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Written by Cheryl Lock

About English Setter

Easygoing and sociable, the English Setter is a great breed for families with children and active lifestyles. While quiet indoors, the English Setter is energetic and lively outdoors, happy to run, hike, play and romp, as long as they are on leash or in a fenced-in area. Though not necessarily considered a guard dog, English Setters may bark at the approach of strangers and any wildlife they spy from the window.

 

Origin: Great Britain, France   Other Names: None

Sporting Group

Naturally active and alert, Sporting dogs make likeable, well-rounded companions.

Dog breeds in the Sporting group are usually remarkable for their instincts in water and woods, and many of these breeds actively continue to participate in hunting and other field activities. Potential owners of Sporting dogs need to realize that most require regular, invigorating exercise.

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General appearance

The English Setter is described as a moderate and elegant looking dog, says Carl Sillman, PhD and historian with the English Setter Association of American. “He has an elegant head with a well-defined stop and soft and intelligent expression.”

 

English Setters also have long, silky coats, which is a dead giveaway for the breed. Their hair is feathered on the belly, legs and tail. “The English Setter is a double-coated breed,” says Sillman. “There is a white top coat and various colors of bottom coat that give the breed its characteristic spotted appearance that is described as ‘Belton.’”

 

English Setters come in several common colors: black and white (blue Belton), orange and white (orange Belton) and the rarer lemon and white (lemon Belton) and liver and white (liver Belton). They can also be tricolor, which is black and white with tan points on the muzzle and forelegs.

Colors

This breed can be found in a variety of colors. You can check them out below.

Blue Belton

Size & Weight

The English Setter weighs between 65 and 80 pounds for males and between 45 and 55 for females. They measure 23 to 27 inches at the shoulder.

Full Grown
Female 23 in. / 50 lbs.
Male 27 in. / 70 lbs.

Height is measured up to the shoulders.

Female Size Chart
Height Figure
Male Size Chart
6 ft. 4 ft. 2 ft.

Cost of Owning

On average, owning an adult English Setter costs around $1350 per year.
$400
Vet Care
$300
Grooming & Boarding
$250
Others
$400
Food & Treats

Characteristics

Size

A medium-sized breed, English Setters measure 23 to 27 inches at the shoulder.

Tiny
Jumbo

Weight

An adult English Setter weighs between 65 and 80 pounds for males and between 45 and 55 for females.

Light
Heavy

Living space

Although docile and calm indoors, the English Setter is a medium-sized breed that does well with extra space to sprawl. Outdoor spaces should be properly fenced in, as the English Setter is known as an escape artist.

City apartment
Ranch

Exercise

Although the English Setter is quiet and reserved indoors, they come alive outside and require daily, vigorous exercise to stay in shape.

Couch potato
Bring it on!

Personality

Mostly gentle and mild-mannered, the English Setter does have a tendency to dig his heels in from time to time.

Antisocial
Outgoing

Protection

This breed is known to bark when strangers approach, although they quickly warm up to new faces.

None
Bodyguard

Behavior with kids

This friendly and easy-going breed is calm and loving with kids.

Always monitor
Babysitter

Training

English Setters excel in training, especially when it is begun early and with a loving, patient hand.

Headstrong
Obedient

Shedding

The English Setter’s long and silky coat needs to be brushed multiple times a week to stay healthy.

Minimal
Abundant

Climate

The English Setter has a long coat that keeps them warm in the winter, but could be problematic in particularly warm climates.

Warm
Cold

Barking

English Setters are known to bark when they are unhappy or when meeting strangers for the first time.

Mute
Loud

Temperament & Behavior

This loving, gentle breed is also calm and friendly, which means they get along well with children and other animals. While they are happy to lounge in their home, once outside, their active nature and hunting instinct takes over. This breed excels at agility obstacles, can find its way out of sub-standard fences and loves to hunt. It’s important to provide an English Setter with plenty of toys, as well as plenty of time outside to run and roam.

Barking: Understanding your dog

Although the English Setter is known to be a fairly calm breed, they may bark if they feel lonely or don’t have access to enough exercise or entertainment. They don’t do well if left alone, so spending plenty of time with your English Setter is important. “The company of another dog will help your English Setter feel less lonely in your absence,” says Sillman.

Training

This breed is moderately easy to train, especially if you begin training at a young age and remain consistent. They can be stubborn at times and their hunting background often leads them to be independent thinkers, but with consistency and kindness most English Setters can be trained easily.

