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About us

About us

We are a husband and wife team working and training our own team of golden retrievers, Wirehaired Viszlas, Labradors and English springer spaniels.

Our team are both incedible workers and valuable family members and we pride ourselves in having dogs able to do both to an exceptional standard. We love training and working, but our ideal down time is taking the dogs for an adventure hike, or a trip to the cafe or garden centre. We have spent years working with clients who aspire to do the same with their own dogs.

We work with gundog breeds of all types and training levels, whether a family pet who will never step foot in the field or someone wanting the perfect dog for all days working the season. We can help with behavioural issues, general manners, socialisation and gundog work.

Wildnooks History

Tasha’s intro to dogs

Founder of Wildnook, Natasha Surtees, started her gundog training career at 18 years old, almost 14 years ago now. She initially specialised in Labradors, working for a keen shooting man who had years of experience breeding a fabulous line of traditional working lab for the field. Natasha worked here for 7 years bringing up Labradors from pup to the field and contributing towards the breeding programme by raising puppies. Additionally to this Natasha took in residential clients of all breeds, from rottweiller and presa Canario to cockapoos and terriers, Ofcourse with Gundog breeds still being the forefront.

Knowledge Expansion

Her next employment in the industry after moving from Scotland to England was then to work for a spaniel expert specialising in trialling. Here Natasha also raised puppies and started the early training development before dogs went on to her boss to start their trialling careers. Natasha also took in residential clients here bringing dogs up from youngster to field ready and also helping with social and confidence issues.

Wildnook founded

Progressing from the Natasha then set up Wildnook Gundogs in 2018.

Team expansion

Over the years she’d built the beginning of a team for her own days in the field and met husband to be Christopher, who was then a game keeper on a grouse moor.

Building wildnook

The business progressed over the years to a large team of incredible working dogs that ran the field 6 days most weeks of the shooting season from duck flights to picking up on large grouse days, to standing on the peg to beating pheasant drives; we credit ourselves in having a mixed breed team all trained for every aspect of the field despite their strengths and weaknesses.

Chris joined the business

Chris progressed his gamekeepering career alongside the build of Wildnook and finished achieving the dream being a head game keeper on a large commercial shoot managing grouse, pheasant and partridge, putting on outstanding days in the field that boasted both amazing shooting experiences but also a friendly and fun atmosphere that wasn’t without some game on the BBQ during elevenses. After top success in his career at a young age, and the estate changing hands and a shift in goals, his gamekeeper career ended and he joined Wildnook after years of helping alongside and assisting in every development.

Wildnook now

Now, Natasha and Chris run the business as a team, their world completely revolving around it. Priding themselves in always creating a loving and fun second home for their clients who come from across the globe and a team dogs of dogs that are always family.