Gundog Glossary
Here we have tried to demystify all those gundog terms. It's not an exhaustive list, more a work in progress. So if we've missed something out then please let us know at info@hilost.co.uk and we'll add it to the list.
Back - a verbal command commonly used to indicate to your dog to proceed in a straight line until finding a dummy/bird. Often associated with 'blind retrieves' rather than 'marked retrieves'.
Beating - on a Shoot day, walking in a line with other 'Beaters' and often their dogs, over land under the direction of a 'Gamekeeper' with the aim of 'flushing' game birds out over the 'Guns' who are standing at their 'pegs' waiting to shoot.
Biddable - a dog displaying intelligence, skill and an openess to learning.
Blind retrieve - a dummy/bird retrieve where the dog has no idea of it's presence and requires direction from the 'handler'.
Bumper - another name, mostly a USA term, for a 'dummy'.
Cold game - deceased 'game' such as pheasant, duck, partridge etc, which is cold stored and used as retrieving practice.
Cover - Vegetation, such as shrubs, crops etc, serving as protective concealment for wild animals.
Creep/creeping - a term used to describe a 'gundog' that is becoming gradually unsteady by virtue of it creeping foward at the 'sit'.
Dead - a verbal command given to a dog meaning to release the held retrieved dummy/bird.
Drive - A Driven Shoot day is typically broken down into 'Drives'. These are distinct areas on the land that the 'beaters' systematically beat 'game' towards a line of waiting 'Guns'. A Shoot may comprise of one or more 'Drives'. Six seperate 'Drives' with a break between each one is a common number over one day.
Driven Shoot - an organised Shoot where gamebirds are 'driven' over a waiting line of 'Guns' by 'beaters' and their dogs. Traditionally there are no more than 8 - 10 'Guns' per Shoot day. These 'Guns' wait in a predetermined place (their 'peg'), usually spaced between 20 to 50yds apart depending on the particular 'drive'.
Dummy - often made of canvas type material, a gundog retrieving object.
Eyewipe - a not used chance to find and retrieve 'game' whilst that same 'game' is picked by another dog, or in the case of a 'Field Trial'; another dog or by the Judges or by order of the Judges.
Field Trial - a competitive event at which gundogs compete against one another. There are field trials for retrievers, spaniels, pointers & setters and 'HPR' dogs. Field Trials are held on live 'game' that is shot for the purpose of that Field Trial. They mirror, as closely as possible, a day's shooting in the field. Field Trials can compose of one or more Stakes - Novice, All Age and Open, reflecting the experience and/or Awards the dog has/has not won.
First dog down - a 'Field Trial' term used to describe a not used chance to find and retrieve a supposedly wounded piece of 'game'.
Flush/es - a gundog that actually 'flushes'/finds game, typically hiding in 'cover' for the 'Gun'/hunter to shoot.
FTAW - stands for 'Field Trial Award Winner'. So a dog that has won an award at a Field Trial e.g. Certificate of Merit (COM) or higher but not actually won the Trial.
FTW - Stands for 'Field Trial Winner'. A dog that has actually been placed first/won a 'Field Trial'.
FTCh - Stands for 'Field Trial Champion'. A dog that has won at least three days worth of Field Trial 'Open Stakes'.
Game - any bird or ground animal legally hunted for sport, such as pheasant, partridge, grouse, rabbit or hare.
Game bag - a bag, usually of leather or canvas, for carrying 'game', especially birds shot by a Gun/Hunter.
Gamekeeper - a person employed to take care of 'game' and wildlife.
Get in - a verbal command given to a gundog typically meaning to 'get in' a body of water.
Get on - as per the command 'back', a verbal commonly used to indicate to your dog to proceed in a straight line until finding a dummy/bird. Or used by some 'handlers' to indicate to the dog that it is 'off duty' and may please itself (within reason!).
Get out - a verbal command given to a gundog meaning to go either left or right depending on the arm direction given by the 'handler'.
Go back - as per the command 'back', a verbal commonly used to indicate to your dog to proceed in a straight line until finding a dummy/bird. Often associated with 'blind retrieves' rather than 'marked retrieves'.
Grouse Shooting - unique to the uplands of Britain, Grouse Shooting involves birds being 'driven' above 'Guns' by 'beaters', so they can be easily targeted by the Guns, which are relocated in butts (a shooting hide hiden behind a turf or stone wall). Alternatively, grouse shooting can also involve the birds being 'flushed' by dogs. The season officially starts on August 12th of every year and ends on November 30th in Northern Ireland and December 10th in England, Scotland and Wales.
Gundog - any dog that has been trained to help a hunter, as by 'pointing', 'flushing' or retrieving 'game'.
