Show Dogs, Retrievers & Water Dogs

 If the tracker and racing dogs were originally bred to reach and pounce their preys body to body, now we we'll focus on other hunting dogs, used, in this case, to help, in many different ways, the sport person with a shotgun. However, many of the breeds described here existed already, even when the gunpowder wasn't even invented and it was the falcons, the nets and the bows the ones in charge of the same job of firearms currently do.

In Europe, generally, the hunting dogs have to be versatile; the English hunters in concrete have stood out for diversifying their tasks, breeding extremely specialized dogs. Good European examples are the versatile Italian Spinoni, Weimar German Braque. We can find many British breeds among the specialized hunting dogs (Pointers, Setters, Spaniels or Retrievers).

SHOW DOGS: POINTERS AND BRAQUES

The Pointers were bred from the tracking dogs that used to keep immobile for a little while once they found the prey, instead of immediately begin the chase. They should follow the feather trace of the hunt and, as soon as they found it, point at it (that where the generic name Pointer comes from). The Pointers are used to work at a certain distance from the hunter.

SETTERS

The Setters, more corpulent and with longer paws than the Spaniels, were bred, as the pointers, for their ability to remain totally immobile when they discovered the hunt. The difference is that these ones, instead of pointing the prey, used to hide and lay on the floor waiting for the hunter's orders.

SPANIELS

This sub-group is the one that includes more modern breeds. The Spaniels were used to track the hunt and flush it out once discovered, but also, as show dogs, they crouch before going slowly forward, hidden, giving the hunter time to come with his nets ready or to load his shotgun. For a very long time, it was thought that the world "spaniel" comes from an ancient French word, Espanola, and therefore it was Spain the country in which the Spaniels were born. However, there is another French word, espanir that means "crouching or hiding", what, according to many experts, shows that their country of origin is France and not Spain.

RETRIEVERS

The Retrievers that, as it is thought, come from the breeds related to the Mastiff used to pick up or retrieve the hunt after the Spaniels would flush it out or force it to fly. The Retriever used to be always very close to the hunter, waiting for him to give it the order to retrieving the bird after shooting it.

WATER DOGS

The water dogs were already used in Europe and the Mediterranean area more than two thousand years ago to pick up and retrieve aquatic preys or the ones that used to live by the shore. When they used to submerge, its curly or corded coat absorb a lot of water, getting absolutely heavy, so the hunters used to shave them, leaving hair only on the thoraxes box and the paws, to promote floating. The lion haircut of the Poodles and the Portuguese Water Dogs come from this practical clipping.

OTHER CLASSIFICATIONS

Some traditional hunting dogs as the King Charles Spaniels and the Papillion, both miniaturized versions of the British spaniel dogs, are currently considered Toy varieties. On the other hand, the German hunting dogs, that had practically disappeared along with hunting sport after the revolution of 1848, received a new impulse around 1890, when they bred new varieties based on ancient ones: the Weimar Braque, the Munster Lander and the Czesky Fousek. Dog Collars

USE AS COMPANY DOGS

Show dogs, retrievers and water dogs are usually great as pets. The Labrador and the Golden Retriever for example, have been popularized as company dogs around the world. The only problem is that, by nature, they are countryside dogs, full of energy and always willing to work for their master; therefore, they need to exercise a lot to let off steam and they also need to keep their minds busy. Besides, their hunting instincts are so deep-rooted that they can become almost impossible to control. When a Pointer or a Setter discovers an interesting smell at the park, they become deaf. Training them to answer their master's call from a very young age is extremely important are you wanted to have a hunting dog as a pet. Dog Toys