Gundog Breeds
Gundogs were originally bred to work in conjunction with the hunter and his gun. Historically, dogs that did not bark were selected so they would not frighten away the birds, rabbits, hare or other game the hunter was trying to shoot. So, in today's society they do not make good watchdogs. But many of today's most popular companion dogs come from this group as gundogs are quiet, steady, obedient , easily trained, and everybody's friend!
The classification of the dogs in this Group varies from country to country. For simplicity of navigation and accessibility, the table below lists the breeds alphabetically that appear in the Australian classification, divided into five sections based broadly on their historical purpose.
The magnificent Pointer with its unique head is as legendary in this catagory as are the Setters pictured here. These are from left to right the Setter of Scotland commonly known as the Gordon Setter, the lovely Red or Irish Setter and the Setter of England or the English Setter.
The Spaniels essentially flushed the game so the huntsmen could shoot it. So, they used to work ahead of the huntsmen flushing out the game. They are again divided into two types, Land Spaniels and Water Spaniels. Historically they were descended from the dogs used for 'Fowling'. This was the practice of fowling.
Larger gundogs, especially those bred to retrieve game, are among the most admired of all modern breeds. The Labrador and Golden Retrievers are versatile breeds capable of performing many tasks. They are well known for their outstanding work as a guide dogs for the blind as well as being trained to act in many other roles that greatly assist people in our modern world.
These contain breeds that combine all the functions of the specialized Gundogs. Multi Purpose Gundogs include the Brittany, German Shorthaired Pointer, German Wirehaired Pointer, Weimaraner Smooth and Wire coat, Hungarian Vizsla Smooth (pictured) and Wire coat, Italian Spinone, and the Large Munsterlander.