I've been training 2 Labs with Les for almost 5 months now.
One of the labs , Bomber was 71/2 month when we started and the other his mum, Bella,3 yrs. From the start, Les was very approachable and agreed to give Bomber a trial, bearing in mind his age! We’ve not looked back since, Les got him working from the off.

Les is very patient, very knowledgeable and has a good way when he is training. I have to admit i was nervous when i first started, not wanting to embarrass myself. Les made it very easy for me,he is very encouraging and has a great sense of humour, the time just flies by!

Both Bomber and Bella are two very different dogs from when we first met Les, and i have and still am, learning so much from Les. Les has made this a big pleasure for the 3 of us ,Bomber and Bella can’t wait to jump in the back of the Landy, for sure, they know exactly where they are off to!

The training area is nestled in about 10 acre of woodland and has everything thing you need, very safe and very pleasant to work in. Les, keeps it very well, its planted with wild flowers and various fruits too.Without doubt Les is very proud of the surroundings that he keeps and manages. Clearly he takes a lot of pride in this.

He demonstrates, the same pride when you work with him, a true gent and Les has become more of a friend than a trainer. He is very generous with his knowledge and gets a lot out of seeing his students , the 3 of us, improve, week on week.

I couldn’t recommend Les, highly enough, He is superb!
Thanks Les, we are looking forward to the next session and maybe a coffee from Roots! 

Cheers Geoff , Bomber and Bella

I can’t thank Les enough for the time and effort he has put into Stanley and myself. Stan was only a puppy when I first met Les, his attention span was extremely short and he soon got bored and fed up when it came to training. His stubborn streak was getting the better of me. Les has brought the best out in Stanley and he’s turning into a brilliant gundog. Being a gamekeepers dog, it’s important for the dog to hunt and retrieve the birds on the moor, and thanks to Les, Stan’s progress is amazing and I can’t wait to see him working on the grouse moor come August!

Les is so patient with the dogs and knows how to bring enjoyment into training for both myself and Stanley. I couldn’t recommend him enough to anyone who is thinking of getting some help with their dogs.

Many thanks, Megan

I have been going to Les with my Labrador Blondie for about six weeks, since she was nine months old. She is not a working lab, but show lines, so it has been very interesting for the three of us. I originally took her because I was finding her a bit of a handful, she was quite a big strong puppy and I wanted some help. We love our lessons, she has learned to walk to heel, she will sit and stay for a long period of time now and she is enjoying her retrieving, also jumping fences now. As Les says she will never be the fastest or most agile, but shows promise!

She is also a lot steadier now and noticeably calmer and a pleasure to own. Les has been such a help and he has a good sense of humour but is fair and firm and Blondie responds so well with him. It has also given me more confidence when training her too. I recommend Les to anyone who needs help with their dogs.

Ginny Sliufko.

I began training with Les when I needed help with my adolescent black lab. He shared his wisdom to train both me and the dog! Angus thrived, being trained to do the job he was bred for. His younger brother, Wilf, now has regular training sessions too, and Les skillfully adapts his lessons to their different temperaments, abilities and needs. He has given my teenage daughter a few lessons with the dogs too, where he encouraged her, enthusiastically. He always works with patience and humour and I enjoy the lessons almost as much as the dogs do. 

Helen Jones Sent from my Sony Xperia™ smartphone

Dear Les

We cannot thank you enough for the training given to our labrador, Laika. 

The difference in 5 weeks is truly amazing and it is a pleasure to take her for walks and have her under control at all times.

She will now walk to heel with or without a lead, even for our 7 year old and her retrieval skills are fantastic.

I would not have thought this was our dog had we not seen her in action with you.

She looks like a working dog and is in great condition and you were worth every penny.

We would not hesitate to bring her back should we wish to advance the training and we would happily recommend your skills to anyone.

Many thanks again


Julie & Gideon Groom

Since starting training with Les I have seen my Springer come on tremendously which has been the most rewarding experiences. Les was able to offer me expert advice & guidance whilst always having dog & handlers best interests at heart. Having trained with Les & having seen him & his dogs at events his passion is both evident & infectious. I look forward to our sessions as does Guss & the sense of achievement is amazing, I have never been more proud of an animal nor worked so closely with one.

Guss was my very first spaniel & something of a handful however the skills gained through our lessons with Les have ensured this once unruly Springer is a delight to work, walk & generally be with. We’ve had so many remarks on how content & sensible he is & I firmly believe it is due to the constructive nature of the working balance established through Les’s practices. His grounds & facilities are also perfect.

