What is a Bird Dog?
Simply put, a bird dog is a type of hunting dog bred to hunt game birds.
These game birds typically fall into two categories: Waterfowl, ad Upland birds.
Waterfowl include birds like ducks and geese while upland birds include pheasant, quail, chukar, and others. Depending on which of these you want to hunt, the type of bird dog you choose may differ.
While both types of birds are fun to hunt, here we will focus mostly on the pursuit of upland game. To figure out how we hunt these birds, we first need to look at their habitat and how these birds behave.
Where to find upland birds
Most types of upland birds live in grassy fields where they hunker down to avoid being seen by predators. They spend most of the time on the ground hiding, which makes them challenging to locate for hunters like you.
Fortunately, humans have spent thepast 14,000 years perfecting the art of hunting with their best friends.
Dogs have been selectively bred to hunt the various species we’ve encountered all over the world. The dogs you hunt with today were literally born to hunt by your side. Each of them with their own unique tendencies depending on what types of game they are bred to hunt.
Most of these unique tendencies come instinctually to our pups, but it’s up to us as owners and hunters to reinforce the behaviors we want to see out in the field.
Bird dogs are typically split up into three categories. Dog breeds in each of these categories are expected to perform certain behaviors while pursuing game.
The Three Types of Bird Dogs
The three categories of bird dogs are pointers, flushers, and retrievers. Some will combine the retrievers and flushers into one category given that they are still expected to flush and retrieve birds out in the field. However, the dogs usually accelerate in one or the other depending on their breed, so they deserve a category of their own. In fact, most good bird dogs will perform all 3 of these tasks but will “specialize” in one of these categories.
1. Pointers
Pointers are bred to locate birds and “point” them out to the hunter.
They will cover a lot of ground while out hunting in the field, sniffing and searching for any birds that might be hiding. When they finally catch the scent of the bird and determine its location, they will freeze up with their nose pointed directly at the bird. Dogs with good pointing form will also lean forward, raise one of their front paws into the air, and stick their tail into a “12 o’clock” position.
This gives the hunter enough time to ready his shotgun and walks in to “flush” the bird, meaning he will scare the bird into taking off into the air. Once in the air, the bird will be safe for the hunter to shoot.
2. Flushers
Flushers are bred to get birds off of the ground and into the air.
While they are still responsible for locating hiding birds, they aren’t necessarily expected to freeze up and point as tight as a pointer.
Sometimes birds will prefer to run when they hear dogs or people approaching. In cases like this flushers come in handy for chasing the bird and getting it to take flight into the air for the hunter to safely shoot down.
3. Retrievers
Retrievers are bred to go find and pick up birds after they have been shot and bring them back to the hunter.
Birds can often be delicate, so retrievers are expected to softly pick up the bird, run straight back to the hunter, and drop or hand it to him without chewing or clamping down too hard on the bird.
Retrievers are often used to hunt waterfowl as well given they love retrieving in the water.
While an excellent bird dog will perform all three of these duties, hunters typically prefer their dog focuses on one of these. Pointers are expected to point birds and hold still.
Some will train their pointer to flush the birds on command, however, most hunters will not, given that it may confuse their dog on which they should be doing.
Pointers are also more difficult to train to retrieve. They often have no problem chasing and picking up the bird, but getting him to calmly drop the bird at your feet is more challenging than a retriever.
Likewise, retrievers and flushers have less of a tendency to “freeze” when locating a bird, requiring the hunter to be more alert and ready for birds to fly.
Characteristics of each type of bird dog
Based on how each of these types of dogs is expected to hunt, their breeds will show certain characteristics best suited for their hunting style. Each of them shows extreme loyalty and obedience to their owners and has strong prey-drives. Their intelligence and love for working will mean you need to keep them occupied often. They most likely won’t be the couch potato who sleeps all day by your side watching TV.
Pointers are expected to cover a large area of ground while out in the field to uncover any possibility of a hiding bird. Because of this, pointers love to run and can go long distances. They’re rather independent dogs, not wanting to get your scent mixed in with a bird’s, so they try to keep their distance. They are often difficult to walk on a leash given they’d rather be exploring every bush and bird hideaway in sight.
Flusher will hunt closer to the hunter to remain in shooting distance. This means they’re more likely to stick by your side at home or out on a walk. They will still require attention and given tasks to do, they will just want you to be there with them.
Most people are familiar with retrievers and know their personalities. They make great family dogs and display unwavering amounts of loyalty. It’s no wonder why a dog bred to retrieve birds loves to play fetch and go swimming. They are born to bring things back to you and will love every minute of it.
