RETIRED army officer Stephanie Jackman has put a passion for gundogs into practice training, working and showing German Short Haired Pointers.

After 34 years of army service Stephanie says she is “living the dream” training the “versatile, intelligent and beautiful” breed in the Borders, near Broughton.

She said: “I have gained awards at showing and working my dogs, and am now moving to Field Trial level.

“I am a Kennel Club Assured Breeder, licensed by Scottish Borders Council with quite a waiting list to boot, and I help others train their dogs too.

“I bought my first German Short Haired Pointers (GSP) more than 20 years ago, being lucky that dogs could come to work with me (most of the time, clearly not on deployments), and today I have four that live happily with our three Jack Russell Terriers – my husband’s show dogs.

“Flow, my two-year-old black and white bitch, is my sixth GSP but the first home-bred I have owned, trained and worked.

“I also have Gimbal, a four-year-old liver and white bitch, who I similarly trained myself and work, and together with Flow, we have attained some great results at Working Test level and in the show ring all over the country.”

“My GSPs – as hunt, point retrievers – are designed for walked up shoots as opposed to driven but are more than happy on a day picking up as any Labrador or spaniel. But to see them in action – hunting prey, pointing their find, flushing the prey and retrieving – is just breath-taking, especially when done to perfection.

“To date we’re doing OK – still a long way to go but loving the journey.”

During this busy life, Stephanie also finds time to volunteer as secretary of Upper Tweed Community Council.

Stephanie was inspired by her father, also an army man and grew up with a pack of labradors; but wanted a breed that would run as far as she did.

Running marathons she found that her labrador would sit down at the six-mile point and they would be walking the rest of the way.

Training with Stephanie starts from eight weeks of age when the dog’s litter mates have gone.

Stephanie said that with gundogs, training is all about obedience.

The dogs must learn to do as they are told and it takes time, patience and consistency.

Stephanie said: “I usually start everything in the home, making it part of play and keeping it light and fun and then graduate out to the garden before wider areas.

“With pups, most days are training days, allowing lots of time for play and bonding. As adults I usually train several times a week but only for limited periods.

“A dog’s attention span is quite short. If you want them to learn, keep it simple and short and always end on a high.

“If they complete the exercise correctly don’t get them to repeat it, go in and leave it for another day.”

Stephanie always whistle trains, as she has no wish to shout and with more than one dog it is much easier.

She added: “I first train recall (three pips on the whistle), dogs need the ability to run freely so ensuring they come back when they are called is paramount.

“In conjunction with this, I train the ‘stop whistle’, one long blast, the dogs stop and sit, no matter what.

“Then it’s all about heel walking, on and off the lead and retrieving.

“They are learning to be show dogs too.”

Stephanie says the right “raw material” is essential too and she spends much time looking into the lineage of her dogs, sometimes going back six generations.

This is to ensure there is nothing in the line that could be “thrown forward when I’m selecting a sire for my bitches”.

Stephanie said: “I breed for temperament first and foremost, ‘drive’ second and of course breed to the Breed Standard.

“These are the characteristics that allow the breed to perform the function for which it was bred.

“This is so important as not all my pups will go to working homes, most go to either show or pet homes.”

“GSPs make the most fabulous pets as long as they are given plenty of mental stimulation as well as physical.

“I might show mine, and work them but, at the end of the day, they live with us in our home and I like them to cuddle up next to me on the sofa as much as anyone who loves their dogs.”