Used when people still hunted birds with nets, these dogs were taught to freeze into position and hold that pose, marking where the birds were. These days, the breed has two standards, show and field. The show dog is larger and heavier, while the field dog retains more of its orignial hunting instinct.
Relaxed and social with proper exercise, they can be wild if not allowed to run. These dogs are natural sight hunters. They do well with children and an indoor environment, they do prefer to spend some quality time outside.