Guns - members of a Shooting Party i.e. those actually carrying guns and subesquently shooting game on a Shoot day.
Gunshyness - a dog that is scared of loud noises, inparticular the sound of gunfire.
Handler - a broad term relating to anyone in charge of a gundog.
Hard mouth - a dog that regularly punctures/damages game during a retrieve. Considered to be a major fault in gundogs.
Hi lost - a verbal command given to a gundog meaning to 'hunt there'.
HPR - a term used to describe a versatile group of gundogs that 'Hunt, Point & Retrieve'. The most popular breeds in this group include the German Shorthaired Pointer, Hungarian Vizsla and Weimaraner.
Hup - a verbal command, most commonly used in the spaniel world, given to a gundog meaning to 'sit' and stay.
Long line - a very long, often 9m or more, training lead. Used to assist with recall or help with 'steadiness' issues etc.
Marked retrieve - 'game' or 'dummy' that has fallen and has been 'marked' i.e. actually seen by the 'gundog'.
Memory back/retrieve - 'game' or 'dummy' that was placed in view of a 'gundog' but a significant amount of time and distance has elapsed before the dog is actually sent for the retrieve.
Out - a verbal command given to a gundog meaning to go either left or right depending on the arm direction given by the 'handler'.
Over - a verbal command meaning to 'jump' or 'get over' any obstacle be that a body of water; a fence; ditch or fallen tree etc
Peg/s - typically a wooden stake driven into the ground and numbered, used to indicate the spot where a 'Gun' must stand during a Shoot 'Drive'.
Peg dog - a dog that sits next to a 'peg' and it's 'handler', the 'Gun', during a Shoot and retrieves the Gun's shot game on command. Such a dog should be 'steady'.
Pheasant Shooting - common throughout the UK, Pheasant Shooting typically involves birds being 'driven' above a line of waiting 'Guns' by 'beaters'. Alternatively, pheasant shooting can also involve the birds being 'flushed' by dogs or even by man as in the case of a 'Rough Shoot'. The season officially starts on October 1st of every year and ends on January 30th in Northern Ireland and February 1st in England, Scotland and Wales.
Picking up - on a Shoot day, a handler and his/her dog who stands well behind the line of Guns and systematically retrieves the dead, and sometimes injured, 'game'.
Point/pointing - a gundog that actually 'points' at 'game' to indicate to the 'Gun'/'handler' where the quarry is. The 'Gun'/'handler' would then commonly send in a 'flushing dog', typically a spaniel, to 'flush' that 'game' out and up so that they may safely shoot it.
Pricked - a bird that has been shot and potentially injured but not killed.
Quartering/quarter - the controlled side-to-side hunting pattern that a flushing or pointing dog is trained to follow in order to cover the ground efficiently and thoroughly, to culminate in a successfull 'point' or 'flush' of 'game'.
Running in - when a dog leaves a 'handler' without permission with the intention to retrieve a dummy/bird.
Rough Shoot - an informal Shoot whereby one Gun or more walks through an estate/private land and shoots at 'game' as they rise or run before them.
Runner/s - a shot and injured bird that runs along the ground and requires 'picking up' immediately by a dog so that it can be humanely dispatched.
Run-off - an additional gundog test at a 'Field Trial' or 'Working Test' used when the Judges have been unable to seperate two, or sometimes more, dogs for an award.
Slip lead - the lead of choice by gundog 'handlers'. typically made of rope or leather a slip lead is a combination of both a dog lead and a dog collar allowing both quick control and quick release of the dog.
Soft mouth - a dog that will pick up and hold 'game' softly but firmly on the retrieve, meaning that he/she will not puncture or damage it. 'Game' should always be fit for the table.
Steady/steadiness - a dog that sits still when a bird or other game or even a dummy rises or a gun is fired.
There - a verbal command given to a gundog meaning to 'hunt there'.
Under - a verbal command given to a gundog meaning to get under a gap in a fence etc rather than jump or get 'over' it.
Wildfowling - the pursuit of quarry species (duck, geese and waders) with the use of a shotgun either on foot or by punt over foreshore. The wildfowling season on foreshore runs from 1 September to 20 February in England, Wales and Scotland, and from 1 September to 31 January in Northern Ireland. During these months most wildfowling takes place around dawn and dusk.
Working Test - a competitive event at which gundogs compete, in turn, against one another. They are held typically in Spring and Summer by gundog clubs and are run using canvas dummies rather than 'game'. A Working Test may comprise of three or more actual tests during the day - each one designed to competitively test the gundogs hunting, retrieving, steadiness and handling skills. Each test is marked out of a total score of 20. The gundog accumulating the highest score overall across all the tests set for that day wins.
