Tom and Jim Gold train different dog breeds. Tom works with retrievers and Jim with spaniels. On the Friday of the Scottish Game Fair they will be judging in the All Age Competitions in their breed specialities.
This is a first for The Scottish Game Fair and so we had a chat with Tom and Jim about their backgrounds, aims and hopes for the future.
Q: Can you tell us how you both got into gundogs?
Tom: “We both got involved in the shooting world around the age of seven to eight-years-old. Jim is a year older but our dad took us along beating for the first time to Cassilis Estate in Ayrshire, and it was pretty much from this day on that fieldsports became a big part of our lives. Over the years we have enjoyed many different aspects of the sport including fishing, ferreting and hawking, but it was while out beating and shooting that we found working the dogs the most enjoyable aspect of it all.”
Q: How did you come to compete with different breeds? Do you train together?
Jim: “We always had a lab or two at home growing up which our dad used for shooting. Tom got into doing a bit of training with them which was the start of his interest in retrievers.
“I was given a springer spaniel by the keeper at Cassilis in return for a year’s free beating. In hindsight I was robbed as he was as wild as the hills and should probably have put me off spaniels for life.
“Although we compete with different breeds we train together regularly….not always accepting each other’s advice graciously!”
Being gifted a wild spaniel did not put Jim Gold off training the breed
Q: You have both competed at The Scottish Game Fair in the past – what can you tell us about the arena? Is it harder than it looks? Will you be more lenient as a judge since you have both run?
Tom: “It has been a big highlight running at Scone over the last few years for both of us. From a retriever point of view I would say the course is always trickier to complete than it looks from the sidelines. Even if you’re able to negotiate the obstacles and tight angles to get the dog to the correct area, this can prove to be the most challenging part as the scenting conditions always seem to be difficult and holding the dog in the area long enough to pick can often be what separates them.”
Jim: “I’d say it’s the atmosphere and surroundings that make the course tricky as there is so much going on in the background which is hard to train for. From the large crowds, the commentary coming through the PA system and the banging from the clay pigeons, it’s all stuff most of the dogs won’t have encountered before. In saying that, although I will understand the handlers’ nerves and all the distractions for the dogs, it will be the pair which cope best with all this that will come out on top.”
Tom Gold with one of his labradors
Q: What do you look for in a dog when you are judging?
Tom: “Since getting involved in the competition scene a few years ago I have found it very interesting watching the different ways people go about handling their dogs and have learned a lot from watching some of the top handlers. For me, it’s important that a dog listens well and handles well to get to an area, but the most important thing is that once it makes that area it can get its head down and do the job for itself.”
Jim: “It’s not easy to get a spaniel to hunt hard on unscented ground so it’s particularly impressive when you see a dog that will tear up a game fair arena the same way it would a rabbit pen. Hunting is hugely important but I also like a dog that handles well and shows natural ability when retrieving.”
Q: “Tom, you had a successful weekend at the Scottish Game Fair last year – you won the All Age Competition on the Friday and then you were part of the Scotland Team on the Saturday with a different dog and your team won Overall. Can you tell us what that was like?”
Tom: “To win the All Age Competition on the Friday with my younger bitch, then go on to be part of the winning Scotland team in the Four Nations Competition on the Saturday made the 2024 Scottish Game Fair a very memorable one. I was absolutely delighted to be selected to be part of the team for Scone. For the whole team to perform so well and go on and win the overall event made it a special weekend.”
Q: What else will you be doing at the Fair other than the gundogs?
Tom: “It’s always good to get out round the rest of the Fair. We would usually spend a few hours looking round the stalls….particularly Gunmakers’ Row and there’s always something interesting on in the Main Arena at The Scottish Game Fair. Every year we manage to get up to the shooting area to post a terrible score on the clay pigeon layout.
Tom and Jim are also involved in the Scottish music scene
Q: Other than gundogs do you have any other hobbies?
Jim: “We have both been involved in the Scottish music scene since a very young age, playing accordion and fiddle in our ceilidh band. Weekends are often spent playing at gigs all over Scotland and we have also been lucky enough to play at many events abroad. A highlight in our music career was playing in the ceilidh tent at the T In The Park festival for several years.
“We’re both delighted to be asked to judge this year and are looking forward to seeing some good dog work in the all age tests.”
