Setter (English)

The English Setter is a breed of gun dog. It originates from England in the 1600’s and is bred for endurance and athleticism. They were originally bred to point upland game birds. English Setters are very gentle, energetic and people-oriented dogs. They are well suited for families who can give them attention and lot of activities to do. However, it can also be strong-willed and mischievous at times. They are very active dogs and hence need plenty of exercise in a good sized fenced yard. Once inside the house they tend to be lazy and love to be couch potatoes and lap dogs that love to be cuddled. They ranked 37 in Stanley Coren's “The Intelligence of Dogs”, which is above average on obedience and intelligence. English Setters are very intelligent and can be trained to perform any task as compared to the other breeds, except for herding. However, they aren’t easy to train all the time, as their natural bird instincts distract them in outdoor environments. They are very sensitive to criticism, hence positive reinforcement training methods are best for the English Setters.

They come in various colours of coats and are referred to as Belton; The one with white and black combination is called Blue Belton, white with orange flecks are known as Orange Belton, white with orange flecks and lighter nose are Lemon Belton, and white with liver flecks are known as Liver Belton or "Tricolour". The coat on the Setters varies from the show type Setters to the ones used for hunting, the field types. The show type of Setters has a long length coat and requires regular grooming. The Setters that have been bred for hunting, the field types have a shorter coat and require much less grooming.

As family dogs, The English Setters are unsurpassed. Their even temperament, devotion to the master, quiet manner and ease of care make them an ideal companion. It doesn’t matter where the English Setter resides, be it city, suburb or a country. The important thing is that they live with someone they love.

Hunting comes naturally to most English Setters. If you want to train them for hunting, you may want a field-bred dog. These dogs are smaller and wider and run much faster as compared to their show type counterparts. If you would like a personal gun dog who would follow you on foot pursuit, rather than on horse. Then most any English Setter will do. Lately come breeders have been breeding Setters with dual potential being part show type and part field type. The field type & show type of English Setters look very different, even though they are of the same breed. Field type setters are smaller and are seen with less feathering and are better spotters than show type setters. Less feathering makes getting burrs out of their coat easier.

Setters have a few genetic problems such as Canine hip dysplasia, congenital deafness, elbow dysplasia and canine hypothyroidism. A form of cancer is also common to occur in older members of this breed. Some are also prone to a lot of food allergy.