The English Setter

Most authorities, or those who have made diligent inquiries into the history—if such it can be called—or origin, of the English Setter, are agreed that it has been derived from the Spaniel—Setting Spaniel—and Laverack, in his work on the Setter, says,—

"I am of the opinion that all Setters have more or less originally sprung from our various strains of Spaniels, and I believe most breeders of any note agree that the Setter is nothing more than a Setting Spaniel. How the Setter attained his sufficiency of point is difficult to account for, and I leave the question to wiser heads than mine to determine. The Setter is said and acknowledged by authorities of long standing, to be of greater antiquity than the Pointer. If this be true—and I believe it is—the Setter cannot at first have been crossed with the Pointer to render him what he is."

If the foregoing views be accepted, it follows that our lovely Setter is but an improved Spaniel.

The Laverack Setters—a strain preserved by the late Mr Laverack—has always played an important part in the more recent history of the Setter. The Llewellin Setter—a strain bred by Mr Llewellin—(a Laverack cross) stands out as being one of the best strains ever produced, both on the show bench and in the field.

A high-class English Setter should have a rich, glossy coat, and every movement should be one of elegance, dash, and beauty.

A high degree of intelligence and great power of physical endurance are a sine qua non.

Field trials have done more towards perfecting the working qualities of the Setter than could have been attained by any other means.

The breeding of stock from dogs coming out top at these trials affords the surest means of attaining the highest degree of working capacity.

The points of the English Setter are as follows:—

Coat.—To be soft, silky, and free from curl. There ought to be an abundance of soft feather on fore and hind legs.

Colour.—Not a great deal of importance is attached to this. The chief colours are:—Liver and white, lemon and white, black, black and white, red or yellow, orange Belton, black and white ticked, with splashes of black, or bluish tint—blue Belton, black, white and tan markings, &c. Black and white ticked are commonest.

Skull.—Long and narrow, with a well-developed occipital bone. Muzzle square, and lips full at their angles.

Ears and Eyes.—Ears set on low, thin and soft, carried close to the cheeks, and covered by silky hair about a couple of inches in length. Eyes of medium size, either brown or hazel.

Neck.—Slightly arched and covered by somewhat loose skin.

Back and Quarters.—Arched, and loins wide and strong. Hocks, strong.

Tail.—Should be carried in a straight line with the body, and the feather upon it to consist of straight, silky hairs, shortening towards the point. A beautiful flag is a great adornment to the Setter, especially when at work.

Fore-limbs.—Shoulders set well back. Forearms straight and strong, of medium length, and with a good fringe at the back. Pasterns short and nearly vertical. Feet well feathered below and cat-like.

Weight.—Dogs from 50 to 60 lbs. Bitches, 45 to 55 lbs. Club.—The English Setter.

Faults.—Curly coat, snipy head, bad carriage of stern, too light in bone, too short or too long in leg, out at elbows, too heavy in head, bad symmetry, disobedience, bad scenting power, indifferent at work, etc., etc.

The Irish Setter

The origin of these dogs, as in many other breeds, is enshrouded in mystery. The theory that they have been derived from Red Spaniels, crossed with the Bloodhound, is accepted by some breeders, the traces of Hound blood being observable in their method of working (scenting their game), so much objected to, by many sportsmen.

In Ireland these Setters have been, and still are, greatly used for snipe shooting, being hardy, fast, and very keen-nosed—their ability to bear fatigue, and cold, being unequalled by any other variety of Setter.

It has been said that the finest and oldest strain of Irish Setters have a slight tinge of black on the tips of the ears and muzzle; others, again, regard the presence of black hairs as a sign of impurity of blood, agreeing that these dogs ought to be a very deep, rich red—a dark or blood red being preferred. White hairs ought not to be present anywhere, excepting on the forehead and chest, though many object to white in the situation last named.

The Coat should be close, of strong growth, and neither coarse nor silky in texture. Feather of a golden tinge, and of moderate amount.

Ears.—To be long, set low on the head, and have a medium degree of feathering.

Eyes.—A deep hazel or brown, and the nose dark or mahogany flesh. A black nose should disqualify.

Neck.—Of fair length, slightly arched, and body proportionately long; the chest deep, and ribs well sprung.

Forelegs.—Straight, not too much feathered, and the feet small, firm, and close, with well-arched toes.

Strong Loins, powerful thighs and hocks, and a horizontal carriage of the tail (not cocked) are excellences in this region.

Taken as a whole, the Irish Setter is built more after the type of a racer. Moreover, has a little wider skull than the English variety.

The Black-and-tan Setter (Gordon Setter)

This famous breed of Setters can be traced back for a hundred years to the castle of the Duke of Gordon, but whether this nobleman laid the foundation stone of the present breed of Black-and-tan Setter, becomes a matter of speculation.

It is not the least improbable that these Setters have been derived by crossing the English Setter with a Black-and-tan Collie, as certain Gordons exhibit more than a trace of the Collie element.

During the last few years the Black-and-tan Setter classes at the Kennel Club Shows in London have been very badly filled, and unless breeding this variety of dog becomes more popular, in England at least, it will soon deteriorate.

A well-broken Gordon is a most useful dog in the field, though certainly his luck at field trials has not been anything like that of the Englishman.

In colour he should be a glossy raven black, with rich mahogany tan markings, pencilling of the toes being allowable.

On the inside of the fore-limbs, tan ought to show nearly up to the elbows, and up to the hocks, on the inner sides of the hind ones.

There should be tan on the lips, cheeks, undersides of the ears; spots over eyes, on front of the chest, on the vent, and at the root of tail or flag.

Eyes.—To be of medium size and deep brown.

Ears.—The ears of the Gordon are longer than those of the Irish or English, are set on low and lie close to head.

Head.—There ought to be good evidence of "stop," rendering the occiput well-defined.

From eye to occiput, head should measure nearly 6 inches.

The old type of Gordon was much too clumsy in the head.

Neck.—Long, clean, and racey.

Shoulders and Chest.—Shoulders of good slope and chest deep. Ribs to be well sprung.

Fore-limbs and Feet.—To be of moderate length; strong in the forearms, and elbows well in. Feet arched and cat-like.

A strong back, loin, and well-bent stifles are qualifications of the Gordon.

Stern.—The tail carried as nearly in the same line as the body. Many Gordons have defective carriage of the caudal appendage.

The so-called "tea-pot" tail is the worst fault, and destroys a dog's chance of winning in the show ring.

Gordon Setter puppies are not difficult to rear, though good specimens are difficult to produce; still more so to purchase, when grown up, and thoroughly broken.

In America this variety of Setter is much thought of, and in that country a great deal has been done towards the improvement of the breed, where the value of points is as follows:—