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The dog that does the job.

A good gun dog isn't a breed so much as a role. Before you fall for a face, work out the job you need done - point a covey, flush a running rooster, break ice for a mallard, or unravel a night-old coon track - and the right group of breeds falls out of it. Here are 30 proven working breeds, sorted by what they were bred to do. Tap any breed for the full field profile.

Pointing dogs & setters

Range out ahead, find upland birds by scent, then freeze on point and hold - statue-still - until you walk in, flush the bird and shoot. Style and nose over bustle.

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English Pointer

Big-running upland specialist - huge range, a bold nose, and a rock-solid point on wild birds

England · Medium-large - 45-75 lb English Setter

Stylish high-nosed upland pointer with drive, range and a gentler head than most bird dogs

England · Medium-large - 45-80 lb Irish Setter

Wide-ranging red pointer with a big nose and even bigger drive for open-country upland birds

Ireland · Large - 60-70 lb Gordon Setter

Close-working black-and-tan bird dog with grit, a deep nose, and one-hunter loyalty

Scotland · Large - 45-80 lb Brittany

Compact, biddable foot-hunter's pointer - close range, big nose, all-day upland drive

France (Brittany region) · Medium - 30-40 lb Vizsla

Close-working Hungarian pointer with a hot nose and a huge appetite for work

Hungary · Medium - 44-65 lb Weimaraner

Versatile all-day gun dog - points, tracks, retrieves, and lives to be with the gun

Germany · Large - 55-90 lb

Flushing spaniels

Work close and quarter back and forth in front of the gun, deliberately rooting birds up into the air within range. No pointing - all busy, methodical bustle.

English Springer Spaniel

Close-quartering flush and a soft-mouthed retrieve - a foot hunter's all-day upland bird dog

England · Medium - 40-55 lb English Cocker Spaniel

Pocket-sized flushing engine that busts upland birds from cover too thick for bigger dogs

England · Small-medium - 26-34 lb Boykin Spaniel

Compact brown flush-and-fetch dog for Southern doves, small-water ducks and turkey - close-working, biddable

South Carolina, USA · Small to medium - 25-40 lb Clumber Spaniel

The heavyweight flusher - slow, thorough, built to grind through heavy cover at a walking pace

England · Large - 55-85 lb

Retrievers

Sit steady at heel, mark where birds fall, and bring them back from land or icy water without a mark on them. The waterfowler's right hand in the blind.

Labrador Retriever

Steady, cold-water waterfowl retriever with a soft mouth and an off-switch at home

Newfoundland, Canada / refined in Britain · Medium to large - 55-80 lb Golden Retriever

Soft-mouthed marking retriever with a good nose, strong water drive, and an easy, biddable temperament

Scotland · Medium-large - 55-75 lb Chesapeake Bay Retriever

Tough, ice-water duck dog with all-day drive and a weatherproof coat

United States (Maryland) · Large - 55-80 lb Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever

Lures ducks in close, then fetches them from cold water - compact, high-drive waterfowl specialist

Nova Scotia, Canada · Small to medium - 35-50 lb Flat-Coated Retriever

Joyful, soft-mouthed duck dog with a real nose and endless drive - if you can match its energy

England, United Kingdom · Medium-large - 55-70 lb

Versatile (HPR) dogs

Hunt, point AND retrieve, on fur and feather, land and water - the one-dog answer for the hunter who does a bit of everything through the seasons.

Open the full Versatile (HPR) dogs page

German Shorthaired Pointer

All-day nose and drive - points, tracks and retrieves fur and feather, land and water

Germany · Medium to large - 45-70 lb German Wirehaired Pointer

One weatherproof dog that points, retrieves, and blood-tracks fur and feather, land and water

Germany · Medium-large - 50-70 lb Wirehaired Pointing Griffon

Close-working versatile HPR that points and retrieves fur and feather, on land and in water

Netherlands / France (1870s) · Medium - 35-70 lb Spinone Italiano

Close-working HPR with a great nose, soft mouth and real cold-water grit

Italy (Piedmont) · Large - 61-85 lb Pudelpointer

Calm, biddable versatile HPR - points, retrieves fur and feather, works cold water and heavy cover

Germany · Medium - 45-70 lb Braque Francais

Close-working French HPR - points, retrieves land and water, biddable and gentle

France (Pyrenees and Gascony) · Medium - 40-70 lb

Hounds

Hunt by nose and voice, trailing game over ground the bird dogs can't read - and telling you all about it the whole way with a carrying, musical bawl.

Open the full Hounds page

Beagle

Big-voiced rabbit hound with a relentless nose and a merry, pack-friendly drive

England · Small - 20-30 lb Treeing Walker Coonhound

Blazing-fast tracker with a booming voice - built to strike a hot trail and tree the game

United States (Kentucky/Tennessee) · Medium-large - 50-70 lb Black and Tan Coonhound

Cold-nosed treeing hound - trails coon and big game by scent, bawls the whole way

United States (Southern Appalachia) · Large - 65-110 lb Bluetick Coonhound

Cold-nosed night trailer with a booming bawl - holds faint coon and big-game tracks others quit

United States (Louisiana) · Large - 45-80 lb Redbone Coonhound

Tireless red treeing hound - big nose, loud voice, coon by night and big game by day

United States (American South) · Medium-large - 45-70 lb American Foxhound

Cold-nosed pack hound with a bell voice for open-country fox and big-game trailing

United States (Virginia) · Medium-large - 60-75 lb Plott Hound

Courageous big-game trailer with cold nose and loud voice for bear and boar

North Carolina, USA · Medium - 40-60 lb Dachshund

Den-ready nose and booming voice for rabbit, fox and blood-trailing wounded big game

Germany · Small - 16-32 lb (standard)

A dog is only half the team. Sharpen the other half: learn to call your quarry, pick your hunting method, and get squared away on the rules and safety basics in the hunter-ed directory.

A field-focused look at breeds as working partners - not a training manual and not a guide to raising or caring for a dog. Every dog is an individual, and drive, biddability and health vary hugely within any breed. Talk to reputable breeders, professional gun-dog trainers and your own veterinarian before you choose, train or hunt a dog, and always keep a working dog's safety and welfare first in heat, cold and water.

Gun-dog training gear

Training dummies Short, happy retrieves build the habit. Check price Check cord Control at a distance while the recall is still being learned. Check price Dog whistle One tone, the same every time, carries where a voice does not. Check price Dog first aid kit Cut pads and barbed wire happen far from the truck. Check price

Kennels and crates A dry, draught-free place to rest after the hunt - Aosom's kennel and crate range. Shop at Aosom

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