Game (dog)

For related meanings refer to game (disambiguation)

Game or Gameness is a quality of fighting dogs that are selectively bred and conditioned from a very early age to develop traits of eagerness despite substantive injury. Dogs displaying this trait can also be described as ready and willing, full of fight, spirited, or plucky. Gameness is valued as it gives the dog the ability to maintain the attack in baiting, despite ripped flesh, dehydration, exhaustion or broken bones. 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."^[1] The scope and method of training to develop a game dog varies dramatically depending on the level and experience of the dog-fighter. Badger-baiting is a traditional method of determining gameness, and in the past the Irish Kennel Club required a Teastas Mor certification, earned through baiting, for any champion working terrier.

References

See also

• Dog aggression
• Dog behaviourist
• Genetics influencing aggression

Further reading

• Fleig, D. (1996). History of Fighting Dogs. T.F.H. Publications. ISBN 0-7938-0498-1
• Homan, M. (2000). A Complete History of Fighting Dogs. Howell Book House Inc. ISBN 1-58245-128-1