What comes to mind when you hear the words “versatile gun dog?” Perhaps you picture your Labrador picking up icy greenheads in the morning and chasing running roosters by afternoon. Me? I picture my young Drahthaar pinning quail and raccoons in the same stretch of CRP. But the truth is, all of this is a mere glimpse into the range of their abilities. Our gun dogs are capable of so much more than we credit them for. They have found jobs both in the field and beyond that beg the question: is it time we redefine “versatility?” This article celebrates just some of the stories, handlers, organizations, and you guessed it—dogs—that stretch our imagination and beliefs of what our gun dogs can do.

How Sporting Breeds are Being Used as Conservation Canines

One of retired Indiana Conservation Officer Jeff Milner’s most memorable cases occurred May 1-2, 2005. “There was a police pursuit involving four suspects who bailed from their car and fled on foot. We tracked them over seven miles, crossing the interstate multiple times,” Milner recalls. His Labrador successfully tracked and apprehended all four suspects, two of whom had warrants for murder. “It was an intense experience, but it showcased the incredible capabilities of these versatile dogs,” Milner said.

Milner was one of the founders of the Conservation Canine Officers Association (CCOA) and its first president. Founded in 2020, with support from Working Dogs for Conservation (WD4C), the Conservation Canine Officers Association (CCOA) aims to enhance the professional development and support of canine teams in conservation law enforcement, for the protection of natural resources. The Texas-based CCOA, with a board of game wardens from across the country, has about 120 members from 29 states and Canada, covering nearly every U.S. state with a DNR K9 program.

The use of these conservation canines varies widely based on state’s needs. For example, Washington State uses cockers for geoduck snail detection and other invasive species, while Indiana employs Labs for detecting illegal ginseng digging and poached box turtles aimed at Chinese black markets. Sporting breeds are preferred for both their approachability to the public or missing individuals, but also because of their superior search and nose. In fact, a common use of these K9s is in search and rescue (SAR), where dogs “hunt” large rural areas to find missing people as quickly as possible. Human remains detection (HRD) is another extremely crucial aspect of their work.

“We place the dog on the bow of a boat while searching large bodies of water and let them pinpoint where a person has drowned. Then, we use other tools and divers to find the body,” Texas K9 Game Warden and current president of the CCOA Royce Ilse says. Sporting dogs are ideal for the work because they are genetically predisposed to work on boats, and their noses are extremely sensitive.”

But tracking is undoubtedly the most common use for these conservation K9s, and they are utilized for both a range of suspects and for lost individuals: “Our most popular discipline is tracking dogs trained to find missing persons alive. No tool has been invented that can do this as effectively as a trained dog, and sporting breeds are superior for the job,” Ilse says.

Using Sporting Breeds to Control Invasive Species in Florida

When Otto spots a python, he bays it. When he smells it, he freezes on point. This usually gives his owner, Mike Kimmel, enough time to come in and grab the massive snake hiding in the thicket of the island. Usually, Kimmel is the one who ends up taking a bit of a bite.

Iguanas are a different story. Otto is expected to run them down, fast, and bring the flailing green reptile back to the boat.

Kimmel, better known as the “Python Cowboy,” has become a notable public figure in Florida's battle against invasive species. His journey into invasive control began with a childhood fascination for reptiles. Over the past 13 years, Kimmel has operated Martin County Trapping and Wildlife Rescue, witnessing firsthand the explosive growth of the State’s invasive species.

Iguanas and pythons are causing significant ecological and economic damage in Florida. Pythons have devastating effects on native wildlife, preying on a variety of species. Iguanas, on the other hand, inflict millions of dollars in damage by digging burrows that undermine infrastructure, especially around roads, bridges, and canal systems.

With Florida’s invasive population increasing rapidly, the pressure on local wildlife and their habitats intensifies. Invasive species like feral hogs, tegu lizards, Egyptian geese, iguanas, and pythons (Florida is not short on invasives) exacerbate these challenges by competing with native species for food and space.

Kimmel relies heavily on his dog, Otto, a black and grey German wirehaired pointer, to help him manage invasive species of all kinds, but he is mostly utilized for reptiles. Iguanas are tough to get into the boat, and precise shots with air guns are often difficult to execute in tight canals. This is where Otto comes in. Otto will retrieve a crippled iguana before it escapes and also run them down in areas where shots are simply not an option.

However, Otto’s most impactful role is in python detection. Roughly five recorded python nests had been found in Florida before Otto joined Kimmel in the field. In their first full season together, Otto indicated 22 nests, providing both crucial data on python nesting behavior and significantly advancing control efforts. Otto’s ability to locate nests, now understood to commonly be hidden underground, offers new insights into python habits and contributes to more effective management strategies.

Using Drahthaars with Hounds to Tree Mountain Lions

The sound of a Drahthaar treeing a mountain lion can take some getting used to. Their bark is choppy, shrill even. It is not the warm balling sound that is music to many houndsmen’s ears.

But Chad Reynolds’ of Reynolds Ranch is not just a houndsmen. He is a dog man.

