Episode 5: Breed Origins Part 3 - United Kingdom and Ireland

06/25/20 • 60 min

In the final chapter of this mini-series on the origins of pointing dogs, we cross the English Channel to talk about Pointers and setters. Some might argue that by crossing the channel we are leaving behind the versatile breeds and are now looking at more specialized bird dogs. However, like everything else in the bird dog world, it’s a lot more complicated than that.

Pointers and setters likely came to England in the 1600s and 1700s, most likely originating from the area now serving as the border between France and Spain. However, it’s entirely possible that there were already longhaired hunting dogs in England that had shown some pointing behavior. The history is a little muddy, but one thing is for certain: Pointers and setters soon exploded in popularity among the wealthy and elite in England.

The agricultural revolution led to a better understanding of livestock breeding practices to enhance desired traits. Cows were bred to produce more milk, sheep were bred to produce more wool... and soon dogs were bred to point and hunt better. Dog shows and field trials became a natural extension of the livestock shows and trials. Competition took off and the dogs became supercharged versions of themselves.

Over in Ireland, setters were developing as skilled hunting companions in the moors. The original setter was likely red and white, but soon breeders were looking for that gorgeous, solid red coat of today’s Irish setter. The red and white setter nearly died out, but thankfully breed enthusiasts fought to bring it back from the brink of extinction. At the same time, little black and tan dogs were being bred and shaped into the Gordon setter that we know today.

When considered as a group, the British and Irish breeds represent hunting dogs with style. They perform all the same tasks as the rest of the pointing breeds, but they do it with an undeniable beauty and intensity. It’s not hard to see why they were desired throughout Europe and nearly caused the loss of many of the continental breeds.

Tune in to learn more about some of the trickier questions. What does “setter” really mean? Are we supposed to put “English” in front of the Pointer? And perhaps most fascinating... why has retrieving traditionally not been a priority for these dogs?

And don’t forget about our very first giveaway! We have a few free download codes for Project Upland’s first upland classic release on Audible: Woodcock Shooting by Edmund Davis. Want to check it out? Lucky winners will be chosen from those who make a meaningful contribution to the podcast this week – so leave a review and send us a note at [email protected] to be entered to win!

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Hunting Dog Confidential is presented by Eukanuba Premium Performance Dog Food

Share | Comment, review and discuss this episode of the podcast in our Project Upland Community Facebook group.

Enjoy the show and don’t forget to rate, review, subscribe and share this podcast.

Hunting Dog Confidential is presented by Eukanuba Premium Performance Dog Food

Previous Episode

Episode 4: Breed Origins Part 2 - East of the Rhine

We are deep into talking about the origins of pointing dogs; we’ve been looking back through history and discussing how dogs were developing alongside the hunting culture. In this episode, we focus on the development of hunting dogs east of the Rhine river: primarily in Germany, but also Hungary, Czech Republic, and Slovakia. Unlike what was going on across the river in France, these breeds owe their development to a qualification system of hunt tests, rather than competition through field trials.

Up until the early 1800s, this region was a collection of independent municipalities, each with their own wealthy lords and dukes. Hunting game was an exercise in excess; killing animals was done for sport without any thought of conservation or ethics. As the journey began to become a unified Germany, considerable effort was put into developing a system for an ethical and responsible approach to hunting game animals. As a result, there was a tremendous focus on using versatile dogs as conservation tools: the new dogs were to be used for tracking, recovering, and retrieving any shot game.

That focus on work “after the shot” has continued today. German breeds are particularly strong trackers and retrievers of both furred and feathered game, owing to this early focus on game recovery. In fact, Germany now places legal obligations on the hunter to ensure that their dog is properly tested and qualified to participate in the hunt. The idea of qualifying a hunting dog through a comprehensive testing system continues to this day, even making the jump to North America as NAVHDA.

