THE GUNDOG IN YOUR LIVING ROOM ★
Our new series examines how tapping into your gundog breeds’ inherent skills can strengthen your bond.
Ilive with five Cocker Spaniels and, as a result, I spend a large proportion of my time looking for shoes, socks, and slippers. I rarely have a matching pair when I need them. When we have visitors, I advise them not to leave footwear within easy spaniel access. My spaniels don’t destroy or chew shoes, they simply pick them up, carry them around, and put them down in less than ideal places — certainly places where I wouldn’t think to look when I am in a hurry!
But why do they do this? Why do they actively seek out things to carry and bring back to me (most of the time)? Why, when they are puppies, do I spend a lot of time training them to be ‘sensible’ and ‘steady’ around birds? Why do they sometimes appear to get giddy and forgetful when they come across certain smells?
The easy answer is that they are gundogs — dogs bred for a very specific skill set — and those skills are there all the time, working or not! Understanding their ancestry and what it means for who my spaniels are, has helped me work out how to harness their natural instincts and ensure we all live the best doggy lives.
However frustrating I sometimes find the typical shoe hunt, or them searching behind the TV for the pheasant they think they heard when I am watching the latest period drama, I acknowledge it can be one of the hazards of living with a gundog breed/type. These dogs have been selectively bred for centuries to have particular skills and behavioural characteristics. Originally, when the ancestors of my dogs were full-time, working gundogs, those behaviours were entirely functional. Now, for our part-time gundogs, hobby gundogs, or even pets who will never do a day of ‘work’ in their whole lives, those behaviours still exist as an integral part of who our gundogs are.
In this new series, we are going to examine how we can harness some of the innate characteristics of our gundog breeds and types to create a fun and fulfilling partnership, whatever role your dog plays in your life.
WHAT IS A GUNDOG?
The term gundog refers to any breed or type of dog that traditionally has ‘worked to the gun’. These dogs were, and still are in some cases, essential working companions who support humans hunting for food. While aspects of gundog work can be controversial, it is still important to understand how these breeds and types were originally developed, and what it means for our dogs that might be gundogs in name only.
The working gundog is an impressive animal and while a whole range of breeds and types are sometimes seen working (I have seen terriers, collies, Dachshunds, and Poodles all working in the field), typical gundogs are the retrievers, spaniels, setters, and pointers. Individual breeds tend to have particular specialities, but there are key skills that are almost universal.
GUNDOG SKILLS
Firstly, the gundog needs to have a superb sense of smell to hunt and locate the bird or animal (sometimes known as the quarry) being hunted. Some dogs (think spaniels) will then ‘flush’ the quarry by pushing it into the air if it is a bird, or out of cover if a rabbit or similar. Other dogs will ‘point’ or ‘set’ (think pointers and setters) to indicate to their handlers the presence of the quarry. The next important job is retrieving the shot quarry to the handler. This is often where the retriever breeds come into their own, being able to ‘mark’ where their retrieve has fallen and then going to retrieve it cleanly, sometimes over long distances, obstacles, and even from water.
It is essential that retrieving is done carefully and this is why many gundog breeds are described as being ‘soft-mouthed’. This means that they will not damage anything being carried. Indeed, if a gundog is described as ‘hard-mouthed’, this represents a significant fault and is not desirable for either working or competing gundogs. A soft mouth often means that gundogs can safely retrieve your pet rabbit, guinea pig, or chicken, unharmed, and while this is not something you want to encourage, such gentle handling is typical of gundogs.
THE GUNDOG GROUP
The term gundog can also apply to the range of breeds found in the Gundog Group, a Kennel Club classification of specific breeds that were originally (and still are in many cases) worked as gundogs. This group includes the retrievers, spaniels, pointers, setters and a range of other breeds, all with particular physical and behavioural characteristics that come from their original function. Even when these breeds are never exposed to formal gundog work, they tend to be friendly, active, and trainable dogs, often with
“Why do they actively seek out things to carry?”
a drive to hunt, retrieve, and use their noses. As a result, many gundog breeds are popular as companions and pets, while lots of others end up working in similar roles that require nose power or retrieving skills. Many detection dogs are spaniels, who love working busily on a task for a reward, commonly a ball or similar retrieve item. Labradors and other retriever breeds are common as assistance dogs for their trainable and amenable natures. A whole host of other gundog breeds, some of which are increasingly viewed as rare or minority breeds, can be found undertaking similar roles, being active pets, or working in their specialised gundog roles.
“Those noses need work; the desire to retrieve items needs nourishing...”