What do gun dogs do

A gundog that only works in the field a few times a year can potentially be classed as a pet as opposed to a working dog, especially if they are not fully trained. However, some gundog owners will treat their dog as both a pet and working dog; sleeps in the house, plays with the children but also works 40 to 50 days in the shooting season.

Many people consider a dog that is kept in the home a pet, and if it is kept outside in a kennel, a working dog. Often the lines of working dog and pet dog are blurred, as the owner can enjoy going for walks with their working dog and the pet dog can be worked in the field. Although gundog breeds are co-operative in nature, keen to please and energetic, many families can experience issues with their pet gundogs. This is often due to their hunting instincts and independence.

Another issue can be that a lack of training and discipline can lead the active dog to become destructive in the home. When you have a gundog breed as a family pet, the best solution to keep them happy is to keep them active with long walks every day and sufficient training. Working gundogs have a natural instinct for hunting or retrieving, and this can be apparent in a long line of working gundogs. Modern working spaniels will retrieve to hand too.

These are the dogs who locate game, usually at a longer distance than spaniels, and so will alert their owner to their presence by freezing so as not to alert them until the guns can get closer. These different jobs within the group means that there are a variety of different behaviours and personalities within gundogs, but they all have the same need for a lot of exercise in all weathers and plenty of stimulation.

Like all working breeds, they utilise their natural canine behaviours to do the jobs that humans developed them to do. Gundog breeds are specialists in watching game and working with their owners to stalk or grab. A retriever shouldn't damage fallen game however and so individuals who were weak in the harder 'kill bite' part of the predatory behaviour were used to create these soft-mouthed breeds.

Owners should be aware that this predatory behaviour is self-rewarding for dogs, as hunting for food was originally part of a dog's survival instinct. Therefore, gundogs need an outlet for their hard-wired instinct in order to stay healthy and happy.

This doesn't mean you need to take your dog hunting, and many owners would seriously object to that. A gundog needs to be able to work all day, every day and will work happily in all weathers, in often cold wet muddy conditions.

If not appropriately socialised and trained, gundogs can be over-friendly to the point of rude with other dogs. They have the ability to work in very close proximity to a variety of unknown dogs and people without so much as a grumble. Gundogs are often considered perfect family dogs as they love people, children, other dogs - and even the cat!

Gundogs can become boisterous and unruly if not given enough exercise or kept mentally stimulated. Their hard-wired retrieving behaviour may lead them to carrying your personal items around the house - and, if not channelled appropriately, chewing furniture or other items they may find. Gundogs need to be able to work with their owner in a very controlled way at specific tasks with distractions.

Retrievers are also expected to give up their prize readily and happily. However, unless taught early on to give up their treasures using reward-based training methods, they can resource guard. Since etiquette in the field can be strict, gundogs are expected to be very self-contained while waiting around but be ready to leap into action the moment they are needed.

Gundogs are not the sensitive type. Given their jobs involved helping humans hunt game, they are hardy dogs, both physically and mentally. Before you decide whether a gundog is the right companion in the household, here are a few things to consider. Gundogs need a lot of physical exercise — ideally at least two hours every day, no matter the weather. Dog exercise should include a variety of free-running, sniffing and exploring in a variety of terrains to keep their interest.

Gundogs love variety, so exercise should include on-lead walking in towns and along footpaths, plus plenty of free-running and exploration in safe areas — this is why training is important. If your dog particularly enjoys water, why not treat them to their own paddling pool in the garden? This will also help keep their waistline trim as some of these breeds are well known for their love of food. Most gundogs love working with their owner and enjoy dog training activities.

They can truly excel at it if it falls within their skill set — and a good trainer can channel these skills appropriately. But once they can do this, gundogs can easily become top of the class. Gundog breeds are very driven to work and will always thrive with a job to do or an outlet for their natural behaviours. Depending on their breed, this might be retrieval games, scent work, or even fun games of hide and seek.

There is a good reason why many of the assistance dog charities such as Guide Dogs and Dogs For Good use a lot of gundogs especially retrievers as their drive to work and trainability coupled with their gentle natures and soft mouths make them ideal for this work. Most gundog breeds are highly social and love everyone — whether human or dog. This trait makes them ever-popular as family dogs but busy owners have to remember that they need a lot of exercise if they are to be happy and slim!

Socialisation of these dog breeds needs to feature learning to listen to their owner around other dogs as they can sometimes be overly-friendly and charge up to other dogs who may not welcome the attention. While some of these breeds have slightly more specific dog grooming requirements usually feathering and high-maintenance ears , most are easy to keep clean and tidy. The only exception is that many gundogs seem to have a passion for every lake or muddy puddle that can be found and so an outdoor hosepipe or shower will come in handy.

Most gundog breeds are fairly quiet noise in the hunting field is very much frowned upon although some can get quite talkative when excited. Most of the gundog breeds are very affectionate and quite full-on when it comes to showing their love for their owner and family - and pretty much everyone!

Gundogs love playing games that channel their working abilities. This might be playing gentle retrieve games on walks or even in the house! Gundogs also love their food, so be mindful of their scavenging nature when it comes to leaving edible items out, or where you keep your bins. Carrying around a soft toy and cuddling up with it is also a favourite pastime, particularly among breeds with soft mouths bred for retrieving. Rope toys are also great fun for these dogs, both for playing with their owners and with other dogs.

They love playing fetch-based games, especially after the age of 16 weeks when their in-built need to retrieve has fully emerged. The suitability of gundogs as pets is also partly linked to the specialist roles that they play in the shooting field. The dogs that work in closest co-operation with man tend, not unnaturally, to be the most co-operative in nature. Spaniels have been bred for very high energy levels and the mental toughness required to work in harsh cover, as well as trainability and more recently, retrieving ability.

This makes them a rather interesting mixture of brains, energy, speed, and independence. Whilst more co-operative than many non-gundog breeds, spaniels are often harder for a novice gundog owner to train than a retriever. And may be less restful as companions, both out walking and at home, than their retriever cousins. You can read more about the different categories of gundog, their roles and attributes, in Choosing a gundog 1: different categories of gundog work.

The characteristics that we have selectively bred into our gundog breeds to make them outstanding hunting companions has had an extremely valuable side-effect.

For the abilities and qualities that make a great gundog, are also the qualities that make excellent service dogs. With their outstanding sense of smell gun dogs, now dominate the drug detection service, and are used for scenting out money, bed bugs, bombs, chemical imbalances in human bodies and much more.