Best Hunting Dog Breed English Setters What’s Good About Em, What’s Bad About Em. The English Setters is considered a better hunter than the Irish Setter. The English Setter can be trace to the 14th century. This breed was born from the spaniel, and they explicitly train to find and set birds. Due to the original intent of the breeders, it used to be called the Setting Spaniel.
English Setter can either be wirehaired or longhaired. This dog breed makes perfect gun dogs, and they are famous for bird hunting. Aside from games, they also use for retrieving small game.
The English Setter is a medium-sized dog that should have an elegant overall appearance. Its size can range from 24 inches (61 cm) females. And up to 27 inches (69 cm) males.
The breed or hunting type can be more acceptable in build and construction than a bench or show lines. The breed was born for hunting game such as quail, pheasant, and grouse so should cover a lot of ground.
The head should be slightly domed with a muzzle of good depth and show chiseling under the eyes. It is dark in color with a kind, gentle expression.
The top of the ears are positioned in line with the eyes and lie in an elegant fold.
It has a long muscular neck, well-angled shoulders, and a brisket of good depth.
Why The Best Hunter Dog is Consider English Setter
The body is of a moderate length proportionate to its height, and it has strong, powerful hindquarters.
It carries its tail in line with its back and is long enough to reach the hock.
The main body coat is short to medium length, lies flat, and has a silky texture.
Long silky coat – usually called “feathering,” forms fringes outside the ears, neck, and chest.
The tail is also feather with a long coat. The body coat and feathering should be straight and flat but not profuse and never curly.
The bench or show type has a long, flowing coat that requires regular grooming. The field or hunting type has a shorter coat that requires less grooming.
The base color of the coat is white with differing colored ticking, also called dots or speckling.
The various speckled coat colors when occurring in English Setters are referring to as Belton.
Valid combinations are white with black flecks (blue Belton), white with orange dots (orange Belton). The flecking should not form large patches on the body, and the flecks should be distributed all over the body.
The use of the word “Belton” was first coined by Laverack.
Mr. Laverack develops the breed in the 19th century to describe his ideal for flecking. And the name he uses is the name of a village in the extreme north of England.
Puppies’ coats may not have all the markings that they have an adult.
English Setter, Best Hunting Dog Breed few things to be a concern
If you are considering an English Setter, here are few things to be a concern.
- They are providing enough exercise. English Setters bred for the show ring are content with long daily walks and occasional running and fetching games to vent their energy. English Setters bred for hunting are much more athletic and need more vigorous exercise. Without enough exercise, English Setters become rambunctious and bored, which they usually express by destructive chewing, especially when young or adolescent.
- Separation anxiety. More than most other breeds, English Setters need a great deal of companionship. And do not like being left alone for more than a few hours. They tend to express their unhappiness through destructive chewing and barking. If you work all day, this is not the breed for you.
- Stubbornness. English Setters are sweet-natured but have a strong, stubborn streak. You must show them, through absolute consistency, that you mean what you say. Read more about English Setter Training.
- Grooming. Coat care is a big responsibility in the English Setter. To keep the silky coat free of mats and tangles, English Setters require regular brushing. And combing, clipping and trimming every few months. English Setters from show lines typically have more profuse coats requiring much more extensive grooming than English Setters from field lines.
- Shedding. English Setters shed a lot, so be prepared for dog hair on your clothing and furniture and regular vacuuming.
Best Hunting Dog Breed Exercise
The English Setter loves to run, but he is a calm, sweet house dog if given his daily quota of exercise.
He is friendly and mellow, and he can be the right choice for families with children. He also gets along well with other pets such as cats if it raises with them. English Setters are alert and will bark to let you know that someone is approaching the house.
Choose an English Setter if you are an active person who can give him the exercise he needs. A long walk or a half-hour run will do. Or you can take him hiking or run him alongside your bicycle, safely leashed.
He’s also a super competitor in dog sports such as agility, obedience, and rally and can be an excellent therapy dog.
