Have you ever wondered how to turn a pheasant’s feathers into something you can keep? Our lovely member Sophie shows us how…..
To Make A Traditional Brooch You Will Need:
A traditional vase-shaped brooch – available through my FACEBOOK PAGE
Glue – here I use Gorilla superglue but any glue will work.
Thread – grey or white.
Feathers.
Scissors.
Step 1
Select your feathers and arrange them in the order you would like to present them in your brooch.
Push them into the brooch to ensure that they will all fit, and don’t forget to leave a bit of wiggle room for the glue!
Step 2
Thin the ‘fluff’ from the lower half of the feather shaft by pinching the top of the feather in one hand and firmly but smoothly pulling down on the fluff from the top to the bottom.
TOP TIP: If you haven’t done this before, please practise on other feathers as it they are delicate and the finer ones often break! Leave the backing feather complete for a nicer finished back. Although you don’t see it, I believe in quality workmanship and it makes a nicer finish!
Step 3
Tie a noose knot around your backing feather about ¾ of the way down the shaft, where the brooch pin would cover.
Then place each feather on top and tie it to the bundle with a simple knot.
Don’t tie them too tightly otherwise the tension in the thread will pull the feathers out of place. You can create simple fans by tightly tying them together and positioning them accordingly. Have a play around!
Once all the feathers are in place, loop the remaining thread around the base of the shafts and tie off to finish, trimming off any excess quills and thread.
Step 4
Place the feather bundle into your holder to ensure you are happy with your design and placement.
Then take them out and place a small amount of glue into the centre of the brooch and firmly press your feather bundle into the holder and position.
There you have it – your finished piece. Good luck and I would love to see your finished items in the comments below or when posting on social media just add the hashtag below.
#Sophiexxxcharlottebroochchallenge
If you like this guide then please do follow me and later on this year I hope to publish a small series of How to’s for other feathered projects.
Thanks! Sophie-Charlotte
LWDG Note – We love this tutorial Sophie! Your explanation and images are amazing! Thank you
Valentines Day is the day of love… and we all love our dogs so much! They may not know what Valentine’s day is all about, but they will no doubt appreciate a special treat.
Nanny Sheldon of Afonfelin Gundogs whipped this cake up two days early so we could share the images and recipes with you in time for the 14th of February.
You’ll Need
For The Cake:
150g Flour
1/2 teaspoon of Baking Powder
75g of Honey
75g Peanut Butter (without artificial sweetener which can be toxic)
1 Egg
125g of Vegetable Oil
150g Shredded Carrot
For The Icing:
125ml of Greek Yoghurt
30g of Peanut Butter
To Make:
Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius
In a large bowl mix together the shredded carrot, flour, baking powder
In a separate bowl mix together the honey, peanut butter and vegetable oil. Once mixed, add the egg.
Mix both bowls of ingredients together thoroughly.
Pour the mixture into a greased pan of your choice. We used 2 small oval pans, and a small rectangle to make the cake bone-shaped.
Bake for approx 20-30 minutes depending on the depth of the pan. Ensure cooked throughout before removing.
Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes before removing the pan.
Once cooled, mix icing ingredients together thoroughly and cover the tops of the cakes.
Decorate with additional dog treats should you wish.
Store in refrigerator for no more than 2 days.
Disclaimer: Please ensure your pet has no allergies to ingredients before serving.
You can use any shapes you wish
And decorate as you want
Looks good enough to eat!
Other fantastic Valentines Dog Recipes
These are other amazing ideas we have found on the web!
Choosing a gundog puppy as a future working dog can be difficult
Our lovely members have put together some of their top tips to help you choose the right gundog puppy for you. We have included 6 of these tips below:
Gundog Puppy – Tip Number 1
First of all, I advise people to think about what they really want from their dog, beating, shooting, trialling, pet with children etc. How often you will be able to take out etc and take it from there.
Lesley Y.LWDG Member
Be clear on what you plan to do in the future with your puppy. A working dog can be used for many different purposes, and what you will want the dog to excel at will definitely affect what kind of puppy you end up choosing.
Tip Number 2
I would want to know that all the health checks have been done. (I want to know that everything has been done health-wise that can be)Deborah H.LWDG Member
Different breeds can be subject to different health challenges. You can minimise risks by ensuring your pup comes from health-tested parents.
The Kennel Club have an online BREED INFORMATION CENTRE . This site allows you to search for the breed you are looking at purchasing, and then gives you a list of possible tests and what you should be expecting the breeder to have carried out. A breeder may not have carried out all those listed but should have carried out at a minimum those the Kennel Club strongly advise.
Tip Number 3
Research a reputable breeder and, if needed, wait for a litter. It is far too easy to fall in love with a puppy and let our hearts rule our heads.
