be there only the first weekend, while Bavero will be around for both weekends.