Born in India, he returned to England in 1947. He attended Kettering Grammar School. After achieving three “A” levels, he completed a three year Teacher Training Course, majoring in Physical Education and English. He specialised in the teaching of pupils with Special Needs after completing a degree at London University.

His introduction to shooting started in 1958 as a young teenager with air rifles and has continued to the present day where he now helps to run a shoot with his stepson, Simon, in Norfolk.
His introduction to gundog breeds was through Labradors. As a confirmed roughshooter , he soon decided that HPR’s offered a wider variety of activities more suited to his extensive roughshooting needs. He started with German Shorthaired Pointers (GSPs) before training, working and trialling also with German Wirehaired Pointers (GWPs) and Hungarian Viszlas (HVs). He trialled very regularly and successfully where qualified his GSP bitch Isara Kurzhaar Zaroastre for the British Field Championship for HPRs for five consecutive years culminating in 4th place in 1991. He and his wife, Barbara, also established the influential “DORNTANZA” affix in GSPs and GWPs. He now lives with his wife Barbara, an international show judge, in Suffolk.

His background in education ideally suits him for communicating the philosophies and practical strategies needed to train people/handlers rather than purely the dogs; analysing both strengths and weaknesses in handlers for continued and improved onward development.
He is a recognised “A” Panel judge for the Kennel Club in HPRs. He has trained dogs here in the U.K. and also France where he and his wife lived for five years. He holds a shotgun certificate and Permis de Chasser for France.