English Setter

The coat can be a variety of colours :

• Blue belton (black and white)
• Lemon belton (lemon and white)
• Liver belton (brown and white)
• Tricolour (white, black, tan or brown, white and tan)
• Orange belton (Orange and white) 

The term 'belton' was first coined by Edward Laverack- the breeder who contributed to the construction of the race- and designates the flyspeck (or speckled patching) of the dog's coat. Belton is a village in Northumberland (a county in the north of England).

The hair is long.

The hair is slightly wavy without ever forming into full curls. It is long all over, (2 to 2,5 inches) and silky. Feathering (fringes) can be found around the neck, in the brisket region, on the side of the hind limbs, on the buttocks and on the tail. The undercoat is only abundant in the wintertime.

The eyes are hazel, as dark as possible (slightly less dark in white and tan individuals).

The English setter is the most beautiful of all pointing dogs. It is mesomorphic, with a rather rectangular-shape torso. The head is long, well-defined, light. The length of the skull is equal to that of the muzzle. The skullcap is slightly domed. The stop is pronounced but not abrupt. The eyes are big and expressive.The ears are set low, hanging, adjacent to the cheeks. The back is straight, the kidneys muscular and quite arched. The limbs are perfectly straight. The tail is set high: big and robust at its base, it thins down towards the tip. It is worn rather low, slightly curved outwards like a reversed saber.

Gentle, cheerful and attentive, faithful and very friendly- be it to members of his own social group or even towards his fellow canines- the English Setter is a dog that could easily be deemed perfect, such is the extent to which his character is good and held in high esteem.

Enthusiastic and active, playtime will be a great source of joy to this dog who loves spending time with members of his social group, and with children in particular.

Be careful to play fetching games in moderation with this dog, so as not to overly reinforce the dog's retrieving instinct- especially if he only ever functions as a family dog and never as a hunter.

His calm demeanour conceals, in reality, a very active and athletic dog who requires heaps of exercise and attention to remain fully content.

This english dog is intelligent, whether it be while hunting or in training. He quickly grasps what is required from him and takes huge pride in pleasing his owners.

This dog has a very sharpened sense for hunting, he is an outstanding pointing dog who can be a precious asset to his leader.

His advanced skills places him amongst the most commonly used Pointers in England. Moreover, he represents more than half of the workforce involved in field-trial (trials aimed at selecting the best hunting dogs).

Very sociable, the English Setter has a rather balanced personality which allows him to sniff the difference out between guests and trespassers remarkably well. Never resorting to aggressivity, if he is suspicious towards someone, he will just ignore them and avoid contact. On the flipside, once he starts trusting, it is very easy to get along with him.

Certain more suspicious breed selections produce very wary dogs. The latter personality trait is absolutely not desirable.

This dog is generally completely devoted to his owner and family. He needs attention and affection to feel good in his skin. The Laverack Setter (its breeder's namesake) would be particularly miserable if he were to be excluded from family and social life.

At times very sensitive, and exceptionally attached to his social group, the setter is not a big loner, he tends to be rather miserable during his owners' absences.

A gradual and positive conditioning to staying alone is necessary and must be implemented at home from the Setter pup's youngest age.

The absences must never be extended as this active dog could become explicit about his disapproval of the situation (barking, destruction, etc.).

Therefore, both prior to and right after his owners' absences, this English dog has to be well spent (outdoor walks) in order to have his fun and expend the large stores of energy he has. Actually, when he is home alone, some toys could be provided to keep him busy and stop him from getting bored.

As with all good work dogs, the training process is pleasant if it has been initiated early enough, so as to stop any bad habits from developing, and in order to maintain a degree of coherence throughout the dog’s life.

Particularly sensitive, positive reinforcement must be prioritised as this dog will not tolerate any form of brutality or unfounded reprimands, which would only serve to sully the master-dog relationship.

In addition to being precocious, coherent and fair, the training will have to be coupled with an approach that is as firm as it is gentle. This will ensure the best results with this pooch.

The priority is to train hailing which, contrary to what might be expected, will not be that difficult to implement with this English hunting dog. In fact, pointers are often more malleable and docile than hounds, for instance.

The English Setter's vocal manifestations are indeed present but remain nevertheless moderate, easily reined in if need be.

He can prove to be loud if he perceives imminent danger, if he is overly excited, if he does not receive all the attention that he solicits or if he is left alone for too long, for example.

At any rate, these are situations that can easily be solved if a coherent attitude is adopted by the owners, and if they meet all the dog's needs.

A born tracker, if he detects an interesting scent, this wonderful English hunting dog could in fact run away without much consideration for his owner. In this sense, teaching the dog how to be hailed as well as learning to say no to him are essential. 
              
