The Manitoba Gun Dog Association originated in 1935 when it was formed by a group of prominent Manitoba hunters and sportsmen, with an express interest in promoting the training and use of Retrieving Dogs for waterfowl hunting. This group started hosting unofficial Field Trials as early as 1936, and held Canada's first CKC licensed Field Trial on July 16, 1938. As such, the MGDA is recognized as the oldest Field Trial Club in Canada. A second licensed Trial was held one year later on July 15, 1939. Quality, rather than quantity, seems to have been the flavour of Field Trial evaluation at that time, as the dogs were marked on single retrieves, with the focus on scoring 70% for style and 30% for delivery. One of the tests from the ’39 Trial was a tracking test simulated by dragging a dead mallard through the grass, firing a shot, after which time the dog was commanded to fetch. Some names from those first two early trials are those of C.E. Greenlay, Bert Aconely, H.S. Scarthe, and Jim Duganis (winner of the first open all age stake).

World War II called many of the original group away to active service duty, some of whom did not return. As a result, the club's activities lay dormant for most of the war years and for quite some time after, although there is a record of at least one sanctioned trial held in 1944 at Fort Whyte. The lapse in Field Trial activity for this period seems to explain the absence of any club records for those years.

Towards the end of the Forties, however, interest in Field Trialing was rekindled. Somewhere around 1949, a loose association of original club members from the Thirties mixed with some newer like-minded hunters, and started to gel into a volunteer association of hunting dog afficionados. It was hunters from this group that eventually held the first "formal" club meeting in 1954 at the Kirchoffer Hunting Lodge at Delta Marsh. Present at that meeting were Albert Hochbaum (Director of the Delta Research Station), Gillis Tidsbury (President of the Manitoba Game and Fish Association), Gerald Malaher (Director of Game for Manitoba), Dr. Duncan Croll, Gordon Bryce, Jim Duganis, Hugh Crozier, Alan Robertson, Ron Gilmore, Frank Marsh, and Angus Gavin (of Ducks Unlimited). Dr. Croll was the club's first Executive President. The historical link to the original Club of the 1930's is found in the inclusion of Jim Duganis and C.E. Greenlay: both of these gentlemen were members of the original MGDA of the thirties. Mr. Greenlay was made the Honourary President of the 1954 club. And in 1954, a membership cost $2.00!

Other prominent members from the 1950's were Fred Ward, John Sellen, Gus Stone, Louis Turenne, Homer Good, Frank Booth, Fez Sharpe, Joe Kerr, and, later on, George Duganis. John Sellen relates that, "In those days we had a hard time trying to find enough qualified dogs to hold an Open. We had to phone around to places like Fargo, Minneapolis, and St. Cloud in order to get enough qualified dogs to meet the CKC requirements to hold an Open. At one point in those early years, we hired a dog trainer from Fargo named John Hall to come up in the spring and teach us how to train our dogs. John also competed in our trials in those days and at the outset, won most of them as well. It was not long, however, before our local guys caught on and started beating John Hall." John Sellen and Gordon Bryce also stressed the point that in the early days, all members and trialers were hunters, and consequently great emphasis was placed on Field Trial tests simulating actual hunting conditions.

In the Fifties, the Club's Trials moved around and were held at locations such as Fort Whyte, St. Andrew's Bog (now known as Oak Hammock Marsh), and Petersfield, but eventually took up a semi permanent residence at "Perrins' Farm," in Headingly, Manitoba. One of the MGDA's chief benefactors in those days was a gentleman by the name of Steve Cara, of Carling Breweries. It was with donations organized by Mr. Cara that the first club house was built at the Headingly site.

In the Sixties, a small piece of property was purchased near the town of Niverville. With financial assistance from Carlings and other local Manitoba businesses, the clubhouse was moved from Headingly to Niverville, and an addition was added.

The Sixties saw the arrival of "newcomers" like Kevin Howarth, Jack & Gladys Dunn, Tony Bartosh, P.J. Fitzpatrick, Bob & Mimi Chrystal, "Croft" Dangerfield, and Bill Furr.

The Club was officially incorporated as a nonprofit organization in 1971. By the mid-Seventies the town of Niverville had expanded to encompass the club grounds, thus increasing the local taxes, so in 1976 the Club purchased 80 acres of land north of Winnipeg and moved to its present site near Balmoral. An additional 80 acres was added a few years later. Over the years, the hard work of club members has developed the MGDA Club Grounds into one of the Premier Field Trial venues in North America. The MGDA Club Grounds have been the site of 6 Canadian National Championships, the most recent being the Canadian National Amateur Championship Stake held there in July 2007.

Today the MGDA has approximately 80 members. The Club hosts 2 or 3 licensed Field Trials per year and 2 CKC licensed Hunt Tests. In addition the club holds 5 winter "Fun" Trials, and 2 or 3 Retriever Workshops each year (the most notable was the Carr / Rorem Retriever Workshop held in 1994).