Isle of Wight Gundog Club

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Breeds of gundog

Bracco Italiano

Added: Wednesday, 4 September 2013

The Bracco obviously stems from the old practice of mating hounds with gundogs in order to produce a type of pointing animal with extra stamina. He is one of that group of multi-purpose dogs, so popular in the countries of mainland Europe, that hunt, point and retrieve. The breed arrived in Great Britain for the first time only in the early 1990s. He is certainly an attractive, upstanding creature, with an easy-clean, glossy coat. Rated by his fan club as a hard worker, he has the ge

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Brittany

Added: Wednesday, 4 September 2013

The breed started life in an area of France called Callac. In the village of Callac itself, there stands a statue of a French Cob horse, on which the Brittany is reputed to be based. In the 1800s it was usual for the landed gentry in England to shoot partridge and snipe in France, and of course, they took with them their best gundogs, mostly setters and pointers. These were often left with the French landowners from one season to the next, and resulted in a number of matings between the popular

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Chesapeake Bay Retriever

Added: Wednesday, 4 September 2013

There is no doubt whatsoever about the origin of this breed. All the books ever written about the Chesapeake Bay Retriever are agreed on a tale about two puppies being rescued from a wrecked ship off the coast on the eastern seaboard of Maryland. They were reputed, some two centuries ago, to have been Newfoundland in type, were discovered to love water and so were crossed with local retriever types, probably including the Curly Coat. The result was the ultimate in natural waterproof dog.

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Cocker Spaniels

Added: Wednesday, 4 September 2013

The most popular of the Spaniel family, the Cocker is an active, happy, small dog, who quickly adapts himself to his surroundings. He is highly intelligent and affectionate, and is in his element foraging around fields and hedgerows. He also employs his retrieving instincts around the house, and can often be found with a toy or slipper in his mouth, his tail wagging furiously, waiting for praise. Cockers were recognised as a separate breed from Field and Springer Spaniels soon after

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Curly Coated Retriever

Added: Wednesday, 4 September 2013

One of the most distinctive features about this dog is his coat, the colour of which is either black or liver. His body, ears and tail are covered with tight, crisp curls, whilst his face and muzzle are smooth haired. His coat is waterproof and, even after a swim, he shakes himself a few times and is practically dry. This unique coat does require specialised treatment to keep it at its best. He has a remarkable ability to mark the fall of game and remember locations, and is brilliant

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Field Spaniels

Added: Wednesday, 4 September 2013

The Field Spaniel shares its early history with the Cocker Spaniel, not being recognised as a separate breed until the 1800's. Despite an almost disastrous decline in popularity in the 1900's, numbers have now increased. It is an able hunter and is happiest when it has a job to do.Twice, the breed nearly disappeared, firstly when fashion fads all but ruined the breed in the early 1900s and, secondly, when in the 1950s breed numbers were so small that the Kennel Club withdrew championsh

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German Shorthaired Pointer

Added: Wednesday, 4 September 2013

The German Shorthaired Pointer (GSP) was first recognised in the 1800s being bred by German Hunters from several breeds including the Spanish and English Pointer, Hanovarian Bloodhound and the English Foxhound. It is this interjection of Foxhound which probably gave the GSP its incredible stamina and its hound like voice. The GSP was bred to bring track injured game such as wild boar and deer, bring them down and then keep guard until the hunter caught up with his kill. This guarding instinct ca

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German Wirehaired Pointer

Added: Wednesday, 4 September 2013

The GWP was created in Germany to serve the demands of the German hunters. The best hunting breeds in Europe can be found in the original gene pool. The breeds were selected for their courage, strength and intelligence. The coat had to be harsh and protective, able to withstand freezing waters in the intense cold of the north. The original demand was for a medium sized dog, not heavy, not light. Able to run and hunt, jump and swim, brave enough to catch, hold and kill wild boar, yet tender enoug

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Golden Retriever

Added: Wednesday, 4 September 2013

One of the most popular dogs in the world, the Golden Retriever was bred, as its name suggests, to retrieve game in the shooting field. The breed has adapted to so many roles that there is virtually nothing he doesn?t do, with the exception of being professional guard dog ? a task for which his friendly temperament makes him quite unsuited. He has been a guide dog, a drug and explosives detecting dog, a tracker, an obedience competitor, in addition to the job he does so universally and well, sim

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Hungarian Wirehaired Vizsla

Added: Wednesday, 4 September 2013

The wirehaired vizsla is a robust , multi purpose gundog, capable of performing a wide variety of tasks, both on land and water. The breed is a somewhat larger, stronger boned and more robust dog than its smooth haired cousin. Its coat, developed to withstand the icy water temperatures of its native Hungary, affords the breed both insulation and protection from the ravages of the weather, and thick, sharp cover into which it may be sent. Temperamentally, it is a

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Irish Water Spaniel

Added: Wednesday, 4 September 2013

The tallest of all the Spaniels, the Irish Water Spaniel is a breed of great antiquity. He delights in water and is an admirable and enthusiastic retriever. He derives considerable intelligence from the Poodle, which has obviously played a significant part in his ancestry. Although tall, he is always well balanced. A dark liver in colour, his coat is composed of dense, tight ringlets, which cover every bit of him except his muzzle, the front of his neck and the major portion of his tail.

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Labrador Retriever

Added: Thursday, 11 October 2018

The Labrador is one of the best all-round dogs in the world. Not only used for retrieving game, he has also made his mark in the world of assistance dogs and as a sniffer dog for drug and arms detection. It is popularly thought that he originated on the coast of Newfoundland, where fishermen were seen to use a dog of similar appearance to retrieve fish. An excellent water dog, his weather-resistant coat and unique tail, likened to that of an otter because of its shape, emphasise this

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Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever

Added: Thursday, 11 October 2018

Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers or 'tollers' as they are known are the smallest of the retriever breeds. They were developed on the eastern seaboard of Canada to have the dual function of being used to attract ducks within shooting range (tolling) and to retrieve the shot ducks. Ducks are attracted to approach towards a toller due to its colour (fox like) and jaunty action. Huntsmen use them to retrieve a stick along the shoreline from behind a blind, and curiosity of the prey spe

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Other Gundog Breeds

Added: Saturday, 6 July 2019

This list is only a small number of the different breeds of gundog. For a full list visit the Kennel Club website

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Pointers

Added: Thursday, 11 October 2018

Pointers are one of the oldest breeds of sporting dogs and can be seen in paintings dating back from about 1500. It is thought that pointing and setting dogs originated in Europe, but when the actual smooth haired, pointing dog, similar to what we know today was first seen, is hard to tell. However, it was probably about 1700, and pointing dogs may have been brought back from Spain. By about 1800 the name 'Pointer' was applied to the breed. The pointer today is a marvellous worker, sh

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Springer Spaniel

Added: Thursday, 11 October 2018

The name 'Springer' is derived from the use of this type of Spaniel to startle the bird into the air so that they spring upwards. The English Springer, with his black-and-white or liver-and-white markings, is the traditional dog for the rough-shooter? a dog capable of working tirelessly all day; ready to enter water even when he has to break ice to do it. Like so many of the gundog breeds, his cheerful extrovert nature has endeared him to the general public, and he is in great demand

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The Isle of Wight Gundog Club is registered with the Kennel Club: ID 422
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