How to Choose a Good Hunting Dog (Part 1)

Dogs have been bred for the purposes of hunting with humans for centuries. Whether hunting for food or sport, various breeds of dog have been used to help flush the hunted animals out into the open, to retrieve downed animals (especially ducks, pheasant, and other birds), and to sniff out and track animals for the hunter. It is with these potential duties in mind that a hunting dog should be chosen.

When choosing a dog for hunting purposes you may want to evaluate your needs and base the choice on what you want the dog to do, how easily it can be trained, whether it is likely to be “spooked” by the report of a weapon being fired, and how good its nose is.

Hunting Breeds

There are several breeds of dog that have a natural aptitude for assisting in various aspects of hunting. Hounds, for example, make excellent trackers, especially bloodhounds. They have a very acute sense of smell, even for a dog, and have no problem following several scents at once. Retrievers are quite keen at, well, retrieving. And make excellent bird-dogs.

1 2 »