Amanda G.LWDG Member
Puppies are so cute! So before you go visit a litter, make time to find a breeder that has a great reputation. Ask others who are knowledgeable about who they would suggest. Check out as much as you can before going to see a litter. If you’re a member of the Ladies Working Dog Group post a question or ask for feedback in the forum on dog breeding to help guide your decision.
Also, speak to the breeder on the phone and ask lots of questions. Trusts your instincts- is their reputation and answers meeting up with the type of pup you’re looking for.
Tip Number 4
Take time to look at the temperament of the parents
Amie M. LWDG Member
Many of our members gave this as one of their top tips.
If possible spend time with both parents. If the breeder does not own the sire it may not be possible. But definitely spend time with mum. Look at her general health and temperament. Are they friendly and do they want to spend time with their owners? Temperament is more than usually passed to parents. It can also guide you to the approximate size of the pup when they are fully grown.
Also, check the temperament of the parents. Working ability and style, hard or soft, biddable or strong-minded parents. I personally prefer a litter in which the breeder is keeping a pup themselves and not just in it for the money. Loved family pets as well as a good working dog.
Billie A.M.LWDG Member
Tip Number 5
When choosing a puppy, go and sit with them all (get any taken out that are already booked) and see which responds to you.
Julia B.M. LWDG Member
In a litter, there can be a few pups that have the potential to do what you want. In this case, listening to your instinct is important. Which pup do you like? There will need to be a lifelong bond between you so spend time with them. A good breeder will not rush you and will encourage you to visit and spend time choosing. They will want you to love the pup you pick.
If you spend your time finding the right breeder they will get to know you and since they spend 8wks with their puppies they can make the right match
Nina F.
LWDG Member
Two Yellow Lab Pups running across field towards camera
Tip Number 6
Take the pup to your own vet and have a checkup, and check the microchip information.
Lorraine B. LWDG Member
Many a heart has been broken by a puppy lost in the first few weeks of ownership. If you’re new to owning dogs it is especially important to ask a professional to check your pup over. Ask them to also check microchip details for accuracy.
In general, a pup should be lively and alert, with a bright eye. The pup should have a clean coat free of any scabs or any type of dandruff. There may be the odd scab as pups can be quite rough when fighting one another, but these should be minimal and not all over the skin.
Allow for some change of behaviour when they come home with you. They are leaving their family for the first time and this can be quite traumatic. Some pups may become a little timid but should still drink water, go to the toilet, and respond to noises. If in doubt always seek veterinary advice.
Join us to find out more
We hope you have found value these top tips. There are more to be found within our group, along with a great bunch of members.
Nearly 1700 ladies have joined our group and we would love to help you too. No more struggling trying to figure it all out by yourself, come and join us and let’s make working your dog as easy as possible!
Our Member Reviews:
Best decision I ever made was joining these ladies
From I was a very young age I went with my dad to shoots and helped with his dogs. During the summer I’d be down helping out with hatching and rearing of the pheasants. It was something I loved and enjoyed. Some of my happiest memories have been from spending time there. As I grew up I realised it was a pretty male-dominant sport with only two other females on our shoot. I started my journey by pinching and working my dad’s dogs on shoot days and always envisioned me getting and training my own gundog when I was allowed. When the time came I picked my first dog, a cocker dog who I named Jake. The training was completed predominantly on my own with help from dad and a couple of books. This is when I came across @ladiesworkingdogs ❤️ best decision I ever made was joining these ladies. I learned a lot from these ladies and they were always willing to give help in positive manners which is something the group strongly stands for. Last year I became an ambassador for the group and I couldn’t have been more proud to be chosen!! So ladies if you own and train dogs give us a follow, you’ll not regret it!
Louise T
This Is So Brilliant!
This is so brilliant Jo! As an ‘accidental’ Gun dog nutcase – I’m so looking forward to being a part of this wonderful journey. Your own personal story is inspiring – and I thank you for channelling your energy into something so passionate and worthwhile to so many other women 💕
Louise K
Really pleased to have come across this group
Hi, thanks for having me! I’ve got a 7 month old lab bitch I want to start training for the field. Have found the gundog groups very male-dominated so really pleased to have come across this group.
Emma P
I’ve been nothing but bowled over by the genuine kindness and support on offer
Found this group as a result of a throwaway comment on another page. I’ve been nothing but bowled over by the genuine kindness and support on offer. So many groups promise not to tolerate nastiness and intolerance but rarely deliver,- this is the exception. It’s not fluffy and silly though, there is genuinely brilliant advice on offer from people who know what they’re doing. It’s been a massive confidence boost as I find my very tentative way into gundog training.
Jodie P
Can’t recommend this site enough
Can’t recommend this site enough, I’m new to shooting and I’m loving learning more and more, I have my first working cocker and she is fantastic, I always get great advice on here how where silly you think the question is. Thank you xx
Kate F
A wonderful group of women
A wonderful group of women who never judge capabilities or experience in anything dog-related.
