Retriever

A retriever is a type of gundog, not a single breed. Gundogs are generally divided into retrievers, flushing spaniels and pointing breeds, and the retriever’s main job is to fetch shot birds or other game and bring them back to the hunter undamaged. Retriever breeds are therefore bred for a soft mouth and a strong willingness to please, learn and obey.

The retriever breeds are the Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Curly Coated Retriever, Flat Coated Retriever, Golden Retriever, Labrador Retriever, Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever and Murray River Retriever.

History

The modern retrievers, including the Flat Coated, Chesapeake Bay, Golden and Labrador, descend from the St. John’s water dog, also known as the Lesser Newfoundland, which is now extinct.

Temperament

A soft mouth means the dog carries game gently, without biting into it. A hard mouth, where the dog crunches, chews or even eats the bird, is a serious fault that is difficult to correct and can leave game unfit for the table.

Breeders of field retrievers look for several qualities. The dog should be biddable, meaning intelligent, controllable and open to learning. It should have drive, an almost manic desire to retrieve, along with a keen interest in birds and their scent that handlers call birdiness. It needs good eyesight and memory to mark where birds fall, a good nose to find game in heavy cover, and the hardiness to go back into cold water again and again.

The same patience and trainability have made the Labrador Retriever and the Golden Retriever popular as assistance dogs for people with disabilities, and as family dogs.

Retrievers are mostly used for waterfowl hunting, often from small boats in winter. A trained retriever is expected to do the following.

It stays steady, sitting calmly and quietly until sent, so that it does not upset the boat or spoil the hunter’s aim. It marks falling birds, watching where each one comes down and remembering several at once. When it has not seen a bird fall, it makes a blind retrieve, guided to the spot by hand, voice and whistle signals. Most blind retrieves are within 30 to 80 yards of the gun, though a good team can manage 100 yards or more.

It retrieves to hand, holding the bird gently but firmly until told to release it, which stops a wounded bird from escaping. It honors other dogs, waiting its turn while they work. It shakes off water only on command, after the bird has been delivered.

Retrievers are also used to flush upland game birds. For that work the dog quarters the ground in a pattern in front of the hunter, stays within gun range, and sits when a bird rises or a shot is fired.

Care and health

The average lifespan of a retriever is about 10 to 12 years, and some live up to 15.

Facts on this page were checked against Wikipedia and may have changed since.