An article sent to us by Fiona Lucas, training her dogs in UK.
“Although definitions for “gundog” abound, a definition of the term “working gundog” is not readily available and is for some, apparently, less easily made. The most commonly quoted definition for “gundog” includes the phrase “a dog trained, or bred, to assist in the hunting, flushing and retrieving of game”. Obviously all breeds classified in a “Gundog” or “Sporting dog” group (terms vary according to country and kennel club) were bred, originally, for that purpose or they would not have been so classified! However, one has only to observe many (if not all!) gundog breed (conformation) classes, both at home and abroad, to see that it is patently obvious that most of the representatives of these breeds would not be physically capable of carrying out the task for which they were originally bred, let alone have the skill to do so!! go to the article“