Online Gundog Training For Busy Owners

Train your gundog to be well-behaved and delightful company without fear-based methods

Take your training to the next level!

Join Today for £299

(or 3 payments of £100)

30-Day Money Back Guarantee

Is your dog ready for Junior Gundog Course?

If you can say yes to pretty much all of these, then you’re in the right place:

Acer Gundog Training

Junior Gundog Course

Includes: Foundation & Improver levels

If you've completed Beginner Gundog training, this course will take your dog's skills to the next level, where you learn to work together in true partnership, doing the things they're bred for

Hunting, retrieving, whistle work - it's all covered!

Heelwork (Off-Lead)

Steadiness

Stop Whistle

Marked Retrieves

Split Retrieves

Directional Casting

Memory Retrieves

Quartering (Hunting Breeds)

This was what Evie said about the course

With one official day left of the season I have spent the morning reflecting on how well this little pup has done. Looking back on his first day and how confident he has now become, in every day life and the shooting field, it doesn't half make me proud. I wish I had kept count of how many birds he has picked on his first season. A massive thank you to Mark for such brilliant online courses that have massively helped us get to this point!
Evie Gullis
Shropshire, UK 🇬🇧 

Get Started Today!

Train your gundog to be well-behaved and delightful company without fear-based methods

Join for £299

(or 3 payments of £100)

I Made Every Training Mistake So You Don't Have To

Before I became a dog trainer, I tried the village hall training classes, but they weren’t what I needed. The focus was on tricks like tunnels and putting paws on steps, while I wanted practical skills for my teenage Labrador – like walking without being dragged down the road or letting him off lead without panicking around other dogs.
 
I also went to a gundog trainer who relied on shouting and punishment; traditional methods. My dog hadn’t been taught to sit and stay, so he ran in after every dummy, even ones for other dogs. I was told to shout or scare him into staying put, which only made him too frightened to return with the dummy. When even more fear-based methods were introduced, I decided to leave.

This was what inspired me to become a dog trainer!

I realised that the frustration I was going through was the same frustration so many other gundog owners faced.

I couldn’t find a trainer who truly understood gundogs and used ethical methods – one who wouldn’t have me shouting at or punishing my dogs because I’d unknowingly set them up to fail.

Now, that was 10 years ago. Since then, I’ve been fortunate enough to help thousands of people transform their lives with their gundogs.

But the problem became sustainability. I knew I had to do more. I expanded Acer, opened new venues, and brought in more trainers. Yet, I could only help the people who could physically get to my classes in Cambridge.

With the power of social media, I was getting messages from gundog owners from all over the world. Not just from the UK, but from the US, Canada, Australia, and beyond.

That’s exactly why I created the Acer Gundog Training Online Academy.

The exact same training courses we offer here in Cambridge, but available online and with the ability to cover them at your own pace.

The courses I’ve built are the training I wish I’d had before I became a dog trainer.

Inside, I’ll personally guide you through every stage of your dog’s development, so you’ll always know what to do, why it works, and how to adapt as your dog progresses.

With The Junior Gundog Course You Get:

1,000+ gundog owners have used my programmes

Here's what they're saying

Get Started Today!

Train your gundog to be well-behaved and delightful company without fear-based methods

Join for £299

(or 3 payments of £100)

30 DAY MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE

Signing up for an online course is a big deal.

It’s potentially life-altering for you and your dog.

But you also don’t want to just throw money down the drain for a program that “might not work” or you “might never get to”.

I get it. Trust me I do. That’s why I want you to make a truly informed decision. You can only do that once you are on the inside, actually using the programme

So, try it risk free for 30 days.

Consume all the content if you want. Take advantage of everything. Ask as many questions in the support group as you want. 

If you don’t feel like it’s the perfect programme to help you reach your goals then I will personally give you a full refund. No questions asked and no hard feelings.

And if you want, I’ll also audit your situation and provide you with my recommended path forward so you can still make progress to your goals, whether that’s another trainer, a book, or just general advice.

I want you and your dog to succeed !

Training a gundog can be difficult without the right support.
Each dog is different and so there is no 'one-size-fits-all' solution

Hear from some of my students and their unique stories

Jo & Dave’s Story

USA 🇺🇸

Dave & Jo said they had worked with a local trainer in the US and read a few gundog training books, but neither gave them the steps to take. Training was getting boring and they have busy working lives, so don’t have time to figure everything out for themselves.

This is what Dave said after joining the programme: “I hate to be the person that doesn’t say anything critical, but it just works so well. It’s very structured, like a set of many things that build on each other. Having something that’s so clearly step-by-step has been really helpful.”

Trish’s Story

UK 🇬🇧

Trish wanted a really reliable picking up dog but Bracken has been a real challenge. He was very excitable, anxious and barked a lot.

