Charlie Thorburn may have been involved in gundog training for 20 of his 42 years but he talks with the enthusiasm of someone just getting started. We caught up just as he was starting an epic journey to the US with several dogs for company. The trip had started in Scotland in the early hours and would eventually take him to, amongst other places, Atlanta, Dallas, Houston and Chicago over the following nine days. On each of his stops he would either be delivering dogs bred and trained at his Mordor Kennels in Perthshire to their new homes, or pressing palms with those eager to learn more about his work.

Mordor Gundogs has built up a global reputation for quality training and breeding. Charlie, the son of a colonel who holds a degree in Agricultural Business and Economics from Edinburgh University, started training as a hobby while pursuing other interests and had been selected to attend Sandhurst, the British Army officer training course. However, he found himself becoming so busy training dogs - around 30 or so - it occurred to him that his future may lie elsewhere. Mordor Gundogs eventually moved to high-quality, purpose-built premises in 2006 and its owner has never looked back.

Find out more in the new issue by clicking HERE.