Chesapeake Bay Retriever

Don’t get their owners’ hackles up by calling a Deutsch Drahthaar a “German Wirehair.” While they may look alike, and of course Deutsch means German and drahthaar means wirehair, they are two separate breeds, separated by the Atlantic ocean. Drahthaars are bred and tested to different standards in the old country, and American proponents are subject to the same criteria. Drahts are expected to seek out furred and feathered game from pheasants to wild boar, follow a blood track, retrieve all types of shot game on land and water, and of course, protect their human family. Other differences between the two include a slightly stockier appearance and shorter, more flat-lying coat on the “German” version, and many more dogs with dark liver or black as the undercoat color. That coat was developed to be waterproof and protect from briars. Like many versatile breeds, the DD was created by judicious crossing of other breeds including Stichelhaar, Pudelpointer, Griffon, and Kurzhaar (shorthair). Learn more at http://www.vdd-gna.org/index.php.

With a face only a mother could love, the German Wirehaired Pointer's two-layer coat protects their body from scratches and cold, and is relatively waterproof. Wires come in a wide variety of color combinations, from pure brown or black, to almost totally white, with ticking and spots or even a roan coloration. Loyal and hard working, wirehairs are master trackers with lots of prey drive, and will bust the brush like a Labrador when needed. German Wirehaired Pointers were developed in the 1850s to serve as both game-getter and family pet, when commoners were finally allowed to hunt as Europe became more democratic. A hunter needed one dog that could do it all: find and point birds, fetch on land and water, track wounded game (big and small), live with and protect the family. And that dog needed physical characteristics that would serve him in all situations: in addition to the two-layer coat and "furnishings" (beard and eyebrows), breeders added webbed feet for swimming. They incorporated foundation breeds, including the German Shorthaired Pointer, Stichelhaar, Griffon, and Pudelpointer among others, to create the ultimate hunting dog. In Germany, wirehairs still hunt everything from birds, ducks and rabbits, to vermin, stag and wild boar. Here in the states, we primarily use wires on upland game and waterfowl. While they can be laid-back in the home, German Wirehaired Pointers are "hard-wired" to hunt, and need an owner who would rather be in the field than on the couch. Let's Go Hunting trivia: Host Scott Linden's favorite breed. His hunting companion is Three Devils Yankee's Buddy, a five-year-old wire that stars in the show's "Buddy & Me" segment.

You decide: the Springer was so-named because he would “spring” birds (flush them) into the air for the gun. If you’ve hunted with one, you also know the dogs themselves bounce and bound, springing up periodically to locate their handler. Whichever, the Springer has more “bounce for the ounce” than any other sporting breed. Hunting with one is a fast-paced, exciting affair, as there’s no pointing . . . just hard-charging dogs pushing birds into the air within gun range. Field-bred Springers are lighter-boned and have less hair than their show-bred counterparts. Virtually every description of this breed uses the term “merry” somewhere, and it’s obvious once in the field. Docked tail always moving, the Springer quarters in front of the hunter, ideally in a windshield-wiper-type pattern. Once game has been shot, the Springer demonstrates strong retrieving ability. The Springer’s origins are murky, and up until the early 1900’s Springers were lumped in with Cocker Spaniels. (Prior to the split, smaller dogs from a litter were called cockers and used to hunt woodcock; larger dogs were called springers and flushed grouse and pheasants.) Learn more at: http://www.akc.org/breeds/english_springer_spaniel/index.cfm.