Glossary of Terms

Hunting

Quartering – dog running at right angles to the wind in a methodical manner to find game

Working a head wind – working with the wind into handlers face

Working a back wind – working with the wind coming from behind

Working a cheek wind – working with the wind coming from either side

Length of cast – how far the dog runs out before turning into wind when quartering

Back casting – turning away from the direction of the wind when quartering

Depth of cast – distance between each cast

Ground treatment – covering all available ground in a methodical manner

Making good the ground – ensuring that any missed areas are covered for remaining game, following a point and flush

Baying/giving tongue – barking or yelping whilst chasing game

Pegging – catching and damaging un-shot game

To road in – to work out a scent from point to production

To draw on – to advance steadily on point towards game

To hold game – to keep game fixed by staunch pointing

To back – to honour the point of another dog

False pointing – pointing where no game lies (residual scent)

Sticking on point – reluctance to flush pointed game

Blinking a point – leaving a point when game is present

Flush – cause game to take flight or break from cover

Steady to flush – flushing game then sitting and awaiting instruction to retrieve

Bumping game – flushing game without pointing or before being instructed to flush

Marking – Watching & memorising where game falls

Blind retrieve – a retrieve where neither the dog nor handler has seen the point of fall

Runner – Game that has been shot but has run from the original point of fall

Taking a line – Following scent from the fall of a runner

Retrieving – picking up and carrying shot game and delivering it tenderly to hand

Running in – chasing and or retrieving game before being instructed to

Blinking a retrieve – failing to pick up a retrieve

Abandoning a retrieve – dropping and moving away from a retrieve en route to the handler

Eye Wipe – where another dog retrieves game on which a dog or dogs tried previously have failed

Hard mouth – Damaging game when retrieving