The Sporting Group is made up of some of the oldest breeds registered by the AKC. Many of the dogs in this category were bred for hunting. Specifically, they were bred for one or two of the following purposes: to point, retrieve, or flush game birds. That is why the Sporting Group is broken down into pointers, retrievers, and setters.

The Sporting Group is home to many of the AKC's most popular breeds, including the Labrador Retriever, the Golden Retriever, the Cocker Spaniel, and the German Shorthaired Pointer. These were dogs bred for specific purposes, and most are still doing the jobs for which they were bred. While many people who have these dogs will never need them to do anything but be the family pet, when given the opportunity, these breeds will begin to automatically use their hunting instincts, pointing and retrieving with abandon. These traits can be some of the most enjoyable aspects of owning a sporting dog. It's wonderful to see your Weimaraner go on point while running a hedgerow; it's fun to have your retriever tirelessly fetch a tennis ball from a lake or the ocean; it's reassuring to have your spaniel go back and forth in front of you on a walk (this is called quartering in the hunt field). But be forewarned: your dog is a dog, and one day she may come back with not just a ball or toy, but with fresh kill.

The Labrador Retriever is just one of the retrievers in the Sporting Group — but he is by far the most popular. The Lab has been the #1 breed in America since the early 1990s, and that's in large part because of his wonderful disposition.

Aside from that, the Sporting breeds are renowned for their outgoing personalities. Many of them, suited to the right families, make wonderful family pets. They also make good watch dogs (as opposed to guard dogs). They are known to be sociable but are not known to be overly aggressive and will always let you know when someone is approaching.

It is important to keep in mind that the early breeders of these dogs wanted them to be able to hunt all day and bred them for strength and stamina. The better and longer the dog worked the more highly prized it was. While that's great news if you're a hunter, it's particularly important to remember when you buy one of these breeds. They tend to be very active. You should ask the breeder about the parents of your soon-to-be pet so you know about their temperaments and exercise needs, as well as about any health problems that might run in the family. In alphabetical order, here are the breeds in the Sporting Group: