The origin of the English setter, exterior standard, character, health, care tips, interesting facts. The cost of an English Setter puppy. The English Setter is an amazingly affectionate and friendly dog, elegant and graceful, with an aristocratic conformation, excellent hunting instincts and high working capacity. This is a wonderful hunting dog, with its unique "feline" style of tracking prey, extraordinarily quick-witted and perfectly controlled. In ordinary life, he is also good and unassuming, has a quick learning curve and innate good manners. He is energetic, but not intrusive, being the best example of a cheerful friend and a wonderful companion dog, a tireless companion of its owner.
The history of the creation of the English Setter breed
The English Setter is one of the oldest varieties of gun hunting dogs and descends from the old long-haired English Pointing Dog, used in the British Isles since the late Middle Ages to hunt a wide variety of game birds.
However, until now, modern British historians and dog handlers cannot come to a consensus on this issue. Some of the researchers of the history of the breed believe that the ancestors of the English setter are not at all the old type English cop, but the Old Spanish or Old French hounds, which by chance came to the British Isles in the middle of the 17th century. Mixing with the local aboriginal breeds, they say, and acquired the characteristic appearance of dogs, now called setters.
By the way, about the very name "setter". Literally this word can be translated as "pointing" or "setting" a dog - "setter dog". The tradition of having such a dog, able to find and clearly indicate the direction of game birds, existed in "good old England" since the turn of the XIV-XV centuries (which has been found a lot of visual evidence - images of dogs similar to a modern setter are often present on tapestries and canvases by artists that time). In those distant times, no one had ever heard of hunting rifles, hunters used mainly bows and crossbows, and a hunter-catcher went to hunt for partridges or other feathered game, taking a dog with him and armed with a net. And for the partridge catcher, it was very important to sneak up on the prey, without scaring it, as close as possible - at the distance of the net throw. The task of the dog was to detect the game, imperceptibly approach it and indicate the exact direction for the throw. This is probably why the word "setter" is often translated a little differently - "squatting" dog, which is certainly wrong, but not devoid of meaning. The setter really moves like a cat after detecting the bird, falling more and more to the ground as it approaches the target.
Be that as it may, but until about 1820, all types of setters that existed in Britain were bred without a special system. Each dog breeder, when crossing dogs, was guided by some of his own and only one known to him principles, keeping them secret. Of course, the main priority of such selection was given, first of all, to the working qualities of the dog, and not to its color or beauty of the exterior. Therefore, uncontrolled interbreeding took place, with what breeds were only possible at that time - greyhounds, hounds, retrievers, pointers and even poodles. The individuals obtained from such selection were rather motley, but had good hunting talents.
Only after 1820 did the setters first pay close attention to the size and color of their coat. They turned and were very surprised that the color of the fur of animals, which had previously been considered one breed, suddenly turned out to be contrastingly divided along geographic lines. For example, in southern England, setters were mostly white with black, brown or orange speckled spots; in Ireland, uniform chestnut-red or red-piebald colors prevailed, and in Scotland setter dogs were completely black and tan.
In the second half of the 19th century, the attitude towards setters changed, there was a division into three main pedigree branches, which subsequently acquired a clear national identity and eventually became the deserved pride of certain regions of Great Britain. Now we know them under the well-known to a wide range of pedigree names: English setter; Irish Setter, Red Setter; and Scotland Setter, Gordon Setter.
Modern English setters owe their present exterior a lot to Sir Edward Laverack, who, with the help of careful selection, managed to create a uniquely elegant and graceful appearance of this hunting dog, clearly recognizable even by laymen. That is why, often the English setter is called by the name of the breeder - the laverak-setter (although, in truth, such a name is worthy, only purebred dogs bred by Sir Laverak himself should be worn).
The case, begun in 1825 by Sir Evard, was later supported and continued by another Englishman, Mr M. Purcell Llewellin. But they did not succeed in working together, due to the disagreements that arose. Edward Laverak strove to keep the breed he received exclusively purebred, using closely related imbreeding to consolidate the necessary breed qualities. Llewelen was of a different opinion, allowing the necessary supply of fresh blood from dogs of other species. In the end, they completely quarreled on this basis, and each went his own way. Thus, the current English Setters have two main lineages of their development, called: "Laverack Setter" and "Llewellin Setter".
For the first time, English setters were exhibited at the Newcastle upon Tyne exhibition in 1859.
In 1874, the first English setter exported to America from Great Britain set foot on the shores of the New World. Later, several more animals of this breed were introduced. In 1884, the variety was officially registered with the American Kennel Clab (AKC). Nowadays the USA has its own line of English setters, called "American".
Until 1917, the breed was known in Russia under the name "Laverak Setter" and was popular among aristocratic hunters. For example, English laurels were bred in the nursery of Countess Benckendorff, as well as at the court of the Russian Emperor Nicholas II. Laveraks were also owned by representatives of the creative intelligentsia: Alexander Blok, Ilya Bunin and Alexander Kuprin. Writers Chekhov and Cherkasov wrote about them in their works. However, in Russia it was not without funny incidents. Often these handsome dogs were called in the Russian manner - "lovirakami", jokingly noting that for some reason this dog does not catch crayfish, but perfectly helps in catching birds. After the 1917 revolution, the breed was abandoned for a long time and received its full-fledged development only in the mid-90s of the last century.
Nowadays, English Setters are recognized by all cynological federations of the world and are deservedly one of the most popular breeds of hunting dogs.
Purpose and use of English setters
The main purpose - hunting is not game birds. Modern hunters, just like their predecessors, try to make the most of the unique technique of "cat" sneaking, which these dogs possess.
However, nowadays there is already a fairly clear division of the “Englishmen” into animals with working qualities and into show dogs, which are only able to represent their graceful exterior at the championships, but have completely lost their hunting talents.
The participation of these energetic and hardy dogs in agility competitions was also noted.
Well, and, of course, amazingly affectionate beautiful and kind dogs are often given birth simply "for the soul" as pets.
External standard of the English setter
An unusually elegant dog, light build type, agile and agile, flexible and graceful. The growth of the largest representatives of this breed reaches 65–68 centimeters (in males) and 61–65 centimeters (in bitches). The body weight of the animal is in the range of 27–32 kg.
- Head long and moderately dry, carried rather high by the dog, with a rounded skull. The occipital protuberance and feet (transition from the forehead to the muzzle) are well visually expressed and distinct. Muzzle: Moderately deep, almost square (length of muzzle approximately equal to length from occiput to stop). The lips are rather tucked up, with weak flecks. The bridge of the nose is straight. The nose is rather large, with wide open nostrils. The color of the nose depends on the color of the coat, it can be black or brown. The jaws are strong. The upper and lower jaw are of almost equal length. The bite is scissor bite. The dental formula is complete (42 teeth). The teeth are white, strong, with pronounced, but not too large, canines.
- Eyes beautiful rounded shape. The color of the eyes is dark in the range: from hazel to dark brown. As a rule, brownish-speckled dogs have lighter eyes than dogs of other colors. The gaze of the eyes is calm, clear and soft, without signs of any aggressiveness.
- Ears low set, of medium size, closer to triangular in shape, drooping, touching the front edge of the cheekbones of the animal. The edge of the ears is velvety to the touch.
- Neck muscular, long and lean, without dewlap. The neck extends smoothly towards the muscular shoulders.
- Torso the English setter has a rather light, lightweight and slightly elongated format, perfectly balanced, elegant, with a strong skeleton. The chest is developed, deep and wide enough. The back is short, straight, muscular. The withers are pronounced. The croup is rather short, sloping towards the tail. The abdomen is tucked up normally.
- Tail Set on a level with the back, of medium length (maximum can reach the hock), slightly curved or saber-shaped, with no tendency to curl upwards. The tail is well covered with rather long silky hair. Even in moments of excitement, the dog does not raise its tail above the level of the back.
