I had a phone call a while back that's stuck with me. A family had a five-month-old puppy. Spaniel. Full of life, full of energy - and biting them. Jumping up, nipping fingers, going for ankles. They'd tried everything they could find online. They'd been to see someone. That someone had told them the dog had behavioural issues. Possibly needed a behaviourist. Maybe even medication. They rang me to say they were going to have it put to sleep. A five-month-old puppy. Put to sleep. Because it...

You threw the dummy. Your pup flew out there, picked it up, and then... ran the other way. Or sat down with it. Or dropped it halfway back and started sniffing. Sound familiar?

: Darren Kirk introduces Jam and Evie, two English Springer Spaniel pups with FTCH pedigrees, joining the Kirkbourne pack as future working and demo dogs.

There's a moment at the shooting field - or the working test, or even just a training session with other handlers watching - where you realise the retrieve isn't the problem. It's everything before the retrieve. The dog that breaks on the shot. The one that's already running before you've even lifted a finger. The one you've asked to sit three times and it's sat twice and the third time you just gave up because everyone's watching. You know the one. It might be yours. That's not a retrieve...