The English setter's trademark is its long flowing coat, which helped the early members of the breed to withstand the rigors of the British climate. The coat is accented with fringes, also known as feathering or furnishings, that stream from the ears, chest, belly, legs and tail. For better or for worse the setter's coat works like a broom in field and forest, sweeping up twigs, burrs and weeds that do not begin to cling to pointers. Setter people have their own sweeping to do at home, where a resolute vacuum cleaner is essential. Yet even though the long coat is inconvenient, it is treasured by setter lovers.
The Sunniness Never Sets
Because most people get their food from the supermarket today, the original purpose for which the English setter was bred assisting his master in the hunt is not terribly relevant to modern life. English setters now hunt for their own or their owners' pleasures, not out of necessity. Nonetheless, the congenial disposition of English setters makes them treasured friends and companions.
English setters have a sunny, people oriented outlook. They adore being with their families, riding in the car, reclining on the couch sleeping in the bed and sitting on your lap, which, because of their size they usually overflow. They love the hearth as much as the heath. They are patient nannies for children, and devoted, loving companions for adults. Living with an English setter means never having to say you are lonely.
Ready, Set, Game
The English setter is a sporting breed that finds and indicates the location of upland game birds - quail, pheasant and grouse. Setters use their hypnotic power to hold a bird in place until the hunter flushes it and shoots. Setters with advanced training also retrieve downed birds. If bred for fieldwork, English setters are big-running hunters whose handlers ride horses to keep their dogs in sight. If bred for show, the English setter usually retains his hunting instincts as a personal gun dog, working sufficiently close so that the hunter can follow on foot.
The Setter's Roots
The English, Gordon and Irish setters are all believed to have descended from the setting spaniel, which probably originated in Spain. Long before guns were invented, the setting spaniel was used to help hunters trap birds. The dog would air-scent its quarry, approach stealthily without barking, then drop to its belly (set) when it found birds. The hunter would throw a huge net over the area the dog had indicated, and often over the dog itself, before making a noise to flush the birds, which would ensnare themselves in the net, yielding an easy harvest. This method of hunting was recorded in tapestries and manuscript illustrations as early as the 14th century.
At first any dog that performed the setting action was called a setter, even if it was a greyhound or some other breed. Gradually, because of their superior ability to find and to indicate birds more consistently than other dogs could, setting spaniels became hunters' favorites and, as a result, the forebears of modern setters.
In the early 1800s hunters began using guns instead of nets to bag birds. The gun demanded a setter with an upright pointing style because the crouching setter was harder to see - and easy to shoot by mistake. Thus, the modern English setter was developed through selective breeding during the 19th century.
British Gentry
Much of the credit for the cultivation of today's setter goes to the Englishman Edward Lavarack. In 1825 Lavarack acquired two setters, Ponto and Old Moll were Lavarack's Adam and Eve. He bred their descendants for the next 40 years or so. Early on he produced a dog named Dash, who figures prominently in most Lavarack pedigrees. Lavarack claimed to breed "in and in" - that is, to breed close relatives such as mother and son or brother and sister - until his strain was pure and his dogs' type was set. His name is given to what became the English setter show dog.
Another breeder to whom credit is due for developing the modern English setter is the Welshman R. L. Purcell Llewellyn for whom Llewellyn setters have been named. Llewellyn setters are not a separate breed. The name is simply another designation for a field English setter.
Llewellyn was adventurous in his pursuit of the perfect field setter, breeding Gordon and Irish setters to Lavarack's stock. Though he never got exactly what he wanted, many others were delighted with his dogs, and Llewellyn setters were among the top-winning field trial dogs of his day.
Coming to America
English setters were introduced to America in the mid-1800s. Indeed, the first dog listed in the American Kennel Club Stud Book, which was published initially in 1879, was an English setter. From the time they arrived in this country English setters have enjoyed an enthusiastic, though small, following. Many English setter breeders feel the breed's relative scarcity has been a blessing because it has helped to keep English setters smaller than the demand and, with few exceptions, to keep English setters out of pet shops and animal shelters. In 1995 English setters ranked 83rd in new registrations among the 140 breeds then recognized by the American Kennel Club. A total of 938 English setters from 201 litters, an average of nearly five pups per litter, were registered in 1995.
Form Follows Function
The original function of the English setter, bird hunting, dictated his structure. He is built for running and endurance, with a deep chest and well-sprung ribs to give him plenty of lung room. His long, lean neck and streamlined body help to create a look of elegance in the setter, who is further characterized by square, brick-on-brick shaped head with a squared muzzle.
