Sporting Dogs

Golden Retriever

Historically, hunter's companion was one of the most important canine jobs. Most of the hunting (or sporting) breeds were developed between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries for different types of game and terrain.
Pointers and setters, the earliest sporting dogs, were bred to sniff out game and then freeze into a "point" or "set" position, alerting the hunter to the exact location of the prey.
Pointers (German shorthaired and wirehaired pointers, pointer, Spinone Italiano, vizsla, weimaraner, and wirehaired pointing griffon) stiffen their bodies, stretch their necks forward, and raise a forepaw.
Setters crouch down. The control these dogs display on the job gives no hint of the high-strung behavior they often exhibit when not working.
The development of spaniels and retrievers began in the 1700s, when firearms were introduced into hunting. Spaniels could flush birds up into the air or out from beneath dense underbrush; retrievers could bring downed birds back to the hunter from land or water.
To this day these breeds are among the most cooperative in obedience training and are generally friendly and outgoing. Nearly all sporting dogs are high energy. Without several hours of aerobic-level exercise daily, they may become destructive in the home.
Once regarded essentially as country dogs, the sporting breeds actually adapt well to life in urban environments.

Labrador Retriever

Sporting Dogs

American Cocker Spaniel
American Water Spaniel
Brittany
Chesapeake Bay Retriever
Clumber Spaniel
Curly-Coated Retriever
English Cocker Spaniel
English Setter
English Springer Spaniel
Field Spaniel
Flat-Coated Retriever
German Shorthaired Pointer
German Wirehaired Pointer
Golden Retriever
Gordon Setter
Irish Setter
Irish Water Spaniel
Labrador Retriever
Pointer
Portuguese Water Dog
Retriever Mixes
Spaniel Mixes
Spinone Italiano
Sussex Spaniel
Vizsla
Weimaraner
Welsh Springer Spaniel
Wirehaired Pointing Griffon

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