English Setter Dogs

Breed: Gun Dog

Height: Male: 24-27 inches, Female: 23-26 inches

Weight: Male: 55-80 pounds, Female: 45-70 pounds

Coat Type: Flat without curl or wooliness

 

The English Setter is an elegant gun dog with a perfect blend of stamina, strength, grace and style. An intelligent breed of dog, the canine is good at hunting, tracking and retrieving games. Its body structure is attractive yet strong that helps in deceiving the prey, who wrongly considers the dog to be an unworthy opponent. The dog is extremely quick and agile, which adds up to its ability to hunt down the prey. The intellectual and hard working nature of the dog makes it easier for its master to train it in almost all the outdoor activities. The English Setter proves to be a good family dog if provided with the right training, enough care and attention. This article provides you with detail information on the English Setter breed of dog.

The breed was first spotted way back in the 1500s in France and was obtained by crossing the Spanish Pointer and the French Pointer. These dogs were popularly known as ‘Setting Spaniels’, because of their nature of crouching down after finding the prey, to allow the hunter to throw a net over it. The Setting Spaniels were brought to Great Britain in the 1800s, where they were bred with early French Hunting Pointers, by a breeder named Sir Edward Laverack to give birth to the ‘English Setter’, as they are known today. The dog, hence developed, had the trait of crouching down more to an almost sitting stance. The breed is popularly known as ‘Laverack Setter’, deriving its first name from the breeder.

 

English Setter is a beautiful, long and lean breed of working gun dog. It has an oval skull with a long and square muzzle and a well-defined stop. The nose is either brown or black with wide nostrils. It has dark brown eyes, while the ears are low, hanging down to the level of the eyes and covered with silky hair. The chest is deep, but not too wide or round in shape. The tail starts at the top line and grows thicker at the base tapering to a point with straight, silky feathering. The dog has a flat, silky and wavy coat type with feathering on the tail, back of the legs, underside, abdomen, chest and the ears. The English Setter can be found in three colors, namely, blue, white and brown, giving it an attractive and eye-catching appearance.

 

English Setters are generally described as ‘gentleman dogs’, though they can get mischievous at times. They are energetic, people-oriented dogs that make good pets for the family, which provide the canines with attention and enough physical exercise. They are good for a hunter, if given enough work to do. The breed requires enough exercise when outside, because of the active and energetic nature. However, the dogs love to be a couch potato when indoors. An intelligent breed, English Setters can be trained in any task, except herding. Their temperament is considered to be a soft one and therefore, they are very sensitive to any sort of criticism, especially coming out of their master. The dogs would not repeat the particular behavior for which they have been criticized with a fear to disappoint the trainer. The positive reinforcement training method works best for the English Setters.

 

There are not many health issues that this breed has received as a gift from their genes. However, certain issues like hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, congenial deafness, canine hypothyroidism and autoimmune thyroiditis can affect this breed. Some dogs are likely to get prone to food allergies as well.

 

Regular combing and brushing of the soft and medium-length coat is required to keep the dog’s appearance appealing. During the shedding season, it is important to give extra care to the dog and check for burrs and tangles in its coat. The breed requires a bath only when necessary. Make sure to regularly trim the hair at the bottom of the dog’s feet and clip the nails to avoid any infections.