The Most Critical Characteristic: What Makes a Good Sporting Dog? (Training Q&A‪)‬

Q(Question): I'm not quite as old as you (I don't think), but I can remember when a lot of the writing about hunting dogs had to do with talk about the things a really good one had to have to qualify for high praise.. .you know, things like "a good nose" or "tough and enduring," "bird-finding sense," "easy keeper," "good voice," "sound feet," "laidback shoulders" and on and on. Maybe it was because hounds were more popular back then; hunters expected their dogs to just sort of come along naturally, so not much emphasis was put on training.