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Gundog?

nana9596

nana9596

Member
"Toy breed, ideally suited for a companion and indoor dog, and a very good gun dog."

Does anyone out there think this is a good descripion for a Cavalier King Charles? Gun dog?

Thanks, Sally
 
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Bloody hell NO!! i always tell people that my dogs would not know how to fight he hunt like a gun dog!!! That is a terrible describion of a cav!!! OMG where did u hear that?
 
Well they were gundogs originally & i've heard of people training them as such.

My old charlie would love to be a Gundog. The only time she's quiet is when she's off hunting for something & Ezme the cav regularly catches mice.
 
At our obedience training venue there are also gundog events. I'll have to go check it out & see what they do. The mind boggles because guns are illegal in Australia except in special circumstances. They must use pop-guns or something :razz:

I have heard Cavaliers referred to as gun dogs before. Is this the same as being a retriever. :eek: I am shamefully ignorant. I'll have to go find out now.
 
I think they are used for hunting down and flushing out prey more than retrieving, my two would certainly be good at that. :D
 
I seem to remember reading that cavaliers are used for small bird game in the States. If i didn't disapprove of killing, I think Izzy would have made a good gun dog. Noises never bothered him, he had an excellent retrieve and could find anything you hid .
 
There's a pic in The Barbara Garnett Wilson book of a UK owner in full hunting gear with his cavalier, who retreeves. Their small spaniel ancestors were historically used for flushing and retrieving sometimes, according to the breed histories. Some cavaliers would probably make very good gun dogs for those kinds of tasks -- I have no doubt Jaspar would be great at this for example.

Dog Training Ireland do occasional weekend seminars with a specialist trainer for gundogs -- they have suggested taking Jaspar along before, as they think he'd love it. Basically you do lots of scent work and search and retrieve, which lots of dogs really enjoy. :)
 
yes there are still Cavaliers working at one of their original roles, as gundogs. The Blenheim Spaniels were originally bigger and did indeed work as gundogs.

I have several that have retained the instincts and "quarter" like Spaniels, and are very keen on water - others hate getting their paws wet LOL
 
LOL, well I think I know what traits Baldrick has, he goes out of his way to find large muddy puddles!
 
Izzy never liked water, but when we went to training, I used to hide a toy, while waiting to start and he always found it, even if it was on top of a stack of tables. Having checked the ground, he would air scent, while standing on his back legs.
 
I think that is an apt description as I believe my dog would make an excellent gundog if not just a retriever.
 
We have been to a local fair today and a man with a labrador saw us and said they are gundogs, which I already knew about. Barney is good at hunting out the mice, trouble is he eats them now, a bit of plastic or feather and he will bring it to me for a treat but mice, no, it doesn't matter what kind of treat he will not part with it now.:rolleyes:
 
i thought it was common knowledge that ckcs were formally if not gun dogs then working spaniels hunting dogs what ever you want to call it. and some still are. my book tells me frequently that chasing and hunting out small prey is a traite most still have hence the extended walks as his majesty (jadan)stalks another bird/squirell/etc. king charles himself or people of that era used them as such didnt they? to flush out birds etc not just to warm ladies laps you know!! mind you....big prey should look out too with my jadan....he wont think twice about barking at a horse or cow in the distance until he gets a bit closer and sees how big they are and then turns tail! :)
 
Amber's another who could be a gun dog if she wasn't so small. She adores retrieving, isn't scared by loud noises, and is very easy to train. My uncle said her only problem was her size- he hunts pheasants (note to self : NOT peasants) and the pheasants would be bigger than she is!
 
When I visited Blenheim Palace a few years back, and Yes this is where the Blenheim Cavaliers originated from by the way, there were a lot of pics of Blenheim Cavaliers being worked to the gun and also of them retrieving game from the river from about a hundred years ago. There are many stories about the Blenheim Spaniels over the years including the famous "spot" story.

But Yes Cavaliers can indeed be trained to the gun, after all they are Spaniels and most have a natural urge to "hunt" be it a pair of dirty socks around the house or a rabbit on a walk, although several of mine think that joggers and cyclists are fun to chase as well! :lol:
 
My cavalier Katrina would make an excellent gun dog. We aren't talking about taking down a deer or elk-- they are flushers for the most part. Find them, stop, wait for a signal and spook the birds.
 
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