Game or gameness is a quality of fighting dogs and

working terrier A working terrier is a small type of dog which pursues its quarry into the earth. According to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'', the name dates back to at least 1440, derived from French ''chien terrier'' 'digging dog', which is from Medieval ...

s that are

selectively bred Selective breeding (also called artificial selection) is the process by which humans use animal breeding and plant breeding to selectively develop particular phenotypic traits (characteristics) by choosing which typically animal or plant mal ...

and conditioned from a very early age to develop traits of eagerness despite the threat of substantive injury. Dogs displaying this trait can also be described as persevering, ready and willing, full of fight, spirited, or plucky.

Dog fighting breeds

In dog fighting breeds gameness is valued as it gives the dog the ability to maintain the attack in baiting, despite ripped

flesh Flesh is any aggregation of soft tissues of an organism. Various multicellular organisms have soft tissues that may be called "flesh". In mammals, including humans, ''flesh'' encompasses muscle Skeletal muscles (commonly referred to as mu ...

dehydration In physiology, dehydration is a lack of total body water, with an accompanying disruption of metabolic processes. It occurs when free water loss exceeds free water intake, usually due to exercise, disease, or high environmental temperature. Mil ...

exhaustion Fatigue describes a state of tiredness that does not resolve with rest or sleep. In general usage, fatigue is synonymous with extreme tiredness or exhaustion that normally follows prolonged physical or mental activity. When it does not resolve ...

or broken

bone A bone is a Stiffness, rigid Organ (biology), organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red blood cell, red and white blood cells, store minerals, provid ...

s. As one writer describes it, "Game is the dog that won't quit fighting, the dog that'll die in the ring, the dog that'll fight with two broken legs." The scope and method of training to develop a game dog varies dramatically depending on the level and experience of the dog-fighter. Most "gamebred" dogs have a high pain threshold.

Working terrier breeds

Pertaining to

s and other small

hunting dog A hunting dog is a canine that hunts with or for hunters. There are several different types of hunting dog developed for various tasks and purposes. The major categories of hunting dog include hounds, terriers, dachshunds, cur type dogs, and g ...

earthdog trial An earthdog test or earthdog trial tests the working ability and instinct of the small, often short-legged terriers or Dachshunds. These dogs were bred to hunt vermin and other quarry which lived in underground dens. Earthdog den tests involve man ...

s are used to determine the dog's gameness in hunting dangerous

pest species A pest is any animal or plant harmful to humans or human concerns. The term is particularly used for creatures that damage crops, livestock, and forestry or cause a nuisance to people, especially in their homes. Humans have modified the environ ...

underground. The

American Working Terrier Association American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

currently offers a Certificate of Gameness (CG) title as a basic instinct test (meaning that it is done without conditioning/training the dog, to see if the dog naturally exhibits gameness) for working terriers and

dachshund The dachshund ( or ; German: "badger dog"), also known as the wiener dog, badger dog, and sausage dog, is a short-legged, long-bodied, hound-type dog breed. The dog may be smooth-haired, wire-haired, or long-haired, and comes in a variety of c ...

s. In the past, the

Irish Kennel Club The Irish Kennel Club or IKC is an organization dedicated to supporting Breed of dog, dog breeds and their owners. It maintains a register of purebred dogs in Ireland, issuing pedigree certificates, transfer of ownership certification and expo ...

required the now-discarded Teastas Mor certification for champion animals (intended for breeding) which involved "showing gameness in attacking

badger Badgers are short-legged omnivores in the family Mustelidae (which also includes the otters, wolverines, martens, minks, polecats, weasels, and ferrets). Badgers are a polyphyletic rather than a natural taxonomic grouping, being united b ...

s. Five minutes is the minimum period a terrier shall be in contact with the badger, except when the terrier draws the badger in less time." "Drawing" means pulling the badger out of the hole. The purpose of the Teastas Mor was to determine the dog's capabilities for work and fitness for breeding, not primarily for entertainment as in the blood-sports of baiting.

References

{{Reflist Dog training and behavior Baiting (blood sport) Cruelty to animals

Dog fighting breeds

Working terrier breeds

See also

References