The home of Shooting Times and Sporting Gun


Should this dog have won Crufts ‘Best in Gundog Group?’

A beautifully groomed (and extremely clean ) American cocker spaniel called "Afterglow Miami Ink" has won Crufts top prize after winning Best in Gundog Group.

Crufts best gundog winner

This American cocker spaniel won best gundog at Crufts in 2017

Gundog owners have voiced their incredulity on Facebook and Twitter, commenting that the winning spaniel looks as though it has never been out in the field, let alone put up a pheasant.

In reply, Caroline Kisko, Crufts spokesman, said: “Many of the dogs which belong to the gundog group in the UK may not necessarily work in the field but they retain their working instincts.

“Gundog breeds, such as the labrador and cocker spaniel, are some of the most popular in the country, offering love and companionship to hundreds of thousands of people, and those relationships are what are celebrated at Crufts, in the many competitions and activities at the show.”

 

What does the Kennel Club say?

The Kennel Club describes gundogs as those “originally trained to find live game and/or to retrieve game that had been shot and wounded” … and continues, saying that gundogs make: “good companions, their temperament making them ideal all-round family dogs”.

Here’s what gundog owners on Twitter had to say about Crufts and the ‘Best in Gundog Group’ winner.