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Back - a verbal command commonly used to indicate to your dog to proceed in a straight line until finding a dummy/bird. Often associated with 'blind retrieves' rather than 'marked retrieves'.
Beating - on a Shoot day, walking in a line with other 'Beaters' and often their dogs, over land under the direction of a 'Gamekeeper' with the aim of 'flushing' game birds out over the 'Guns' who are standing at their 'pegs' waiting to shoot.
Biddable - a dog displaying intelligence, skill and an openess to learning.
Blind retrieve - a dummy/bird retrieve where the dog has no idea of it's presence and requires direction from the 'handler'.
Bumper - another name, mostly a USA term, for a 'dummy'.
Cold game - deceased 'game' such as pheasant, duck, partridge etc, which is cold stored and used as retrieving practice.
Cover - Vegetation, such as shrubs, crops etc, serving as protective concealment for wild animals.
Creep/creeping - a term used to describe a 'gundog' that is becoming gradually unsteady by virtue of it creeping foward at the 'sit'.
Dead - a verbal command given to a dog meaning to release the held retrieved dummy/bird.
Drive - A Driven Shoot day is typically broken down into 'Drives'. These are distinct areas on the land that the 'beaters' systematically beat 'game' towards a line of waiting 'Guns'. A Shoot may comprise of one or more 'Drives'. Six seperate 'Drives' with a break between each one is a common number over one day.
Driven Shoot - an organised Shoot where gamebirds are 'driven' over a waiting line of 'Guns' by 'beaters' and their dogs. Traditionally there are no more than 8 - 10 'Guns' per Shoot day. These 'Guns' wait in a predetermined place (their 'peg'), usually spaced between 20 to 50yds apart depending on the particular 'drive'.
Dummy - often made of canvas type material, a gundog retrieving object.
Eyewipe - a not used chance to find and retrieve 'game' whilst that same 'game' is picked by another dog, or in the case of a 'Field Trial'; another dog or by the Judges or by order of the Judges.
Field Trial - a competitive event at which gundogs compete against one another. There are field trials for retrievers, spaniels, pointers & setters and 'HPR' dogs. Field Trials are held on live 'game' that is shot for the purpose of that Field Trial. They mirror, as closely as possible, a day's shooting in the field. Field Trials can compose of one or more Stakes - Novice, All Age and Open, reflecting the experience and/or Awards the dog has/has not won.
First dog down - a 'Field Trial' term used to describe a not used chance to find and retrieve a supposedly wounded piece of 'game'.
Flush/es - a gundog that actually 'flushes'/finds game, typically hiding in 'cover' for the 'Gun'/hunter to shoot.
FTAW - stands for 'Field Trial Award Winner'. So a dog that has won an award at a Field Trial e.g. Certificate of Merit (COM) or higher but not actually won the Trial.
FTW - Stands for 'Field Trial Winner'. A dog that has actually been placed first/won a 'Field Trial'.
FTCh - Stands for 'Field Trial Champion'. A dog that has won at least three days worth of Field Trial 'Open Stakes'.
Game - any bird or ground animal legally hunted for sport, such as pheasant, partridge, grouse, rabbit or hare.
Game bag - a bag, usually of leather or canvas, for carrying 'game', especially birds shot by a Gun/Hunter.
Gamekeeper - a person employed to take care of 'game' and wildlife.
Get in - a verbal command given to a gundog typically meaning to 'get in' a body of water.
Get on - as per the command 'back', a verbal commonly used to indicate to your dog to proceed in a straight line until finding a dummy/bird. Or used by some 'handlers' to indicate to the dog that it is 'off duty' and may please itself (within reason!).
Get out - a verbal command given to a gundog meaning to go either left or right depending on the arm direction given by the 'handler'.
Go back - as per the command 'back', a verbal commonly used to indicate to your dog to proceed in a straight line until finding a dummy/bird. Often associated with 'blind retrieves' rather than 'marked retrieves'.
Grouse Shooting - unique to the uplands of Britain, Grouse Shooting involves birds being 'driven' above 'Guns' by 'beaters', so they can be easily targeted by the Guns, which are relocated in butts (a shooting hide hiden behind a turf or stone wall). Alternatively, grouse shooting can also involve the birds being 'flushed' by dogs. The season officially starts on August 12th of every year and ends on November 30th in Northern Ireland and December 10th in England, Scotland and Wales.
Gundog - any dog that has been trained to help a hunter, as by 'pointing', 'flushing' or retrieving 'game'.
