Breeds of Setters

English Setter, Gordon Setter and Irish Setter

Sep 21, 2009

Setters are hard working hunting dogs belonging to the sporting group.

Setters hail from Great Britain where their original function was for bird setting and retrieving. As sporting dogs, setters are good at pointing and need lots of exercise to keep them from having behavioral problems such as roaming and house soiling. They need regular brushing every two to three days, along with the trimming.

English Setters

The oldest of the group of setter dogs is the English Setter. The English Setter dates back to England in the 1300s. Over time, two types of English setters emerged; the Laverack for showing and the Llewellyn for fieldwork. Its agility and love of running is what makes the English Setter such an excellent field dog. This intelligent dog only needs moderate training with positive reinforcement.

Although the English Setter loves its time outdoors, it equally loves its time with family members. The English Setter can make a great family dog as it's easy going and gentle. As long as it gets about an hour of exercise each day, it shouldn't have any behavioral problems in the home. It is friendly with strangers and gets along with other pets.

Sporting Dog, the Gordon Setter

The Gordon Setter became established as a breed in Scotland in the 1700s. Compared to the English Setter and Irish Setter, the Gordon Setter has a bit more of a powerful body and moves at a slower pace. It also doesn't take to strangers as well as the other two breeds of setters.

Content to hunt all day, the Gordon Setter can become frustrated if it doesn't get enough exercise each day. It is very social with children and does well as a watchdog. This affectionate dog loves to be around people and is a very devoted companion.

A Popular Breed - the Irish Setter

Ireland is responsible for the beautiful Irish Setter. Unique because of its mahogany color, the Irish setter was originally bred for hunters. Although an excellent bird dog, the Irish Setter first became increasingly popular as a show dog, then a family pet.

Highly energetic and always ready to play, like the Gordon and English Setters, the English Setter loves to run and exercise for long periods of time. This good-natured, social dog is very affectionate and gets on well with strangers and other pets. It's a fairly quick learner that isn't too difficult to train. The Irish Setter does fine with children, although because of its high energy level, it is better off in a household with older children.

Setters have made their mark not only as hunting dogs, but as show dogs as well. Keeping them properly exercised will not only keep them happy, but make them better pets in the home.

The copyright of the article Breeds of Setters in Dog Breeds is owned by Janis Masyk-Jackson. Permission to republish Breeds of Setters in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.