When it comes to purchasing a gundog, you first have to ask yourself a few questions to assertain which
breed of dog will be most suited to your style. You will benefit from the knowledge gained in this article.

The Gundog - A Hunter's Best Friend

When it comes to the sport of hunting - the gundog is
definitely a hunter's best friend. Gundogs have been used
to assist man since the days when survival crucially
depended on hunting skills, not only for food to eat, but
for clothing and shelter provided by the hides of the hunted
animals and to this day bird dogs still play an important
role in hunting for sport.

Originally bred with the intention of assisting game bird
hunting, the characteristics of gundogs have, over the
years, been strengthened by further breeding with animals
already displaying the necessary traits for hunting.
Gundogs (also known as hunting dogs or bird dogs) are
intelligent, active and alert breeds, easily trained for a
variety of sporting uses such as hunting game birds and
waterfowl, showing the hunter where the game birds are
located, startling the birds into the open for the hunter
and retrieving the shot or injured birds and taking them
back to the hunter. These hunting dogs love being around
humans, and they require a great deal of attention and
strenuous exercise. Some hunting dogs are used specifically
to work in water, some only on land, whilst others are
capable of working in both of these environments.

Gundogs can be divided into three categories, the retriever,
the pointer and setter, and the flusher dog and listed below
are the roles played by each of these types of dog.

The Retriever Dog

Ideally equipped with their water-repellent coat and webbed
feet, the Retriever, as its name would suggest, will find
the bird and take it back to the hunter. The Retriever is
particularly suited to work in water. Labrador Retrievers,
Golden Retrievers and Irish Water Spaniels are popular
breeds for the Retriever category.

The Pointer and Setter Dogs

These two types of dogs are used where game is distributed
over a wide area, for example on moors. They operate quite
a distance away from their handlers and upon locating the
game birds will wait for the hunter to get close enough to
shoot. In order to let the hunter know they have located
the game, and without actually causing any disturbance which
may alert the game, the dog will remain still and rigid, in
effect pointing in the direction of the game. When the
hunter arrives on the scene, he will command the dog to
flush the game, thus presenting his sporting target. Once
shot, the dog will be expected to retrieve the game and
deliver it to the hunter. English and Irish setters and
English Pointers are the main breeds in this category.

The Flusher Dog

The flusher will not actually capture his prey but will
creep around the undergrowth to hunt and then when he has
found his quarry he will crouch in front, in a guarding
manner, so there is little or no chance of escape, allowing
the hunter to take his quarry. Examples of dog breeds in
this category are Springer Spaniels, Cocker Spaniels and
Field Spaniels.