Guns - members of a Shooting Party i.e. those actually carrying guns and subesquently shooting game on a Shoot day.
Gunshyness - a dog that is scared of loud noises, inparticular the sound of gunfire.
Handler - a broad term relating to anyone in charge of a gundog.
Hard mouth - a dog that regularly punctures/damages game during a retrieve. Considered to be a major fault in gundogs.
Hi lost - a verbal command given to a gundog meaning to 'hunt there'.
HPR - a term used to describe a versatile group of gundogs that 'Hunt, Point & Retrieve'. The most popular breeds in this group include the German Shorthaired Pointer, Hungarian Vizsla and Weimaraner.
Hup - a verbal command, most commonly used in the spaniel world, given to a gundog meaning to 'sit' and stay.
Long line - a very long, often 9m or more, training lead. Used to assist with recall or help with 'steadiness' issues etc.
Marked retrieve - 'game' or 'dummy' that has fallen and has been 'marked' i.e. actually seen by the 'gundog'.
Memory back/retrieve - 'game' or 'dummy' that was placed in view of a 'gundog' but a significant amount of time and distance has elapsed before the dog is actually sent for the retrieve.
Out - a verbal command given to a gundog meaning to go either left or right depending on the arm direction given by the 'handler'.
Over - a verbal command meaning to 'jump' or 'get over' any obstacle be that a body of water; a fence; ditch or fallen tree etc
Peg/s - typically a wooden stake driven into the ground and numbered, used to indicate the spot where a 'Gun' must stand during a Shoot 'Drive'.
Peg dog - a dog that sits next to a 'peg' and it's 'handler', the 'Gun', during a Shoot and retrieves the Gun's shot game on command. Such a dog should be 'steady'.
Pheasant Shooting - common throughout the UK, Pheasant Shooting typically involves birds being 'driven' above a line of waiting 'Guns' by 'beaters'. Alternatively, pheasant shooting can also involve the birds being 'flushed' by dogs or even by man as in the case of a 'Rough Shoot'. The season officially starts on October 1st of every year and ends on January 30th in Northern Ireland and February 1st in England, Scotland and Wales.
Picking up - on a Shoot day, a handler and his/her dog who stands well behind the line of Guns and systematically retrieves the dead, and sometimes injured, 'game'.
Point/pointing - a gundog that actually 'points' at 'game' to indicate to the 'Gun'/'handler' where the quarry is. The 'Gun'/'handler' would then commonly send in a 'flushing dog', typically a spaniel, to 'flush' that 'game' out and up so that they may safely shoot it.
Pricked - a bird that has been shot and potentially injured but not killed.
Quartering/quarter - the controlled side-to-side hunting pattern that a flushing or pointing dog is trained to follow in order to cover the ground efficiently and thoroughly, to culminate in a successfull 'point' or 'flush' of 'game'.
Running in - when a dog leaves a 'handler' without permission with the intention to retrieve a dummy/bird.
Rough Shoot - an informal Shoot whereby one Gun or more walks through an estate/private land and shoots at 'game' as they rise or run before them.
Runner/s - a shot and injured bird that runs along the ground and requires 'picking up' immediately by a dog so that it can be humanely dispatched.
Run-off - an additional gundog test at a 'Field Trial' or 'Working Test' used when the Judges have been unable to seperate two, or sometimes more, dogs for an award.
Slip lead - the lead of choice by gundog 'handlers'. typically made of rope or leather a slip lead is a combination of both a dog lead and a dog collar allowing both quick control and quick release of the dog.
Soft mouth - a dog that will pick up and hold 'game' softly but firmly on the retrieve, meaning that he/she will not puncture or damage it. 'Game' should always be fit for the table.
Steady/steadiness - a dog that sits still when a bird or other game or even a dummy rises or a gun is fired.
There - a verbal command given to a gundog meaning to 'hunt there'.
Under - a verbal command given to a gundog meaning to get under a gap in a fence etc rather than jump or get 'over' it.
Wildfowling - the pursuit of quarry species (duck, geese and waders) with the use of a shotgun either on foot or by punt over foreshore. The wildfowling season on foreshore runs from 1 September to 20 February in England, Wales and Scotland, and from 1 September to 31 January in Northern Ireland. During these months most wildfowling takes place around dawn and dusk.
Working Test - a competitive event at which gundogs compete, in turn, against one another. They are held typically in Spring and Summer by gundog clubs and are run using canvas dummies rather than 'game'. A Working Test may comprise of three or more actual tests during the day - each one designed to competitively test the gundogs hunting, retrieving, steadiness and handling skills. Each test is marked out of a total score of 20. The gundog accumulating the highest score overall across all the tests set for that day wins.
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