Predictably Unpredictable: The Secret to Reading Your Gundog Like a Book

Wait, Did She Just Say Gundogs Are Predictable?

I can practically hear the collective snort of laughter echoing from muddy fields across the countryside. “Predictable? My spaniel who decided last Tuesday that puddles are actually portals to another dimension? My pointer who suddenly forgot the meaning of ‘stay’ the moment a pheasant appeared three fields away?”

Trust me, I get it. Most gundog owners feel like they’re living with four-legged tornadoes wrapped in fur coats, powered by an inexplicable combination of selective hearing and an uncanny ability to find the one patch of fox poo you covered with bog roll then forgot to pick up from last weekend’s training session.

But here’s the thing that might make you pause mid-eye-roll: What if the chaos isn’t random? What if it’s a pattern… you just haven’t spotted it yet?

What if I told you that your “unpredictable” gundog is actually following a script they’ve written themselves – and they’re not misbehaving for the drama, they’re behaving exactly as they’ve been allowed to. Or trained to. Or misunderstood to.

The Core Idea: Predictability Lies in Patterns

Every gundog, from the most angelic golden retriever to the most mischievous cocker spaniel, operates on a surprisingly logical system. Their behaviour – even the stuff that makes you want to hide behind the nearest oak tree – follows patterns. We just need to become better detectives.

Think of it this way: your dog’s breed traits are like the foundation of a house, but their individual habits and learned behaviours are the rooms, the furniture, the quirky little additions that make it uniquely theirs.

Together, they create what we like to call a “behavioural fingerprint” – as unique as your dog’s nose print, and infinitely more useful for predicting what they’ll do next.

The beautiful truth is that predictability isn’t about perfection. It’s about possibility. If you can predict it, you can plan for it. And if you can plan for it, you can work with it instead of constantly fighting against it.

Expect the Unexpected… And Then Prepare For It

Let me tell you about Bramble, a working cocker who had her owner convinced she was possessed by the spirit of a particularly rebellious teenager. Every single walk, without fail, Bramble would transform from an obedient angel into a four-legged hurricane at exactly the same spot – a sharp bend in the woodland path where the brambles (yes, the irony wasn’t lost on anyone) grew thick on both sides.

Her owner spent months muttering about “typical cocker behaviour” until one day, during a particularly patient observation session, she noticed something. Just before reaching that bend, Bramble’s ears would prick forward, her nose would lift slightly, and her tail would start that telltale quiver. Three seconds later: madness.

The “unexpected” bolting wasn’t unexpected at all. It was as predictable as the morning alarm. Bramble had been telling her owner exactly what she was about to do – her owner just hadn’t learned to read the signs yet.

Here’s a little reality check: three “unexpected” things that become entirely predictable once you start paying attention:

The Pre-Dinner Zoomies: That sudden burst of energy exactly 45 minutes before meal time isn’t random excitement – it’s learnt behaviour. Your dog has worked out your routine better than you have.

The Selective Deafness at the Cricket Pitch: Your normally obedient dog “forgetting” their recall isn’t defiance – it’s environmental overwhelm. Too many scents, sounds, and stimuli create a predictable pattern of distraction.

The Sunday Morning Stubbornness: If your dog seems particularly wilful on weekend mornings, check your energy levels. Dogs are mirrors – if you’re moving slower and feeling less decisive, they’ll reflect that right back at you.

The Body Language Bit – Your Dog’s Personal Morse Code

If your dog had a diary, their body would be it. You just need to learn the language.

Every gundog develops their own unique vocabulary of signals – little tells that broadcast their intentions louder than a starting pistol. The trick is learning to spot them before they become actions.

Take lip licking, for instance. Most people think it means a dog is hungry or thirsty, but in the gundog world, it’s often a stress signal. That quick tongue flick before a retrieve? Your dog might be telling you they’re not quite confident about what you’re asking. The solution isn’t to push harder – it’s to step back and rebuild that confidence.

Eye shape is another fascinating one. A dog’s eyes literally change shape depending on their emotional state. Soft, almond-shaped eyes signal contentment and focus. Wide, round eyes? That can be stress or overstimulation talking. Squinty eyes often mean your dog is trying to avoid conflict or pressure.

And don’t get me started on tail language – it’s like learning to read semaphore flags. A high, stiff tail isn’t always happy excitement; it can signal arousal and potential reactivity. A low, loose wag might look less enthusiastic, but it often indicates a much more balanced, trainable state of mind.

