There were both differences between and within the retriever breeds, with breeds as the flatcoated and labrador retriever and mixed- and field-type of the breeds, scoring higher and showing more hunting behaviours such as retrieving in this study. As both the flatcoated and labrador were the breeds that had the highest ratio of mixed- and or field-type dogs, recent breeding could be the cause of these differences in behaviours. This support previous findings that stated that the recent breeding selection have affected breed-typical behaviour rather than the original breed function. Highlighting the importance of taking behaviour into account when breeding.