by Ronald Bravo

The English Setter is a gun dog that is popularly known for being an elegant and excellent game bird setter. It is in the same family with the Irish Red and White Setters, Irish Setters, and Gordon Setters, which are excellent hunting breeds as well. This dog is named as setter because of its almost sitting position when it finds a game bird to be hunted.

This dog has flat, smooth and slightly wavy coat that drapes its body all over. This coat is mostly found speckled with a different color and this combination is referred to as a “belton”. There are several beltons for this breed and they are the blue belton (white with black specks), orange belton (white with orange specks), lemon belton (white with orange flecks and nose is light), liver belton (white with liver flecks) and tricolor (blue or liver belton with tan markings on face, chest and legs).

The pendulous ears of this dog together with its legs and tail are lusciously covered with silky hair like fringes. The coat wraps its body in a way that accentuates its slender form and makes this dog even look more beautiful. The coat is not too dense or too thin but just enough to make it comfortable in both hot and cold climates.

This dog has two types namely the field or hunting type and the bench or show type. The hunting type has a shorter length of coat and requires a little grooming while the show type has a longer and more flowing coat that requires regular grooming. This dog is an average shedder and needs dry shampooing or bathing when necessary.

The English Setter is sweet-natured and gentle especially to kids thats why people call him a “Gentleman by Nature”. This dog is also placid, amiable and gets along with people well. It is highly intelligent that it can do the tasks that other breeds do except herding.

In Stanley Cohen’s The Intelligence of Dogs, this breed ranks 37th and it is proven indeed that the working and obedience ability of this dog is above average. This dog is highly active and should be placed in the care of a family that has active tasks to do as well or better yet, this dog can do very well with a hunter for a master. This dog is suitable to live in a house that has an ample-sized backyard because this dog requires daily jog or brisk walk everyday.

This dog may be highly trainable but it is mischievous and strong-willed at times, too. Never apply harsh criticisms or negative reinforcements in training the English Setter because it is highly sensitive. It is best to reinforce this dog with positive remarks only or else, it will refrain from doing tasks for fear of displeasing the master.

The English Setter was first developed in France in the 15th century and was only brought to England in the 18th century. This dog originated from the crosses of Spanish Pointer, Water Spaniel (large) and Springer Spaniel. It was Edward Laverack and Purcell Llewellin that made this breed better in terms of appearance and characteristics and in fact, there exists today a separate Llewellin and Laverack bloodlines for the English Setter.

About the Author:
Read more useful facts on how to raise your English Setter dog. Come and visit Ronald Bravo’s website for information about this excellent breed such as English Setter breeders, English Setter puppies, English Setter rescue and more!