Sporting dog is a term used to describe a type of dog that is bred and trained for activities such as hunting, tracking, and retrieving. The most common types of sporting dogs are the SETTER, SPANIEL, and springer SPANIEL. Setters are a type of gundog that were originally bred to locate and point out game birds. Spaniels are a type of gundog that were originally bred to flush out game birds from dense cover. Springer spaniels are a type of gundog that were originally bred to flush out game birds from dense cover and then retrieve them.