Sporting Group
Sporting Group is the name of a breed group of dogs, used by kennel clubs to classify a defined collection of dog breeds. Not all kennel clubs include the same breeds in the Sporting Group, and some kennel clubs do not use the Sporting Group classification. Sporting Group dogs are in general those used for hunting birds and small game, but not all dogs of this type are included in the Sporting Group of any particular kennel club.
Sporting dogs
One of the oldest meanings for the word sport in English is hunting as an entertainment for members of the nobility and elite classes.[1] To assist in the hunting of birds and small game, various sporting types of dogs were developed, which became the ancestors of today's pointer, retriever, setter, and spaniel purebred dog breeds. Because they were developed as bird dogs with energetic hunting abilities in water and field settings, most sporting dogs require regular exercise. Their naturally active and alert demeanor also makes them likeable and well-rounded companions.
Sporting Group breeds
Abbreviations used in this section are:
- AKC: American Kennel Club
- ANKC: Australian National Kennel Council
- CKC: Canadian Kennel Club
- KC: The Kennel Club (UK)
- NZKC: New Zealand Kennel Club
- UKC: United Kennel Club
- AKC FSS: American Kennel Club Foundation Stock Service
Differences between kennel clubs are noted in parentheses.
 | American Water Spaniel (not recognised by the KC (UK), ANKC, or NZKC) |  | American Cocker Spaniel |  | Barbet (Recognised only by the CKC and UKC) |
 | Boykin Spaniel (Recognized by the AKC and UKC) |  | Bracco Italiano (only recognised by the KC (UK) and the UKC, currently in the AKC FSS) |  | Braque du Bourbonnais (recognised only by the UKC) |
 | Brittany |  | Cesky Fousek (recognised only by the NZKC and UKC) |  | Canadian Pointer (recognised only by the ARBA) |
 | Chesapeake Bay Retriever |  | Clumber Spaniel |  | Curly Coated Retriever |
 | Drentsche Patrijshond (recognised only by the UKC) |  | English Cocker Spaniel |  | English Setter |
 | English Springer Spaniel |  | Field Spaniel |  | Flat-Coated Retriever |
 | French Spaniel (recognised only by the CKC and UKC) |  | German Longhaired Pointer (not recognized by the AKC, ANKC, or NZKC) |  | German Shorthaired Pointer |
 | German Wirehaired Pointer |  | Golden Retriever |  | Gordon Setter |
 | Irish Red and White Setter (AKC FSS) |  | Irish Setter |  | Irish Water Spaniel |
 | Kooikerhondje (Recognised only by the KC (UK) and UKC. AKC Miscellaneous) |  | Labrador Retriever |  | Lagotto Romagnolo (not recognised by the CKC) |
 | Large Münsterländer (not recognised by the AKC) |  | Nova Scotia Duck-Tolling Retriever |  | Pointer |
 | Portuguese Pointer (only recognised by the UKC. AKC FSS) |  | Small Münsterländer (recognised only by the UKC and CKC. AKC FSS) |  | Spanish Water Dog (not recognised by NZKC. AKC FSS) |
 | Spinone Italiano |  | Sussex Spaniel |  | Vizsla |
 | Weimaraner |  | Welsh Springer Spaniel |  | Wirehaired Pointing Griffon (not recognised by the ANKC, NZKC, or KC (UK) |
 | Wirehaired Vizsla (recognized by the AKC) | ||||
See also
References
- ↑ Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged. The Merriam-Webster Editorial Staff. Springfield, MA U.S.A.: G&C Merriam Company. 1967. p. 2206, sport.