The Red Mills Interview with Nigel Carville Albert Titterington speaks to the person who will be responsible for a series of interviews with owners of sporting dogs.
Top trainer and competitor Nigel Carville.
When chatting recently with Nigel Carville while I was shooting at Drumbanagher Estate, he said that when he read our magazine many years ago, the first pages he turned to were the ones featuring the gundog interview. He suggested that the gundog coverage of the magazine would be enhanced by ‘bringing it back.’ I said that we were always willing to listen to suggestions to improve the magazine and suggested that I do the first interview with him and then he would carry on with interviews with top UK and Irish dog owners – not just gundog owners but owners of other sporting dogs including terriers and lurchers. We are delighted that he not only agreed to do this, but he asked Red Mills to sponsor this series of articles. Suggestions for interviews are welcome. Q: Nigel over the last five or six years you have come to the fore in the trialling in Ireland, through the success of your Astraglen Kennels. Can I take you right back to the start and ask you what was your first dog and when and how you acquired it? A: My first dog was a liver and white Springer Spaniel pup called Tip, which my father in law recommended. I trained her by using Peter Moxon’s classic book on gundog training. Q: When did you purchase your first Labrador for training and trialling and what was its breeding and name? A: My First Labrador was a black bitch called Holly. She was thirteen months old and was part trained. I purchased her from Bobby Robertson and she was Glenbriar breeding. I spent the next twelve months training with Bobby and still use a lot of the training methods and tips I picked up from him. 60
Spring 2013 Countrysports and Country Life
Q: Where and when was the first trial you ran in and how did you get on? A: The first Trial I competed in was a Novice Stake organised by the Craigavon Gundog Club in October 1993 and got through to the last round and failed on my last retrieve (coincidently Albert Titterington was the next competitor in line with me with his Golden Retriever dog, who I remember having a fine retrieve from a fast flowing River Bann). Q: With which dog did you win your first trial and on what ground? A: I won my first trial with Holly, the dog I mentioned previously. It was a Novice Stake at Moyolla Estate and it was her second trial. Q: How many trials have you won? A: Counting Novices and Opens, Irish and English Kennel Clubs 46 and numerous Awards Glenbriar Carolhill Astra 4; Glenbriar Ripple 2; Astraglen Tara 1; Astraglen Clyde 3; FTCh Astraglen Amelia 5; Int FTCh Astraglen Brooke 14; Copperbirch Kite 1; FTCh Marranscar Blackcap 5; and Int FTCh Astraglen Faith 5. Q: How many Champions have you made up? What are their names? A: I have made up two Champions and two International Champions: FTCh Astraglen Amelia; FTChMarranscar Blackcap; Int FTChAstraglen Brooke; and Int FTCh Astraglen Faith. Q: Which of your dogs to date would you rate as your best dog and why? A: All of the above dogs I have trained have had their strengths and weaknesses, but Brooke would have to be my pick of them. She was a good game-finder and good on runners and she also won the Irish Championship in 2005.
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