Hunt Point Retrieve Breeds
Ideally suited for shoots where game is scarce, these dogs hunt by air-scenting. Because they do not intentionally flush until commanded, they do not need to work close to the handler in the way that the hunt-flush breeds do.
How HPRs (should) work.
This picture of two German Short-Haired Pointers show an older dog that has stopped and twisted to hold the scent, lowering his backend to keep his nose in the scent. The bitch has moved back across the scent, slowing as she approaches the dog. Since the rabbit was very close (less than two feet from them when it was flushed) the bitch ended up backing very close to the dog as she came back across wind.
If you picture an open area of ground, either moorland, scrubby or with a bit of marsh grass as cover, with the occasional pheasant, hare, rabbit, grouse or partridge (or ideally a few of each), the HPR breeds should be able to cover the ground either side of you, and you should be reasonably comfortable if they work as far away as a couple of hundred yards. Before he became stone deaf my older dog would happily work and respond to whistle at up to 400 yards (but now I have trouble at 2 yards). The dogs should work the ground methodically, back in forth passing in front of you as you walk slowly forward, until they scent game and stop, waiting until you are in position before you send them in to flush the birds. If you are working two dogs, they will work independently until one detects game, at which point they will tend to both point the quarry. The second dogs 'backs' the first, and should not 'steal the point' by moving up past the first dog.
If you have to enter the ground from upwind, it should be possible to send the dog away from you, and work them back across the wind towards you.
Hunt Point Retrieve dogs are Awful
...but only in close cover! They are not ideally suited to working close, for example in woodland with heavy cover. I have been within five yards of a dog on point and not been able to see it, and without the movement associated with the hunt and flush breeds you are not likely to spot them unless you have the good fortune to have picked a colourful example. They will tend not to respond to any commands except the flush when they are on point, so trying to recall is fairly useless. Shale would often turn his head very slowly to look at me if I tried calling him off, and if I insisted would come away very slowly.
If you tend to work where game is scarce, the HPRs are highly recommended.