His military career introduced him to high-stakes K9 detection and apprehension. He then competed and trained at a high level at the Protection Sports Association (PSA) and consulted and worked alongside law enforcement K9 units—including the DC police department.

At Reynolds Ranch, he now trains dogs and other animals for various tasks, which includes everything from bed bug detection dogs to air pollution sampling with pigeons.

But more than anything, Reynolds loves to hunt. Spanning his eclectic hunting interests, he owns a motley crew of hounds, sighthounds, terriers, gun dogs, horses, and trained falcons he hunts across the Southwest high desert. He hunts everything from chukar and jack rabbits to lions and bears behind his dogs.

“One major benefit of using Drahthaars for lion and bear is how well they complement hounds,” Reynolds tells me. While hound’s noses are superior, some can be track-oriented and less aggressive when it comes to closing in on the target. Drahthaars, who are capable trackers in their own right, really shine and take the lead once they catch the scent in the air, quickly closing the distance, chopping their vocal cords away, and drawing the pack to the tree. This quick closure is crucial for success, Reynolds notes, “The faster I can shut the track down, especially in the heat, the better chances for success.”

How Sporting Breeds Can Help People with Diabetes

Libby Rockaway was a neuroscience student at the University of Pennsylvania when she decided her dorm room was missing something—a dog. Shortly after, she trained a diabetic alert dog on campus and helped found M.D. Dogs at a time when few resources existed on the subject.

M.D. Dogs is a nonprofit organization providing affordable resources for medical detection dog training, standards, and research to empower those with type 1 diabetes. M.D. Dogs employs a unique training methodology starting with saliva samples from individuals experiencing high or low blood sugar. These samples are used to create a positive association for the dogs, training them to exhibit specific alert behaviors such as a nose nudge, pawing, or retrieving a brinsel in exchange for a high-value treat.

Their training program is structured into fourteen steps, beginning with imprinting the positive association of low blood sugar saliva samples on feeding puppies as early as 24 hours old. The dogs are later trained to differentiate between healthy and unhealthy blood sugar levels using saliva samples on gauze. The final stages involve ensuring the dogs can alert in various environments and amidst distractions, discriminating the scent of low or high blood sugar with normal blood sugar samples present.

M.D. Dogs breeds and trains a line of English field cockers, selected for the work because of their high drive, excellent noses, and a good off-switch. These traits are crucial for dogs that need to be both constantly alert and capable of performing tasks without constant prompts. They must be able to do all this while being calm enough to adapt to environments like classrooms or airplanes.

“The combination of the manageable size and handling of English cockers, in addition to their excellent working traits, make them perfectly suitable for young or inexperienced handlers, fitting seamlessly into everyday environments,” Rockaway says.

Sporting Breeds Doing Protection Work

There is a difference between doing something and doing something well. When German Shorthair “Blitz” would hit the sleeve of an agitator, he did it well. When he tracked, he did so with precision, rarely missing a turn or article. His obedience? Sharp as a blade.

In 2005, Blitz became the first German shorthair to be titled in Schutzhund (now known as IGP) in North America. Blitz scored an impressive 272 in SchH1 under the watchful eye of a stringent German judge. Schutzhund was originally developed as a breed test for German Shepards and is dominated by pointy-eared protection dogs. A sporting breed? Not so common.

“A lot of people thought it was a joke,” Sondra Rolison, tells me. Rolison was Blitz's handler.

At nearly 18 years old, Sondra began training Blitz in UKC obedience titles and hunt tests, eventually discovering his incredible potential in protection work.

“He was exceptional, and we achieved great things as a team, despite me being half the trainer I am today,” Rolison says. Sondra’s prowess in the dog sport community is well recognized. Over the years, she has titled seven dogs in dog sports, achieving V scores (excellent) about 12 times with various breeds, including bulldogs, shepherds, malinois, and sporting breeds. One of the pinnacles of her career was representing the U.S. team in the 2017 FCI World Tracking Championships.

“I still get people messaging me about Blitz. He changed a lot of people’s perceptions about what different sporting breeds can do,” Rolison tells me.

Almost two decades since Blitz was titled, Sondra’s dedication to dog training extends far beyond Schutzhund. She has tested and competed in virtually every arena of competition—sport work, hunt tests, NAVHDA, and JGHV to name a few, continually pushing the boundaries of what her dogs can achieve.

Sondra now has three Deutsch Kurzhaars, who are all titled with BHs (obedience test) in Schutzhund. All of them enjoy bite work as well, but her male “Savage” enjoys it the most. Kurzhaars are even more inclined to tracking than their American counterpart. They are also required to be sharp on predators, which makes them genetically predisposed to want to fight—whether that is with a fox or a human agitator.

Rolison, like all of these handlers, firmly believes in challenging conventional ideas of what gun dogs can do.

This idea, this “what if,” is what has pushed us and our dogs to new fields, both in the uplands and far beyond. It is high-time we redefine versatility among sporting breeds. The only question that really remains is: What’s next?