What do you want your dog to do?

Breeding has determined what each breed of gundog is best suited to, whether that is hunting, pointing or flushing, or retrieving. Sometimes a breed can excel at all three. Whatever you want from your dog, considering the breeding is essential to making the training job easier.

The hunt and flush breeds

These dogs, chief of which is the English Springer spaniel, are hard going dogs designed to flush game without pointing. That is not to say that the dog does not let the shooter know that game is near; as she approaches she will give the game away with her excitement - her tail will wag faster and she will speed up.

If you are a rough-shooter, hunting ground that holds a reasonable amount of quarry, a well controlled spaniel is a delight to work.

The retrieving breeds

The classic retriever in modern shoots is the labrador, available in black, yellow or chocolate (never call them golden or brown - some breeders can be funny about these things).

The retrieving breeds are patient animals, able to sit by a driven shoot peg for hours, preferably without whining. They should be able to mark a number of dead birds without breaking their sit, and must to able to retrieve a runner in the middle of a drive, ignoring dead birds as they follow the scent of the runner.

The HPR (Hunt, Point, Retrieve) breeds

If your typical shooting day consists of a mixed bag taken over country without much game, then one of the HPRs can prove useful, able to cover a huge amount of ground with enthusiasm. Their sensitive noses can tell where birds are lying from a great distance. They have the ability to work at a distance from their handler, find and hold the game until the gun(s) are in place, then flush on command; stop to shot; and retrieve and game. They, along with some of the retriever breeds, can also be used as deer stalking dogs;