Rebecca J
Absolutely Brilliant!
Absolutely brilliant! So much knowledge and experience to draw on!
Jo Perrot and her ‘helpers’ have and are driving it so well.
A great safe place to ask any questions Gundog related without fear of ridicule or derision!
Best ever!
Pat G
Super, Supportive Community
LWDG is a super, supportive community where you can go for advice on just about anything and there’s no such thing as a silly question! Its been more important than ever when we’ve lost so much contact with people and the camaraderie that brings. Likeminded ladies who care and are supportive. It’s our safe place. I’m so glad I found the Ladies Working Dog Group
Sue H
A great place for inspiration
A great place for inspiration. Few women train around my area, so it’s nice to have a virtual community
Deb B
I have learnt so much in such a short space of time
I have learnt so much in such a short space of time from this wonderful group! It’s given me the confidence and tools to train my WCS pup in the best possible way, for her and for myself as her trainer. Thank you 😊
Rosie J
If you’re thinking of joining us then just do it
I came across the Ladies Working Dog Group quite sometime before I even had my first dog. I always had a love for my dad’s gundogs however was not in the position to have my own just yet. My preparation for my first dog is all down to this group!! The love, support and advice is unbelievable, I have made lifelong friends and gained much more confidence when handling my own dogs. Jo and her lovely team at the ladies working dog group have changed the working dog industry for me which makes me very proud to be an ambassador!! If you’re thinking of joining us then just do it and you won’t regret it!
Lucy G
What a great idea this group is, loving hearing other ladies training hint and tips, they are all very encouraging, just received my order from Tyler’s horse and country a couple of Embroidered LWDG vest tops for the summer, they are fantastic, great fit and look so smart, thank you, Jo, for this wonderful group you have created.
Heidi H
Full Of Like Minded Ladies
This group is amazing! Full of like-minded ladies who offer support, kindness and non-judgmental solutions in all aspects of your dog training journey. No question is laughed at or dismissed and answers are offered by ladies with a wealth of knowledge. There are also masterclasses to help get the most out of your dog and the Hot Mess Handler course which helped me immensely. I’m so happy to be a part of such a fantastic group.
Welcome to the first post for Ladies Working Dog Group.
Our community started online in 2015 and has grown to over 1600 members as I write this.
I started LWDG because when I began taking my working dog out, I soon realised I was in a male-dominated environment. So I wanted to ask other women about their experiences, like where they bought clothing that wasn’t made for a 6’2 man or what recipes they used for the game. I found it difficult at the start as I wanted to learn but was too scared to ask. So this lovely group was created.
I had no idea where it would lead me when I started this journey. First, I was looking for a way to connect with other like-minded women. But as our numbers began to grow, I realised that we had the potential to make a real difference in the world.
Today, our tribe has grown to include thousands of women gundog handlers from all walks of life. And together, we are making a positive impact on the lives of others. Whether through our online resources or our in-person events, we are committed to helping women reach their full potential. I am so grateful to be a part of this incredible movement. Together, we are changing the world – one woman at a time.
Having a working dog can be an enriching experience. You can provide an essential service to your shooting community, but you also have a loyal four-legged friend by your side. However, it can sometimes be challenging to find others who understand the unique challenges of owning a working dog.
That’s where we come in. We are a supportive and fun-loving group of female working dog owners, and we’re here to help you enjoy your furry friend to the fullest. So whether you’re looking for advice on training or want to share funny stories, we welcome you to join us today.
Have You Ever Wanted To Know Why Joanne Started The Ladies Working Dog Group? Here’s Her Story As First Published in Into The Country Magazine…
Life up until 2010 for me had been the same as everyone else’s. A series of great occasions, and moments we would rather forget.
By 27 I had married, brought two amazing children, Charlotte and Rob, into the world, divorced, and had left the UK and moved to Malta with my new (and forever) husband, Matt. We ran a rock climbing business on the island and I had my last (and final) beautiful daughter Megan. Life was a happy place but I was very tired all the time. I thought the tiredness was down to the heat, three children, our own business and being without family support and thought coming home would help so in 2009 we returned to the UK. But when we returned, the tiredness didn’t leave, and I just dealt with it. I’m a really active person, I grew up with horses, I would hunt and compete and loved the outdoors. So I pushed through and carried on with life.
On December 20th, 2010 I found out why I hadn’t been feeling myself. An emergency visit to A&E for pain in my face led to the unexpected finding of a large brain tumour,
Business-wise we lost everything. I couldn’t dance, so I couldn’t work as a dance instructor anymore. Matt had to take care of three children, and me so his Climbing business died with no one looking after it.
