Gameness

Game or gameness is a genetic trait most often attributed to dogs, fighting dogs and working terriers and fighting cocks that are selectively bred. Dogs displaying this trait can also be described as persevering, ready and willing, full of fight, spirited, or plucky. The term gameness is often misused when witnessing a dog with prey drive. To see gameness is to overcome mental and physical challenge for the willingness to win.

Gameness can't be trained or conditioned. It is a purely genetic trait that is commonly lost once a breed becomes bred for other purposes such as kennel club exhibition or shows, which creates two versions of the same breed, a game or working version vs the show version.

History

The term gameness was first used to describe fighters in Boxing matches in the early 1800's. One such Boxing match was December 1810 in Sussex England between Champion Crib and an American named Molineaux. The fight lasted 55 minutes. "The two men where do dreadfully beaten that their sight was altogether lost, and their bodies and their bodies in the most emaciated state..." "When the battle was decided, nature had left Molineaux and Crib could not have stayed much longer, but gameness bore him out".  The term was also used in describing race horses, normally those that come from behind to win such as the March 1929 Stanley Steeple Chase: "the tactics succeeded, though only the gameness of the horse, and the resolute riding of W. Stephenson, brought about the victory". The term was always used with terriers used for "terrier work" which is the same a hound but below ground, to locate the quarry and bark,for either "bolt" (make it run our) or bark loud enough for men to dig down to the terrier, and catch the quarry. A terrier that stays at the quarry for extreme periods of time is considered game.

Dog fighting breeds
In dog fighting pitbulls bred for gameness are valued as the ability to not quit, despite injury, 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."  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 Terriers
Pertaining to working terriers and other small hunting dogs, earthdog trials are used to determine the dog's gameness in hunting dangerous pest species underground.  The American Working Terrier Association currently offers a Certificate of Gameness (CG) title which is more of a basic prey drive test. During the 1800's and early 1900's countless advertisements could be seen of gamebreed Fox terriers, Cairn, Sealyham, Bedlington, Glen of Imaal, Dandie Dinmont, Scotch, Skye terrier just to name a few in which the term gameness was used. 
Working terriers are not game bred dogs. They should not be included in this segment.

Fighting Cocks
Cockfighting is the sport of fighting roosters, also known as game birds, game fowl, and gamecocks. The list is extensive but some of most common are: Kelso Game Bird, Brown red Game Fowl, Lemon Fowl, Roundhead Whitehackle, Grey Asil Radio Albany.  Although each breed of rooster has its traits, the one trait that connects them is gameness, or the willingness not to quit.

See also

Dog aggression
Dog behaviourist
Instinct
Prey drive

References

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