Lots of dogs will happily pick up a dead bird and present it as a gift to their masters and mistresses, but most can’t do it so gently that nary a tooth is hooked on a feather, foot or wing. Being able to find a shot bird after having flushed or pointed it out in the first place usually takes training, and good retrievers have what’s called a “soft mouth” – the ability to bring a bird back to the hunter completely undamaged. The problem with a “hard-mouthed” dog is that the bird is presented to the hunter, “pre-chewed,” making it unpresentable, if not inedible. Some professional trainers believe that a hard mouth can be a hereditary affliction, and encourage hunters to buy their pups from a line of dogs with a strong history of soft-mouth. Others believe that a good trainer can train the bite out of pup’s retrieve with various methods.
In any litter, some pups may be much less soft-mouthed than others, but there are some breeds known for producing more soft-mouthed dogs than other breeds, and those include the Poodle (which is a retriever), Golden Retriever, Cocker Spaniel, and the Gordon Setter.
“Gordon on the Moors” by Steven Nesbitt
http://stevennesbitt.co.uk/index.php
I did field work with one of my Airedales. I worked with a spaniel trainer and he set up situations that brought out Eli’s natural instincts. By the third time in the field he was finding, flushing, and retrieving. He had a naturally soft mouth – not what most people would expect with a terrier. I can’t tell you what a thrill it was when he brought me his first bird. It was all instinct. He had not been taught to retrieve and he was five years old when we started.
We love hearing personal stories like this, Linda!