By: Kelly Marshall
Sporting dogs as a group are some of the most intelligent and
easiest to train of all the breeds of dogs. They have been bred
for generations to work closely with humans and seem to have an
uncanny ability to understand just what their owner is
expecting of them. The sporting breeds include the spaniels,
retrievers, pointers and setters, and are often called bird
dogs or gun dogs. Many people mistakenly believe that tracking
breeds and breeds used for chasing game are also included in
this category. The sporting dogs are only dogs that are used to
hunt fowl and game birds, no other types of game, mammals or
animals.
When working with sporting breeds it is important to remember
that they are not naturally guard or watchdogs and generally
are not territorial or possessive of items. They have, in fact,
be bred to be willing to turn over game birds to their owners
without even damaging the carcass of the bird. They tend to be
very gentle and sedate dogs most of the time. If they have been
used for hunting they immediately become excited when guns are
handled or it looks like they are going to a hunt or an event.
Sporting breeds as a whole need more exercise than the average
mid to larger sized dog. They enjoy being outdoors, exploring,
and walking in new and unfamiliar territory. They can easily be
trained to work off leash and naturally will respond well to
verbal, hand signal and even whistle commands. A sporting dog
generally has a lot of patience and will sit for long periods
of time without moving, only to take off in a split second when
commanded to do so.
Most of the sporting breeds including spaniels, retrievers and
many of the setters absolutely love to be in the water. When on
a walk or even just getting out of the car for a break they are
likely to head straight for a pond or ditch if there is water
present. Even the pointers may be inclined to go for a good
swim even though generally pointers and setters are not used in
hunting waterfowl.
Training a sporting dog to hunt is something that is entirely
up to the owner. Most dogs of the breed will naturally use some
aspects of their behavior in everyday activities. Pointers and
setters may naturally point or indicate birds or even farmyard
chickens or ducks even without any formal training. Spaniels
and retrievers tend to excel at games such as fetch or even
Frisbee even though they may have had little training.
If you are considering training your sporting dog for
competitions consider joining a sporting dog group or
organization and attend field trials or events to learn about
this sport. These dogs require positive training and do not do
well with harsh or punishment based methods. They love to
please their owners and with clear direction and consistent
commands and training they will soon understand exactly what
you want.
About The Author: Read more dog training articles by Kelly
Marshall at http://www.ohmydogs upplies.com/ xnews.php and
http://www.ohmydogs upplies.com/ news/cat/ 2/dog-health- care-questions. html
