The range of gundog breeds make up a varied group that was originally developed as hunting companions in pursuit of game, traditionally working “alongside the gun”. While they were initially bred as essential working partners for humans hunting for food, now this is rarely a necessity for survival, gundogs are just as likely to be kept as pets. The reason being that those very characteristics that made them so brilliant in the field also makes them wonderful family dogs. They form strong bonds with their owners, are athletic, intelligent and trainable – making them loyal and fun dogs to have around.
Four of the top 10 most popular breeds in the UK fit under the gundog umbrella, including top dog the Labrador Retriever, as well as cocker spaniels and English Springer spaniels and the golden retriever. A minority of gundogs will work in the field once or twice a week during the season; others will spend most of their lives as active family friends, going out shooting just a few times a year, while the majority of these dogs will never see or even hear a gun, but are cherished by their owners because of their superb temperaments, both kind and energetic, their love of life, and athletic physiques.
One of the beauties of the gundog group is the wide range of different breeds within it. While they all share some common traits in temperament, chiefly trainability, desire to work, loyalty and intelligence, the variety of terrain and landscapes in which they were bred to work necessitated specific physical attributes. For example, those bred to retrieve in dense thickets required shorter legs and a rugged coat; those hunting deer needed stamina and speed; those working around water needed waterproof coats and webbed feet for swimming prowess. From the curly-coated retriever to the sleek Weimaraner, from the bouncy springer spaniel to the crinkly Lagotto Romagnolo, there’s something for everyone’s tastes and terrains.
The Kennel Club lists 38 separate gundog breeds. The basic sub-groups within the overall gundog category are spaniels; setters and pointing dogs; retrievers; and hunt, point, retrieve (HPR). Let’s take a look at a handful of different, popular gundog breeds within these groups.
Examples of gundog breeds of different types
BRGR7E Springer Spaniel retrieving rabbit fur dummy through heather
The English springer and Welsh springer are two distinct breeds, bred specifically for flushing game (hence the name springer, as they would “spring” out the game). Not only are they a dependable and steady working dog in the field, but they are a superb family pet, especially for those households who love outdoor adventures. The English Springer is the sixth most popular breed in the UK, and the most favoured spaniel for working in the field.
Other spaniels include the American Cocker, cocker, American Water, Clumber, Field, Irish Water and Sussex. While the springer is smooth-coated, with medium-length hair, other spaniel breeds have tight curls.
Setters are natural hunters bred to hunt game birds. The Irish Setter is a highly athletic, beautiful and graceful dog, with a stunning red coat. Setters are among the oldest type of gundog, as they pre-dated guns. Their job was to locate the prey, and then freeze (set) so the hunter could creep up and catch it in a net. They are hunter-pointers, but without the innate retrieving skills of the HPRs.
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Other setters include the English Setter, Gordon and the Irish Red and White.
Such a popular dog – number one in the UK, and for decades in the US as well. They are known for their willingness, kindness, intelligence and loyalty. They say that “Labradors are born half-trained”, which makes them exceptionally good shooting companions, as well as a great family pet.
All retrievers tend to be super swimmers, with their webbed feet and waterproof coats, but they also work brilliantly on the land, too. They are bred, as their name suggests, primarily to retrieve game but they are a versatile all-round worker.
Other retrievers include the Golden, Chesapeake Bay, curly-coated, flat-coated and Nova Scotia Duck Tolling.
2CJYF0B Brown German Shorthaired Pointer. A muscular hunting dog is standing in a point in the field among the green grass. A spring sunny day.
Pointers fit in the bracket of the hunt, point, retrieve dogs, which means they are adaptable and adept at any task required. And the GSP is the most popular of all of them. They are excellent on point (they stop and lift a foreleg, pointing at the prey), have the soft mouth of a retriever, and are thorough in their search for retrieving game.
The HPRs are the all-round, versatile breeds of the gundog world. They can be trained for any discipline, being bright, athletic, fast and determined – the ideal hunting machine.
Other HPRs include popular breeds in the UK such as the Weimaraner and Hungarian Vizsla, as well as less common breeds such as the English Pointer, German Longhaired Pointer, German Wirehaired Pointer, Hungarian Wirehaired Vizsla, Brittany, Large Munsterlander, Italian Spinone, Bracco Italiano, Korthals Griffon and Slovakian Rough Haired Pointer.
Professional Gundog Training This book reveals the techniques used by the professional trainers and enables the individual gundog owner to ute them as part of their own training.
Gundogs: Their Past, Performance and Prospects A celebration of the gundog’s contribution to the sporting and companion dog scene, an examination of their past, performance and prospects in an increasingly urban society.
The Pet Gundog Puppy This book guides you through selecting a breeder and a puppy, critical life stages and laying down solid foundation training with your puppy to enable you to own a dog to be proud of.
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Martha is an experienced journalist who is mad-keen on horses and dogs. Her reporting CV includes the Paris Olympics, European championships, Aachen World Equestrian Festival and World Cup finals. After growing up with assorted liver and white springer spaniels, she enjoyed 14 years with two rescue dogs. Now, her constant companion is Fidget, an extremely energetic and habitually muddy black and white springer. Martha has written on topics as diverse as a top horse’s clone to the best GPS trackers for dogs, as well as equestrian and rural matters for Country Life, The Field, The Times, The Spectator and The Telegraph alongside Horse & Hound.
