TRAINING & BEHAVIOUR SPECIALISTS FOR GUNDOGS IN FAMILY HOMES
- WEST YORKSHIRE & ONLINE
you love your dog, but blimey, they're a lot.
Their recall disappears when the world gets interesting. There is no off-switch at home, and walks have become something to survive rather than enjoy. Bear Basics gives gundog owners a clearer way forward: safer freedom outside, a calmer home and a dog they can enjoy doing life with.
Prefer a quick, informal chat? Message Nick on WhatsApp
110 + FIVE-STAR REVIEWS
WEST YORKSHIRE & ONLINE - UK, EUROPE, USA & CANADA
GUNDOG SPECIALISTS
SOUND FAMILIAR?
when every walk has become something to survive.
reactivity
recall
lead pulling
settling
Other dogs, people, wildlife, they lock on long before they get near. Every outing becomes a case of managing distance, scanning ahead, and hoping nothing tips them over.
They come back in the garden or when it's quiet. Then a scent, a bird, or another dog appears and it is as if you do not exist. You want them free, but you need to know they will come back.
Every walk starts with bracing yourself. You are dragged to the field, left with a pulled shoulder, or you wait for your partner to walk them.
At home, they pace, whine, and need constant managing. You keep trying to tire them out, but what you really want is just a calm house.
A gundog living as part of the family needs more than exercise and another list of obedience cues. They need an outlet that makes sense for their instincts, alongside clear boundaries and a plan built around the dog in front of you.
SUPPORT THAT FITS THE DOG IN FORONT OF YOU
two clear routes.
one better life together
Whether you need a structured route over eight weeks or a focused in-person intensive, we will help you choose the support that makes most sense for your dog, your life and the walks you want to have.
calm by nature
The clear eight-week route.
For owners who need a structured plan, consistent support and a clearer way to work through home life, walks, recall, lead work, fulfilment and settling over time.
bear basics bootcamp
The focused four-day intensive.
For owners who want concentrated, in-person work on the parts of a walk that feel hardest: recall, lead pulling, connection, fulfilment, impulse control and safe freedom outside.
Tailored eight-week roadmap
Two weeks’ preparation
In person or onlinein person or online
Four owner-and-dog training days
Direct support throughout
Four weeks’ follow-up support
REAL OWNERS. REAL RESULTS
they had already tried. this is what changed.
charlotte & mable
FROM BOLTING AND UNCONTROLLABLE TO RECALLED AND FREE
colleen & pearl
FROM UNABLE TO SETTLE AND EXHAUSTING TO LIVE WITH, TO CALM, OFF-LEAD AND THRIVING
steve & marley
FROM OVERSTIMULATED, NO RECALL AND UNMANAGEABLE, TO CALM, FOCUSED AND FULFILLED
"in 3 weeks, nick helped me get mable off the lead and her recall is so much more reliable. another dog owner even commented on how well-behaved she is. sometimes i just have to pinch myself that this is no longer just a dream."
"the change in pearl during the first week was remarkable. we are now enjoying off-leash walks in parks, at the beach, in forests and across grasslands without the struggle we had before. people now comment on how well behaved she is,"
"fast forward 60 days and marley is a completely different dog, happy, focused and fulfilled. he walks beautifully on a loose lead, and his recall is something that makes me wish everybody was watching. i only wish we'd started sooner."
CHARLOTTE - SHEFFIELD
COLLEEN - CALIFORNIA
STEVE - LEEDS
FIVE-STAR GOOGLE REVIEWS
IN-PERSON & WORLD-WIDE
110 +
gundog behaviour specialists
SUPPORT BUILT AROUND REAL LIFE
uk & online
THE PEOPLE BEHIND BEAR BASICS
hi, we're nick & yas.
our 6o-day behaviour-led programme for pet gundog owners.
Bear Basics started with a Springer called Seidon. Like a lot of owners, Nick had the picture in his head: long walks, a dog who could come everywhere and a proper partnership. The reality was an intense, reactive dog and a walk that felt like a battle. Everything changed when we stopped trying to fight him and learned how to work with the dog in front of us. That is the clear, practical support we now give gundog owners — with straight talk and a laugh along the way.
UNDERSTANDING YOUR DOG
what makes a gundog different in a family home?
A gundog is a spaniel, retriever, HPR, setter, or pointer bred to hunt, search, retrieve, range, and notice movement, now living as part of a family.
Those instincts still need a useful place to go. Fulfilment, boundaries, and communication work together to make daily life feel easier. They help you stay relevant when scent, birds, the ball, the hedge, or another dog becomes exciting.
The Gundog Owner’s Field Guide explains this in more detail, with practical prompts to help you understand the dog in front of you and what is worth looking at first.
spaniels
Bred to flush game from cover. Nose-led, fast, and often still ready to go long after you are not. They need more than physical exercise; they need a useful outlet.
retrievers
Bred to mark, remember, retrieve, and work closely with people. Sensitive and capable, but often overwhelmed when their need to carry, search, and use their brain has nowhere to go.
hpr's (hunt, point, retrieve)
Vizslas, Weimaraners, German Shorthaired Pointers, etc. Bred to hunt, point, and retrieve over distance. Independent, observant, and full of stamina. They need a clear role, structure, and an owner who understands the drive behind the behaviour.
pointers & setters
Bred to cover ground and lock onto scent and movement. Their calm exterior can hide a very active brain. They need fulfilment, communication, and real-world reliability.
READY WHEN YOU ARE
ready for a clearer route forward?
Tell us what life with your dog looks like right now, what you have already tried and what you would like to be different.Nick will help you work out the most useful next step for you and your dog.
Still making sense of what is going on? Read the free Gundog Owner’s Field Guide