“Specialty breeds,” those breeds whose “job description” is specific, have a lexicon unique to their work. You won’t find the word, “eye” used an adjective for a gun dog the way you would in a herding breed, nor would you find the word, “comforter” in the history of a drafting breed the way you would for a toy spaniel breed. To that end, we’re going to briefly talk about the word, “coulé,” a term used primarily by European hunters, but one that is sometimes introduced to Americans who have hunted in Europe, or own a hunting dog bred by a European breeder.

There is a period of time that comes after a gun dog goes on a point, but before he or she flushes. After the dog has established its point, it’s encouraged to inch forward towards the bird until it takes flight. This action is not as quick or robust a flush as a dog that rushes towards the game at full speed, but it’s often seen as a “moving point,” that should be just as intense and decisive. The French call this coulé or couler, while in Italy, it’s referred to as “guidata,” and in Spain, it’s “guia.”  It might be one of the most ancient ways of hunting with pointers and setters.

Some say this is a “European thing” because in America, dogs are trained to stand while the hunter goes forward to flush the bird. In some other countries, both hunter and dog move forward to put up birds together, but the handler dictates the pace. This same action can be referred to as “approaching” (as seen in FCI field trial rules) or “drawing on.” Depending upon the country,  how this is done can be quite specific. The French working standard for the English Setter, for example reads: “The coulé (approach) is one of the breed’s characteristics. When game is on the move (or after a point is established, upon command), the English setter follows (or approaches the game) with an exceptionally lithe, cat-like movement, with great concentration until it freezes the game or forces it to flush.”

If you want to see poetry in motion, you could do no better than watch Matisse and Edor, a pair of black Pointers, demonstrating the very thing:

We’ve always maintained that learning about different breeds is not unlike taking a cultural geography lesson.

Image: English Setter Silhouette made available as a hunting decal by ModernWild here