Retriever

Generally gun dogs are divided into three major classifications: retrievers, flushing spaniels, and pointing breeds.

As a result, retriever breeds are bred for soft mouths and a great willingness to please, learn, and obey.

"Hard mouth" is a serious fault in a hunting dog and is very difficult to correct.

A hard-mouthed dog renders game unpresentable or at worst inedible.

[1] To carry out the duties of a gun dog, a retriever should be trained to perform these tasks: Although most individual retrievers have the raw capacity to be trained to perform as a gun dog, a significant amount of thought and effort is given to breeding in specific desired traits into dogs from field bred lines that greatly enhance the training process.

Chesapeake Bay Retriever with duck
A Golden Retriever
Labrador Retriever with pheasant
American Water Spaniel
A black Standard Poodle retrieving a Mallard . Poodles are one of the oldest breeds of retrievers, originally bred to retrieve ducks in Germany and France.
Golden Retriever charge. This dog was originally bred in Scotland to hunt in marshy conditions.