This is what Trish said after joining the programme: “I have just completed the Beginner Gundog Course over several months. We are at last achieving some really good results. He’s almost stopped barking at everybody and everything. This has taken a long time, but at last achieving the magic that Mark talks about, and with a calm, confident and consistent approach”

Debbie’s Story

UK 🇬🇧

Debbie talks about some really bad experiences with gundog trainers in the past in the video. The training issues she most needed help with were recall, pulling on the lead and jumping up when meeting people.

This is what Debbie said after joining the programme: “I hid out of view, called her, and she came. I wanted to cry because I thought, “Oh, it works! It actually works!!”. 

“She jumps up – it’s terrible with people. But today, a jogger was coming, and I thought, I’ll just ask her to look at me. And she did. She sat and looked at me as the jogger passed. I honestly felt like chasing after the jogger and saying, “Did you see that?! She didn’t jump!”

Enrol in the Junior Gundog Course today and you could be next!

FAQs

(Frequently asked questions)

Dogs learn best by practising new skills regularly throughout the week in their normal environment where you exercise them. They learn much less from a one-hour training class, where they are often distracted.

This is why we always say that the classes are for the humans to learn the process to train their dogs, not for the dogs to be trained.

You can learn the process just as well by watching video demonstrations. Everything is broken down into tiny steps. Working at your own pace, you simply copy each stage of the process. It’s the implementation that counts, and unlike dog training classes, you don’t have to complete everything in just six weeks.

It can be difficult to remember everything the trainer says in a class, whereas videos can be replayed multiple times.

Ask as many questions as you need if you get stuck. If you upload videos, we can coach you just as well as if you were standing in the same field with us.

No. The programmes are specifically designed for gundog breeds but the majority of our clients have gundogs who are family pets and have no aspirations of taking their dog out shooting.

Junior Gundog Course is for dogs that have completed the Beginner Gundog Course or have mastered the skills covered in that course (see next question for a list of what that includes).

Successful completion of each course will mean your dog has learned the following:

Beginner Gundog Course

  • Focus (On Handler)
  • Ignoring Distractions
  • Impulse Control
  • Walk a distance of up to 20m on a lead without pulling
  • Sit – on cue, where they are standing
  • Stay seated for up to 60 secs whilst handler stands up to 20m away
  • Recall – using a whistle
  • Marked Retrieving
  • Hunting – hunting in a pattern & turn whistle
  • Hunting – holding an area whilst hunting & hunt whistle

If your dog can do most/all of the above, the next level is:

Junior Gundog Course

  • Walk up to 30m off-lead at heel
  • Sit & Stay for up to 2 min whilst handler stands up to 30m away
  • Steady to throw/fall
  • Stop Whistle
  • Recall
  • Marked Retrieving – into cover & at distance
  • Memory Retrieving
  • Split Retrieving
  • Delivery To Hand
  • Directional Casting – left & right
  • Hunting Pattern – quartering inc turn on the whistle

The courses are all self-paced so you can work at your own speed, but best results will come from regular practice and not cutting corners when training each behaviour.

Assuming no prior training,  it should take you up to 12 weeks to work through all the material in Junior Gundog Course. That said, you get lifetime access to the training course.

From time to time, things won’t go as planned. Such is the reality of training a dog. The good news is, my team and I are here to offer support and guidance along the way.

The courses are all self-paced and you will have lifetime access to all the course content.

Immediately after enrolling, you will be invited to join our exclusive online platform. Here, you can access the online course content, request support, and join in the regular discussions that take place among clients around the world. We’re a friendly bunch, and you’ll receive plenty of moral and practical support. Everyone on the platform is taking part in the same courses as you.

With the Junior Gundog Course you will receive online support from me via the platform.

Support is available for 6 months with the Junior Gundog Course. That’s double the time it would normally take to complete the course.

My courses are designed to offer a structured format for training your dog in bite-sized chunks. Each behaviour progresses incrementally in difficulty as the course advances. Unlike other online training programmes, mine is not a collection of random exercises but rather a step-by-step approach to training a dog and achieving lasting results.

In line with my professional accreditations, I only use modern, ethical, and force-free training methods based on Positive Reinforcement.

None of the training incorporates traditional gundog methods that involve fear or punishment.

Absolutely not! And I have to warn you that if you don’t actually practise the exercises with your dog, their behaviour won’t change. 

You only need to invest around 20 minutes a few times a week to start seeing results, but please note that there are no quick fixes.

That said, if you decide within the first 30 days that the training isn’t for you, simply email me and I’ll happily provide a full refund.

Get Started Today!

Train your gundog to be well-behaved and delightful company without fear-based methods

Join for £299

(or 3 payments of £100)

By purchasing any of the training courses you agree to our Terms & Conditions

Mark Taylor is professionally accredited by the following:

© 2025 Acer Gundog Training (All Rights Reserved)