- Limbs very straight and fairly parallel, with compact paws (in a ball), round in shape. The limbs are strong and muscular. Feet, well arched, with tight toes. The hair that protects against injuries grows between the fingers. The paw pads are firm and thick enough.
- Wool long, slightly wavy, silky, very adorning for the animal. Wavy (but not curly) above the ears. There are beautiful feathering on the back surfaces of the limbs.
- Color "Englishman" is very handsome. The most common is considered to be blue belton - white with black specks of various frequencies. Also common colors are: orange belton - white with orange specks, lemon belton - white with lemon yellow specks, liver belton - white with liver specks. There are also quite rare representatives of the breed, which have a tricolor color, combining at once blue belton and liver belton or blue belton and tan (pale brown) specks (but without large areas of predominance any color).
Description of the character of the English Setter
As noted by almost all owners, the breed representative is simply an adorable dog, probably one of the best representatives of this type of dog. He is affectionate, friendly, never conflicts with anyone, easily gets along with other animals: cats, dogs, guinea pigs, parrots, hamsters and rats. And although keeping him in an apartment is not entirely correct (an energetic setter feels best outside the city and in the countryside), even in a cramped apartment he is able to find himself a corner to relax without trying to conquer all the space or be especially annoying in communication. On the contrary, the "Englishman" is always tactful and usually content with a place at the feet of the owner.
He practically never barks (well, except, as at a meeting, for joy), and often expresses his pleasure or displeasure with a grumbling. He is very friendly and trusting, but he chooses one owner for himself, seriously and forever. But this does not prevent him from always being friendly with other people. Especially if they are hunters or fishermen going to the forest or fishing. The setter dog just loves to hunt. For the sake of this occupation, he is ready not even to sleep or eat. Both his flair and the hunting talents of the excellent gun dog are truly recognized and highly regarded by hunters around the world.
"Englishman" is a very sociable dog, easily getting used to the company of strangers and other dogs. Therefore, he is perfectly capable of working in a team with other hunting dogs. He is very smart, inquisitive, understanding and quickly understands what a person requires of him. Extremely energetic, hardy and almost ubiquitous in the search. The English Setter is just a wondrous dog, a wonderful pet, which, with one of its cheerful appearance, is able to please others. It is never boring with him, he is always ready for outdoor games, various travels and adventures.
English Setter health
In general, the breed is considered to be reasonably robust in terms of health. With a good immune system and high resistance to disease.
But, as noted by breeders and veterinarians, the breed has a number of predispositions. First of all, this is hip dysplasia (a real scourge for breeders), the genetic nature of the manifestation of which has not yet been sufficiently studied. There is also an increased tendency to oncological diseases (to reduce the risk of occurrence, it is necessary to monitor the dog's diet, the quality of the vaccines used; avoid failures in the immune system). To all that has been said, we can add that there is a special predisposition of English setters to blindness, due to the pathology of the development of the retina.
Life expectancy of these beautiful and amazing pets (with proper care and attention) can reach 12-13 years. There have been cases of longevity - up to 15 years.
Dog Grooming Tips
The breed of English Setters is so unique and undemanding that it does not require special attention to itself either in care, or in nutrition or maintenance. All the standard recommendations regarding the maintenance of medium-sized hunting dogs are suitable for the representatives of the breed: pointers, setters, large spaniels and others.
Interesting facts about the English setter
Soviet and Russian viewers will surely remember the wonderful film adaptation of "White Bim Black Ear", which was released in 1977. So, the famous dog Bim (who was called the Scottish setter with the wrong color according to the script) was played by two magnificent English setters Stepka and Dandy. Dandy was Stepka's understudy, starring in just one episode. But the handsome Stepka not only played a difficult role in the film, like a real actor, but also managed to fall in love with the entire audience, from young to old.
Price when buying an English Setter puppy
Thanks to the energy of enthusiasts, since the 90s of the last century, there has been a virtual revival of the English Setter breed in Russia. Nowadays there are many kennels of these amazing dogs in the country. The average cost of puppies is around 70,000 rubles.
For more on the nature and content of the English Setter, see here:
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