The best hunting dog breeds

In one of our earlier blogs, we discussed dog breeds that are hard to train. In this one, we write about what are the best hunting dog breeds out there. Needless to say that some dogs won't be as good as the others as your hunting partners, but let's find out which ones would be able to help you in this activity.

Types of hunting dogs

Before we start with the best hunting dog breeds, we should say that we can divide all hunting dogs into 2 groups:

1. Gun dogs (bird dogs) - you can use then when you hunt birds or other smaller prey like rabbits. They locate the prey and chase it out for the hunter to shoot it.
2. Scent dogs - they follow the scent of the prey and make a lot of noise chasing it, so a hunter can locate the prey even if it's out of sight.

Top 5 hunting dog breeds

Lets cut to the chase. (Chase - get it?) These are the best hunting dog breeds according to Wide open space:

1. Labrador Retriever  - what could a retriever do if not retrieve? They are energetic, known as great water dogs, willing to go any lengths to retrieve your prey. They are the best for duck hunting.
2. American Foxhound - as the name says, they are great for fox hunting. They are very energetic and they will chase anything they can.
3. Beagle - they love to chase, but because of their short legs, they can pursuit only smaller prey like varmint and rabbits.
4. Pointer - this sporting breed is great for bird hunting, although their thin coat disenables them to hunt in the show or colder climate.
5. Bloodhound - have a great nose and they are the best dog breed for scent tracking.

Other dog breeds suitable for hunting are Golden Retriever, Chesapeake Bay retriever, Coonhound, Weimaraner and Irish Setter.

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