There is something for every level of competence (believe me we started from the bottom up!) I cannot recommend Les & what he does highly enough. He is knowledgeable, devoted & a genuinely lovely man.

Without doubt the best in the business & absolutely worth a visit.

Claire Saunders

I have been training at Mountgrace Gundogs for the past couple of years now. My cocker spaniel thoroughly enjoys himself and has become a really impressive working gundog. As he has a natural outlet to do what he was bred for, his general behaviour at home has also improved massively.

Marie Kemp

I have trained two gun dogs through les at his wood land training ground a cocker spanial Broc and my Labrador Copper. I would like to thank him for his knowledge and his patience both with the dogs and my self nothing seems to phase him. On the shooting field other guns have commented as to how well they work ,most of all under control. I have a good beating dog  and a good peg dog .

Many thanks,
Ian O Connor 
North Yorkshire

Ian takes a dummy from Copper

I have known Les approximately a year. I have two young Labradors that I wanted to train to work with. Initially I took them alternate weeks but they now have their own times each week.

My dog (Tarka) was a natural retriever, a gentle sensitive dog who responded quickly to Les’s training but sadly was held back by a leg problem. This resulted in my bitch (Mij) getting more lessons which she thrived on. She was a handful, very shy and wilful initially and neither of us were sure if she would come to anything in the work department, however with Les’s skill and patience at training both her and me, she fabulous now. Bright as a button, swift as a hare and keen as mustard. She still has some control issues to deal with but she is alert and keen to learn. Now Tarka is back on track, I can honestly say I have never had such good and fabulously well behaved dogs.

Les is a great teacher, he calls a spade, a spade and will tell you if you get it wrong, but with a twinkle in his eye! He is amazingly patient both with animal and human alike and his experience shows with the way he speaks to and handles the dogs. He can get my two to do things I never thought they would do.

We thoroughly enjoy our time training with Les. The dogs always enjoy the time spent working in his wood and I find it so rewarding to see the way the dogs come on, as well as learning new skills myself.

You don’t need to be aiming to work your dogs to have training from Les, it’s great just to know that they will learn to behave in a controlled manner, but if you also want to work with them, then in my opinion, you couldn’t choose anyone better to help you.

I highly recommend him.

Thanks Les

Caroline Christmas, Tarka and Mij

Caroline with Tarka and Mij

Since recovering from cancer , my wife and myself decided our working lab Fynn needed some professional help with his training.so we contacted Les to see if he would be interested in helping us train him,the answer was yes. I took Fynn to training ground and it was a disaster, but we agreed we would go back the next week the same again. Les said it was a long time since he'd a lab so strong willed, but said he'd keep trying for another few lessons.

On third lesson he said he could see potential in Fynn. He's now had 12 lesson with Les and we are now starting to see some very good results. He's doing some retreiving plus blind. Retreivers, He's also starting to Hunt as well. Les is also helping me relax around Fynn, so we are forming a partnership. Without Les's professional attitude and knowledge Fynn would have made our life a disaster.

Thank you.
Roger&Sheila Holder.

I met Les about 6 months ago to talk to him with the intentions of asking him to help me train my three springer pups, after a short but rewarding chat we put together a plan which involved me having a lesson a week with one pup and then passing the training onto the other two pups this worked very well.

Then Les said he had a space on his in house training (this is when you leave your dog in Les's capable hands and see them every two week to see the progress). So Kira (my bitch) went with Les and we carried on with our once a week training with the other two (dogs). This made my life a little easier. We have been doing this for about 4months and Les is an assault star. The two I train with Les's help are coming on brilliantly.

But the one Les has at home is really something special - she's fantastic, I can't thank Les enough for what he has done not only with regards to training dogs but in training me, how to train and understand the dog because as we all know all dogs are different. Definitely recommend Les. He's a brilliant trainer, straight as a die in what he says and does, but most of all a really nice guy.

Thanks Les all the best and kind regards
 Ian Goodwill

We cannot thank Les enough for sorting out our once unruly Labrador, Tilly! As Les says 'she has some fire in her' which has meant that she hasn't been the easiest dog to train, but Les has made this more than manageable! Tilly used to be so excited when we pulled up for training on a Tuesday morning, the sessions were thoroughly enjoyable to all.

Les is incredibly calm and has an amazing way of working out what is the best way for your individual dog to learn - this is quite a special trait to have.

Thanks again Les for all of your help, we miss you!

Sarah & Tilly

Sent from my iPad