If he lives in a garden, the fencing will have to be foolproof in order to guarantee the dog's security and stop him from being tempted to escape. Hunting dogs who run away often put themselves in dangerous situations because, hypnotically drawn towards smells and tracking, they are sometimes oblivious to their surroundings (roads, cars, etc.).

A medallion/tag with the contact details of the owner will facilitate searching for the dog if ever he goes missing.

Despite his good character, this dog is not of the calm breed. He is particularly animated, especially when still a pup, and more so when he has not had enough exercise.

This could then lead to some destruction on his part, especially if this English dog gets bored, or if he grows tired of being alone or isolated for too long a time.

Having said that, if all his needs are met, his owners' attitude is coherent and he has been taught to manage his frustrations well, this dog can become considerably more docile.

This British dog is not a big eater but will never renounce to the pleasure of a reward snack for good behaviour, for example. This will also be very useful during training sessions even if, without the added benefit of snacks, this dog is generally cooperative if the trainer's attitude is respectful.

Particularly sociable and friendly, this dog is not a good watchdog. His sensitivity would sooner make him flee fear-inducing situations. He is not a very valiant dog who will face danger head on in order to protect his kin.

In addition to being particularly gifted in his area, this English hunting dog is a great day-to-day companion. He is the source of joy to many a household, and his good nature makes interactions very pleasant. Even novice owners will take pleasure in rearing this dog and evolving alongside him, because he has a lot to give, oftentimes more than what he receives in exchange.

Even if he could become accustomed to city life, the English Setter is not made for being confined in a flat. He needs space and life in the countryside- a house with a gated garden would be to his biggest liking.

No matter what his residential situation is, this hunting dog needs daily outdoor walks to feel good in his skin.

He appreciates the comforts of being inside, but can absolutely live outside if the weather is not too extreme.

Very active and dynamic, it is vital to be able to channel this dog's large stores of energy if you want to stop behavioural trouble from emerging. This implies meeting his expenditure needs with sufficient respect.

Daily walks in wide open spaces will be the greatest source of joy to this English hunting dog, and will allow him to expend his stores of energy but also to stimulate his sense of smell, which is particularly evolved.

Owners of the English Setter will have to be both available and in shape to best meet this dog's needs. Bicycle trips and canicross activities will be particularly appreciated.

The manageable size of this dog will facilitate transport but sufficient training and socialisation work is necessary for him to be able to seamlessly adapt to various environments.

A transport crate adapted to his size will be indispensable for car travel. In a plane, he will have travel in the hold; on the train, he will have to be held on a leash and muzzled (like all dogs of similar size).

A good relationship with feline fellows will be possible, especially so if he has been exposed to them from the youngest age. However, keep an eye on the marked instinct this hunting dog has, which could take over in certain situations.

The pointer aspect of this dog will often be an obstacle between him and cats. This behaviour is not to be reinforced and must absolutely be worked around, especially with a family cats.

Remarkably sociable, this dog generally gets along well with all dogs, irrelevant of their breed, gender or size. Nevertheless, this inborn quality should not justify insufficient effort put into socialising the English Setter pup during the growing phase.

Positive, regular and supervised encounters will have to be set up for the dog to develop, maintain and reinforce his canine codes of conduct, and to seamlessly communicate with his fellow canines.

Gentle, attentive, affectionate and attached to his social group, this pointing  dog is particularly adapted to family life involving children. This does nevertheless not replace the need to implement some rules of conduct so as to ensure that cohabitation is healthy and safe.

This dog's bountiful energy, coupled with his almost primordial need to run, be active and stimulated both physically and mentally, are not compatible with the pace of elderly quotidian life, which is tends to be sedentary.

Hair loss is significant during moulting seasons. During autumn and spring, the brushes will have to be more frequent and carried out on a daily basis in order to remove dead hair.

Life expectancy is estimated at 12 years.

As is the case of many respectable active dogs, the english setter is of robust constitution but remains more fragile than a dog that has only minimal expenditure needs.

He can tolerate heat but be careful not to have him be too physically active in hot weather, as his fierce determination might lead to him not being able to restrict himself. Fresh water and a spot in the shade must be made available to him.

This pointing dog is lucky to have an undercoat which develops during winter when temperatures drop. Having said that, do note that extreme weather conditions are not greatly appreciated by this european pointing dog.

If coupled with a quality nutritional regimen, the constant activity of this dog make this him relatively resistant to excess weight. If he gets his share of required exercise, he is not afflicted by obesity.

• Cancer
• Hip and elbow dysplasia
• Congenital deafness
• Ear infections
• Atopic dermatitis (dermatological affliction)

This dog has very old roots. He is probably a descendant of the ancient Spaniel, also known as the German Spaniel, which was one of the incarnations of the primitive Canis Familiaris Intermedius. The Breed had been established in 1860 by Edward Laverack and would have to wait another twenty years before spreading outside of England. It is one of the most commonly used pointing dogs for hunting.