In the field
It depends on the breeding, so judge each dog by what its parents do. Many crosses between working parents make excellent field dogs.
Not every working gundog fits a breed name. This page covers dogs listed under other gundog breeds: less common breeds without a page of their own in our breed guides, and the many crosses worked in Britain beyond the springador and sprocker, from collie and spaniel crosses to HPR crosses. Plenty of these dogs are excellent in the field, and a cross between two working parents can combine useful traits from both. What matters is what the dog has been bred to do and what its parents actually do. When you look at an advert here, read the full breeding in the description, ask the seller how each parent works, and, if you can, go and see them working.
Temperament
Temperament follows the parents more than any label. Meet the mother at least, and ask how both parents behave at home and on a shoot day.
Temperament in a cross or a less common breed depends on the parents more than on any label. A puppy from two calm, biddable working dogs is likely to share those traits; a puppy from two high-drive dogs will need more work and more exercise. Puppies in a cross litter can vary more than in a pure breed, with some favouring one side and some the other. Meet the mother at least, and the father if you can, and ask how each behaves at home and on a shoot day. A seller who is open about both parents is one worth buying from.
Health tests to ask for
Request the tests recommended for each parent's breed and the actual results; there is no universal package for every uncommon breed or cross.
Ask which current recommendations apply to each parent's breed, rather than assuming every breed needs the same hip, elbow, eye and DNA tests. Check the RKC breed profile or relevant breed health scheme and request the actual identity-matched results. For crosses, apply the questions to both parents; a first cross does not establish freedom from inherited disease. Our health-testing guide explains the evidence and its limits.
Training and exercise
Train for the job the breeding suits: spaniel lines to hunt, retriever lines to the peg, HPR lines to point. Most working dogs need at least an hour of exercise a day.
Train the dog for the job you want it to do, and let the parents guide you. A dog from spaniel lines will usually want to hunt and flush, so recall and the stop whistle come first; one from retriever lines may suit the peg and picking up, where steadiness is the foundation; one from HPR lines will need the full HPR syllabus of quartering, pointing and retrieving. Whatever the breeding, the basics are the same: a reliable recall, stopping on the whistle, steadiness and delivery to hand. Exercise needs follow the parents too, but most working dogs need at least an hour a day.
Training timeline
For the Other gundog breed, readiness for the intended role matters more than a birthday. Check demonstrated foundations, physical suitability and the support needed for the next stage.
Every cross and less common breed has its own pace, so use the parents' breeds as a guide. Retriever crosses learn steadiness and delivery first, and meet game once they will sit still. Whatever the breeding, a sound foundation of recall, the stop whistle and steadiness comes before any work on game, and readiness, not age, decides when to move on: see our training timeline guide. To see what is available, browse the other gundog puppies for sale, and take our buying checklist when you visit. Use the training progression guide to discuss readiness with a reward-based trainer. Ask your vet about physical demands, and plan game, water and gunfire introductions with competent help.