Hunting in Germany looks a little different from hunting in North America, with more regulations and procedures to learn. Additionally, boar and deer are commonly targeted, usually through a method known as “Independent Forest Search”. Dogs are released into the forest to find game and drive it back toward the line of hunters. Special emphasis is placed on dogs that bark at the sight or scent of game, which alerts the hunters to the incoming animal.

Finally, we turn to the history of specific breeds from this region and share anecdotes from their development. How did the mantra “form follows function” lead to the development of the German Wirehaired Pointer? Why did the German Shorthaired Pointer practically overtake the North American versatile dog scene? How did a difference in color preference lead to the German Longhaired Pointer and the Large Munsterlander? Does the Small Munsterlander have a bit of a secret French accent? Why is it so difficult to find a Weimaraner from good hunting lines? Is the Pudelpointer the original designer dog? And finally, we step outside of Germany briefly to talk about the Vizsla: how do the Wirehaired and Hungarian Vizslas reflect the Hungarian people themselves?

Tune in to hear the stories, uncover the myths, and discover the history of the dogs that we know and love today.

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Next Episode

Episode 6: Hunting Spaniels

This episode kicks off a new mini-series on other types of gun dogs: flushing spaniels, retrievers, terriers, scent hounds, and sight hounds. This broader look at hunting dogs will explore the history of each type of dog and how it fits into the overall timeline of hunting dogs as they developed alongside their human partners. We’ll also look at where these dogs are today and how they are being used in the field.

Like always, we dive into some linguistics to better understand the cultural origins of the dogs. To an English speaker, a spaniel is a spaniel is a spaniel. But to a French speaker, there’s a significant difference between l’épagneul and le spaniel. Perhaps most curiously, what do spaniels even have to do with Spain, anyway?

Spaniels were developed before pointing dogs but after hounds had found favor with humans as hunting companions. The more cooperative nature of hunting and retrieving birds – but not injuring the hunter’s falcon – required a much more cooperative dog. The earliest spaniels were selected for their strong bond with humans, their ease of training, and their overall cooperativeness. This was the first time that man and dog were truly working together and sharing game captured in the field.

Modern spaniels are set apart from other hunting dogs by their small size, their close working style to stay within gun range, and the way in which they quarter in front of the hunter in a windshield-wiper pattern. Their energy and enthusiasm are unmatched.

Starting with water spaniels, we discuss the Irish water spaniel, the American water spaniel, and the Boykin spaniel. These three breeds can [likely] trace their origins back along the same path, having been adapted to meet the specific size and temperament needs of their human companions. The English water spaniel, although now extinct, also played an important role in the foundation of today’s spaniels.

On land, there are no spaniel breeds more popular than the cocker and the springer spaniels. Believe it or not, these were originally a single breed, differentiated only by their size. A single litter could contain both smaller “woodcocker” spaniels as well as larger “springer” spaniels better suited for working heavier cover and larger birds. Eventually the breed split, followed by the later split between the English and American cocker spaniels. We also discuss lesser-known spaniels such as the Field spaniel, the Sussex, and the Clumber spaniels.

Not all spaniels were developed in the United Kingdom and Ireland, either. The Germans developed their own “quail dog”, the Wachtelhund. This dog has exceptional intensity in the field and, like its German versatile cousins, is renowned for its tracking and game-driving abilities. Across the border in the Netherlands, the Kooikerhondje was developed for the unusual task of luring ducks into a trap. Rather than flushing birds, the Kooikerhondje playfully piques the curiosity of nearby ducks, who swim closer to investigate playing dog and end up funneling into a trap. This behavior eventually led to the development of the Nova Scotia duck tolling retriever, which we will discuss next time in our episode about retrievers.

Tune in to learn more about your favorite spaniel breeds or perhaps discover a lesser-known breed. As always, we thank you for listening and hope you’ll continue to share the great feedback about this series.

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Hunting Dog Confidential is presented by Eukanuba Premium Performance