 

“Though originally bred for hunting, English Setters can be trained to successfully participate in a number of AKC-sanctioned activities, including conformation showing, field trials, obedience, rally, agility, tracking, nose work and more,” says Sillman. “They are intelligent and intuitive. The trick is to not let them get bored during training. They do not respond well to negative reinforcement (punishment), but do well with encouragement.”

Habits and Exercise

The English Setter is an active breed that loves to hunt, run and explore. For this reason, they should always be walked on a leash, says Sillman. They do well in an outdoor setting as long as you keep a close eye on them, as English Setters have been known to find their way out of fenced-in areas. When building a fence for your dog yard, Sillman recommends making it 6 feet high at minimum.

Energy Level

Frisky, energetic breed that is always ready for action

Energy Level

Nutrition

The English Setter is generally an active breed, but can still become overweight with overfeeding or insufficient exercise. It is best to feed English Setters properly measured portion controlled meals of a high quality, balanced diet. Avoid offering table scraps or excessive quantities of treats, as these can quickly pack on unwanted pounds.

Daily Consumption

Average daily consumption for an adult Setter is 2 to 4 cups.

Daily Consumption

Preventive care

While screening tests prior to breeding are useful at decreasing the incidence of some conditions within the English Setter breed, such as hip dysplasia or elbow dysplasia, no test can definitively prevent such orthopedic conditions. In order to minimize many of the problems associated with these conditions, owners of English Setters should take care to assure that their dog maintains a healthy body weight and receives plenty of regular exercise. Affected dogs may also benefit from the anti-inflammatory properties in fish oil fatty acids, as well as prescription medications.

 

English Setters also have a higher than normal incidence of *Malassezia* dermatitis, or yeast skin infections. These infections may be preventable if underlying triggers are identified and treated, and may occur less frequently with regular use of medicated antifungal shampoos or wipes under the guidance of a veterinarian.

Inherited health issues

While English Setters are generally a healthy breed, certain health conditions can occur either at an increased frequency or through genetics. Responsible breeders should perform a number of screening and genetic tests prior to breeding in an attempt to decrease the incidence of many of these conditions within the breed. These conditions may include, but are not limited to, the following: *Malassezia* dermatitis, Congenital deafness, Ceroid lipofuscinosis, Ectropion, Progressive retinal atrophy, Hip dysplasia and Elbow dysplasia.

Life Span

On average, English Setters live to be around 10 to 12 years old.

Life Span

Did you know?

  • The word “Belton” is unique to this breed and is used to describe the speckled coat patterns of colors you’ll find on an English Setter. The term is derived from the town of Belton, England, where a large number of English Setters were known to have a particularly spotted coat, says Sillman.
  • English Setters’ bones and joints may not reach full maturity until they are between eighteen months and two years of age, which means any strenuous activity should be avoided with puppies before then.
  • The first English Setters were trained in England more than 400 years ago to “set” (or crouch) once they found birds for hunters who would then throw nets over their quarry.

Coat and Grooming

The English Setter’s attractive coat is long and flowing. When properly cared for, their coats are absolutely stunning. You’ll need to groom your English Setter one to three times a week to keep the coat healthy, shiny and free of mats. “This involves brushing, combing and mat removal,” Sillman adds. “If your English Setter carries a lot of coat, you may want to get help from a professional groomer.”

Coat length

Long

Coat length

Grooming

Frequent

Grooming

Shedding

Even though the English Setter has a long and luxurious coat, they shed only moderately. Weekly brushing and combing (or more if necessary), can keep mats at bay.

History

Setters have a long and storied history as English hunting dogs, dating as far back as the 1600s. Originally bred on the estates of the English country by crossing spaniel and pointer breeds, the modern English Setter was developed in the 19th century by Edward Laverack (an Englishman) and R.L. Purcell Llewellin, a Welshman.

 

“Laverack bred his dogs for their looks and hunting ability,” says Sillman. “Llewellin bred his dogs using Laverack stock and he exhibited his dogs at shows. He was also highly successful with his dogs at field trials.”

 

English Setters made their way to America in the late 1800s just as field trials became popular. “The English Setter Association was founded in 1931 by breeders primarily interested in conformation showing,” Sillman adds. English Setters are an elegant sight in a show ring, with their sculpted heads, flowing coats and tails and athletic bodies.

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