gun dog

IPA/ˈɡʌn dɒɡ/
IPA/ˈɡʌn dɔːɡ/

gun dog — noun

1. A type of dog that has been trained to help people who hunt birds — it uses its

1.nounB1
Definition

A type of dog that has been trained to help people who hunt birds — it uses its sense of smell to find where a bird has landed after being shot, then picks it up and carries it back to the hunter without damaging it.

Example

Gabriela watched as her gun dog, a black Labrador, ran across the field to pick up a fallen pheasant.

gun dog + breed name to identify the type

The gamekeeper relies on gun dogs to find birds that have dropped into thick bushes.

rely on + gun dogs + to-infinitive

Common collocations
  • train a gun dog
  • gun dog breed
  • work as a gun dog
  • raise a gun dog
Synonyms
  • hunting dog

    A broader term that covers any dog used in hunting, not only for birds or with guns.

  • bird dog

    A more informal term used mainly in American English and focused on upland bird hunting.

  • retriever

    A specific type of gun dog bred to carry shot birds back; not all gun dogs are retrievers, though.

Grammar Patterns

gun dog + verb

gun dog + noun

Usage Note

Gun dogs are often grouped by their role: retrievers carry the bird back, spaniels flush it out of hiding, and pointers/setters indicate where the bird is located. The term can refer to any breed trained for these jobs.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These terms all describe dogs that help people hunt, but they differ in scope and specialisation. 'Hunting dog' is the broadest category, covering any breed used to track, chase, or retrieve game of any kind — from rabbits to deer to birds. 'Bird dog' narrows the focus to upland bird hunting and is casual, most common in American English. 'Retriever' refers to a specific group of breeds (Labrador, Golden, Chesapeake Bay) developed to carry shot birds back gently in their mouths. 'Hound' forms a separate branch — scent hounds and sight hounds chase live prey but are not typically described as gun dogs because they do not retrieve downed birds. For example, a Beagle is a hound used for rabbits, not a gun dog; a Labrador is both a retriever and a gun dog.

hunting dogbird dogretriever ↗hound ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • work as a gun dog
  • train as a gun dog

Prepositions

  • with a gun dog

Etymology

EnglishEnglish

The compound 'gun dog' comes from the combination of 'gun' (a weapon that fires projectiles) and 'dog' (the domesticated canine). It emerged in the 19th century when hunting with firearms became common and specialised breeds such as retrievers and spaniels were developed to assist hunters by locating and retrieving downed birds. The term is first recorded in English around the 1830s.