No offense intended. Birddogs, in the classic sense, are dogs that throughout their history were bred solely for the purpose of finding and holding upland birds for the hunter. Setters and Pointers fit the description.

I, too, have hunted many upland birds over both retrievers and Springer Spaniels. In fact, my first hunting dogs were Springers, and I learned to hunt pheasants over them and a Golden Retriever. Sometimes, I consider flushers superior to birddogs when hunting those blasted roosters in some of their more inhospitable neighborhoods. I also find it hard to beat the Springer Spaniel as an all-around pheasant dog in any terrain.

I have also shot birds over " versatile" continental breeds such as the German Shorthair and Wirehair, Viszla, Weimaraner and Brittany. Many have been nice hunting partners.

Never could any of the above, though, find and handle birds with the style, class, speed and endurance of a well-bred birddog.