The magic happens when you start noticing your dog’s personal variations. Maybe your spaniel’s left ear twitches slightly before they’re about to break their stay. Perhaps your retriever’s shoulders tense in a particular way when they’re about to make a dash for freedom. These aren’t random quirks – they’re your dog’s way of writing tomorrow’s headlines.

Breed Matters – But It’s Only Part of the Story

Here’s where things get really interesting. Your spaniel isn’t being “naughty” when she zigzags through the undergrowth like she’s following an invisible treasure map – she’s just following generations of genetic programming that says “quarter the ground, find the game, flush it out.”

Understanding breed traits isn’t about making excuses for behaviour; it’s about working with natural instincts instead of constantly battling against them. A pointer who freezes mid-stride isn’t being stubborn – they’re doing exactly what centuries of selective breeding designed them to do. A retriever who wants to carry everything in their mouth isn’t being annoying – they’re literally hardwired to have something between their teeth.

The secret sauce lies in channeling these instincts rather than suppressing them. That spaniel’s tendency to zigzag? Teach her to quarter systematically within boundaries. That retriever’s need to carry things? Give them appropriate items and make it part of their training routine.

But here’s the crucial bit: breed traits are just the starting point. Your individual dog’s personality, experiences, and learned behaviours layer on top of those genetic foundations to create something entirely unique. Two labradors from the same litter can have completely different behavioural patterns because they’ve learned different things about the world.

This is why cookie-cutter training approaches often fall flat. You’re not just training a breed – you’re training an individual who happens to belong to that breed.

The LWDG Approach

How We Help You Make the Unpredictable… Predictable

At Ladies Working Dogs Group, we don’t train dogs to be robots. We train women to be readers of behaviour, leaders of progress, and lovers of the little wins that add up to big transformations.

Our training philosophy is built around the idea that every dog is already communicating with you, they’re just using a language you might not speak fluently yet. Through our masterclasses, one-on-one sessions, and incredible community support, we help you become bilingual in dog.

We teach you to spot the patterns before they become problems, to read the signals before they become actions, and to work with your dog’s natural instincts instead of constantly swimming against the current. Because when you understand the “why” behind the behaviour, the “how to change it” becomes so much clearer.

Our approach isn’t about domination or submission,  it’s about communication and collaboration. We help you build a partnership where your dog feels heard and understood, and you feel confident and capable of guiding them toward better choices.

It’s Not Magic, It’s Mindset

The truth is, learning to read your gundog like a book isn’t about having some mystical connection or being a “natural” dog person. It’s simply about paying attention – really paying attention – to the small details that most of us rush past in our busy lives.

It’s about noticing that your dog always sniffs the same gatepost for exactly seven seconds before deciding whether to behave on the walk. It’s about spotting the slight shift in their posture that happens three seconds before they spot that distant squirrel. It’s about recognising that their “difficult” behaviour on Thursday afternoons might correlate perfectly with bin day, when the air is full of distracting scents.

This isn’t about becoming perfect, it’s about becoming present. The joy isn’t in having a flawless gundog (though that’s a lovely bonus when it happens). The joy is in those moments when you suddenly realise you saw it coming, when you catch that telltale signal and respond with exactly the right guidance at exactly the right moment.

It’s in the quiet satisfaction of thinking, “I knew she was going to do that,” and having a plan ready. It’s in the growing confidence that comes from understanding your dog’s personal language and watching your relationship deepen as a result.

So here’s our challenge to you: spend the next week becoming a detective of your own dog’s behaviour. Notice the patterns. Spot the signals. Pay attention to the tiny details that might be trying to tell you something important.

And then come back and tell us about it. Share your “aha!” moments in our community. Celebrate those little revelations when something you thought was random suddenly makes perfect sense. Because the truth is, every single one of us has been exactly where you are – standing in a muddy field, whistle in hand, wondering if our dog is actually part-alien.

The good news? They’re not. They’re just speaking a language we haven’t learned to understand yet. And once you crack that code, the unpredictable becomes beautifully, wonderfully predictable.

Your gundog isn’t a tazmanian devil wrapped in fur. They’re a book waiting to be read. And trust me it’s going to be your new favourite page-turner.

Ready to Turn Chaos into Calm?

If you’ve ever stood in a muddy field wondering if your dog is secretly training you — you’re not alone. But you don’t have to keep second-guessing what comes next.

The Calm Dog Blueprint is your free step-by-step guide to spotting the signs, planning ahead, and building a calmer, more connected training routine — no matter how unpredictable your dog may feel right now.

👉 Download your free copy here and start making sense of the signals today.

Because calm isn’t just possible — it’s predictable.