Drive – a term to describe the speed and style.

Decoy/distraction – when retrieving, any object that may distract a dog away from what it has been sent to retrieve.

Dead – a verbal command given to a dog to release a retrieve.

(Read our useful guide to the latest tail docking laws here.)

D/DC – stands for docked and dew clawed.

Creep/creeping – a term used to describe a gundog that slowly moves forward when told to sit.

Cover – natural or planted vegetation which serves as both protection and concealment for game.

Cold game – previously shot game such as pheasant, duck, partridge etc, which is cold stored or frozen and can be used for “out of season” retrieving practice.Cheek wind – wind direction from left or right of the handler.Blinking – is when a dog finds game and refuses to retrieve it.Blind retrieve – a dummy/bird retrieve which has either fallen or been placed out of sight of the dog.Back wind – wind directly coming from behind the handler.

Action and style – this reference is to the way a dog works when hunting or retrieving, particularly used in the spaniel world.Our definitive guide to gundog commands, terminology and phrases To help, we’ve compiled the list below which lists all the most important gundog commands and terms that you’re likely to come across. After all, there are different gundog commands for the different gundog breeds, which confuses things further. If you’re relatively new to the gundog world (or maybe even something of an old hand) there may well be abbreviations and gundog commands that aren’t very familiar.

Gun dog hand signals