Personally, I lost myself. My confidence disappeared and over the next few months, I was diagnosed with PTSD and epilepsy. It was a very dark time. In all the years before, I had many jobs because of my personality. My confidence had secured my job roles I had no experience in.
I fought back from our financial ruin by joining a network marketing company, needing the income potential and the freedom of time it offered, hoping I would finally find a career I would love… The network marketing industry introduced me to self-development and I read every book I could get my hands on, watched YouTube, and listened to audible. My appetite was and still is limitless. Slowly I became me again, my anxiety returning to a manageable level.
“Every year I had to go for a scan. 2012 revealed the tumour was growing back. I was devastated.”
I had spent so much time rebuilding myself only to lose it all in a 10-minute consultation. As the tumour grew, my confidence shrank, and my anxiety was to the point where I would regularly go days without leaving the house. I wouldn’t shop on my own, I sat with my back to the walls in public places. I forgot who I was and became this sad shell of me who could manage to fake her confidence for the few moments she had with others and then I would run and curl into a ball in my husband’s arms to comfort me from the never-ending pain of panic. Mental health is a weird thing. You can see if someone is physically hurt, but emotions can be masked in such a way that you would never think there was anything wrong. Only my immediate family had a clue of what I was going through.
But by 2015, even they were worried. I had daily panic attacks, and getting me outdoors was nearly impossible. Whilst all of this had been happening in my life, my Dad had faced challenges of his own. Multiple spinal accidents had left him unable to horse ride and he had begun working and competing with his spaniels. One day, Dad convinced me to go beating for the day with him.
From the moment I started working with his dog that day, for some reason, I felt at peace. I should have been stressing about the new environment, new faces, new everything. But instead, I just felt happy. I was back outdoors but instead of dwelling on myself, I was busy thinking about Grace, the dog I was working with. That day I walked for miles, disconnected from my daily life and technology, and it felt so good. I was hooked.
Straight away I wanted my own dog. Dad’s dog Grace was fab, she had competed with Dad and knew her stuff. But as soon as she would hear Dad’s whistle she would abandon me without a thought just to get back to him. I decided I needed a dog of my own.
Bob was five months when I had him, and we were inseparable. He lived with me in the house, wherever I went he was there. If I visited people he came, he sat on the passenger seat of my car, and lay on my lap, he was my shadow. He was too young to work on a shoot, so instead, I carried him around all day in a canvas bag, his head poking out as we went about our work. When the season ended, I began training him, and he became my rock. Slowly and surely, he got my confidence back. Any time I felt my anxiety starting to climb I would grab a ball and we would get outside. His need for exercise increased mine and this is known to help with what I was facing.
The missing thing was contact with other women hunting with dogs. I had joined the same Facebook groups as my Dad, but found that some of the stuff men were posting was really inappropriate, and arguments got quite nasty. I started a group called ‘women beaters and pickers-up. There were only a few of us to begin with, but as we each added the other ladies we knew, it grew into this amazing community of women who supported one another so much. Due to some weird men wanting to join our ‘women beater’ group, We had a Facebook name change to The Ladies Working Dog Group.
In January 2017 I had to face another 6-hour operation to remove my brain tumour that had decided to grow back. This time I faced it with a newfound strength. I had hunted my dog Bob and my new addition Jess (yes, they are addictive) up until December but knew the rest of the season would be out for me. The dogs sat with me through it all, their looks of understanding keeping me from reaching a meltdown. Three weeks after, I managed to walk outside with them to the gate and back, a tiny distance, but to me, it meant so much.
The Ladies Working Dog Group has a single purpose: To create an online community that offers friendship, advice and encouragement to female working dog owners worldwide. With over 5000 supporters across Instagram and Facebook, along with our free and full members, Ladies Working Dog Group is one of the largest, fastest-growing groups for female working dog owners only.
We now produce a member’s masterclass training video with a featured expert each month. Companies send us exclusive discounts, we hold Ladies Only events, we run competitions and our community is really active. We even have our own clothing range ‘hold the line’. There’s so much great stuff going on that it makes me excited and happy, and keeps me away most of the time from those dark moments. April this year I was told my tumour hasn’t grown back. I will still face yearly MRIs, and I pray I don’t have to face another tumour, but I now have so many ladies I call friends that I have met online, who give me support whenever I need it, and of course, my family and my gorgeous dogs.
As I write my story today, it still makes me cry, and the pain is still so raw, but at my feet lay Jess and Ella, her 8-month-old pup. I owe my dogs so much. Without them, I’m not sure I could have gotten through what I have faced, but also I would never have had a reason to start the Ladies Working Dog Group.
Update: Isn’t it funny how quickly time passes… This was written in 2018, and it is now September 2020. Dad, the man who brought me into training working dogs, passed away in October 2019. It’s still too hard for me to write at length about it, but I have been lost without his guidance and his presence.
