Choosing A Good Hunting Dog

Dogs have been bred for the purposes of huntingmake excellent bird-dogs.
with humans for centuries. Whether hunting forHunting breeds are separated into four general
food or sport, various breeds of dog have beengroups. These are the general hunting dogs, gun
used to help flush the hunted animals out into thedogs, retrievers, and bird dogs. Some specific dog
open, to retrieve downed animals (especiallybreeds may fit into more than one category.
ducks, pheasant, and other birds), and to sniff outRetrievers
and track animals for the hunter. It is with theseGolden Retrievers and Labrador Retrievers are
potential duties in mind that a hunting dog shouldexperts at finding and fetching fallen prey. They
be chosen.are especially useful on duck hunts because their
When choosing a dog for hunting purposes youoily coats help them move effortlessly through
may want to evaluate your needs and base thewater to find and retrieve the fallen waterfowl.
choice on what you want the dog to do, howPointers and Setters
easily it can be trained, whether it is likely to beThese dogs are useful in hunting because they let
"spooked" by the report of a weapon being fired,the hunter know when prey is nearby. They are
and how good its nose is.most often used in bird hunts and are trained to
Hunting Breedsfreeze and point their bodies in the direction of
There are several breeds of dog that have athe hunted bird (pointers) or hunker down low to
natural aptitude for assisting in various aspects ofthe ground when they locate a bird (setters).
hunting. Hounds, for example, make excellentSpaniels also make good pointers.
trackers, especially bloodhounds. They have aHounds and Trackers
very acute sense of smell, even for a dog, andBloodhounds and other dogs with heightened
have no problem following several scents at once.senses of smell are used to track all manner of
Retrievers are quite keen at, well, retrieving. Andanimals.