The setter is most agile and athletic, able to turn on a dime at a full gallop. His strong legs and long stride allow him to devour distance. Ask English setter owners to name the most beautiful sight in the world, and they will say it is a setter running free through an open field with his ears steaming, feather flowing and pennant tail waving behind.
Maintenance
Companion dogs must be brushed thoroughly every week to remove mats and should be bathed about once a month. Use a natural bristle brush on the body to remove loose hairs and to promote shine. Use a pin brush or slicker brush in the feathers to separate the hair and to remove tangles. Clippers are another fundamental grooming tool if an owner plans to keep a setter's coat trimmed for easy maintenance. Many setter owners who may not have the time, skill or patience to groom their own dogs find it more convenient to take them to a groomer once a month or so.
A setters toenails should be clipped about once a week, and his teeth should be brushed weekly to remove tartar. As with any drop-eared dog, the setter's closed ear canal can harbor dirt, wax and bacteria. Owners should look inside their setter's ears each week (or whenever a dog is scratching at its ears). Most of the time, everything will be fine. Occasionally, a dark, waxy buildup or a foul odor can be detected. That is the signal to get out the ear cleaner and cotton balls. Pour a few drops of ear cleaner into the ear canal, fold the outside flap of the ear over the ear opening and massage gently at the base of the ear next to the skull. Then wipe out the debris with a cotton ball.
Show dogs need daily brushing and weekly baths, and most breeders recommend a fatty acid coat supplement to give the coat a gloss. Instead of clipping the body, owners groom their show dog's back coats by hand, using stripping knives and pumice stones. This sort of grooming is an art that must be learned from an expert.
Keeping Fit
English setters must have regular, vigorous exercise for health and happiness. Their owners should enjoy taking frequent long walks with them. A fence yard, preferably a large, fenced yard, is a must.
Aptitudes and Attitudes
English setters can be trained to do most anything other breeds do except herding. (A setter would instinctively chase rather than surround a flock.) They can master obedience exercises, but training an English setter is more work than is training some other breeds. Their temperament is "soft," that is, they are very sensitive to criticism. If you tell your setter you are unhappy with him, he will be so devastated that he will not want to repeat the behavior that disappointed you.
Here's the Deal
An English setter has a mild expression and dark round eyes that could melt the heart of Saddam Hussein. This breed's loving disposition and agreeable nature are the stuff of which family ties are made. In exchange for one or two square meals a day, frequent romps and a chance to be with you, an English setter offers loyalty and unconditional love. You can suffer a demotion at the office, strike out with the bases loaded, gain 150 pounds stick your foot deep in your mouth or turn completely gray and wrinkled, and your English setter will love you just the same. That is a pretty good deal.
Inherited Defects
The main inherited genetic problems in English setters are hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia and deafness.
Canine hip dysplasia: The hip joint is a ball and socket arrangement in which the ball (the head of the femur bone) fits into the socket (acetabulum). Ideally, the fit is tight, like putting a tennis ball into a cup. Hip Dysplasia occurs when the cup-tight fit does not exist, either because of a small femoral head or a shallow socket. Dogs afflicted with hip dysplasia can become increasingly lame until there is no choice but to euthanize them. Selective breeding has reduced the incidence of hip dysplasia in English setters from about 30 to 20 percent. Like all genetic diseases, hip dysplasia is not well understood. We do know, however, that the expression of the trait in dogs with a genetic predisposition toward it can be inhibited by nutrition, weight control and exercise. Persons interested in buying an English setter should consider only those puppies whose parents' hips have been certified free of dysplasia as indicated by readings of hip x-rays by the Orthopedic Foundation of America (OFA). The OFA grades hip x-rays, which must be taken after a dog is at least two years old, as excellent, good, fair, borderline or dysplastic.
Elbow dysplasia: This disease is also caused by a less-than-ideal fit between bone and joint, this time between the foreleg and the upper arm. Lameness and pain characterize elbow dysplasia, and affected dogs will be lame in one or both of their front legs. Elbow dysplasia is often manifest sooner than is hip dysplasia. English setter breeders have become aware of this disease as a problem in the breed only recently, so very little is known about the incidence or inheritance factors. Nutrition and exercise play a role in its manifestation. Presence of the disease can be confirmed by x-rays interpreted by the OFA.
Deafness: Congenital deafness seems to be linked to the gene that produces the white color in both English setters and Dalmatians. About 10 percent of English setters are affected with bilateral or unilateral deafness. Dogs that are deaf in both ears (bilateral) are easy to diagnose and to remove from a breeding program. Those that are deaf in only one ear (unilateral) hear well enough to seem odd and eccentric, but their owners may not know that their dogs' strange behavior is caused by deafness. These dogs can hear sounds but seem to have trouble locating their sources. Noises can easily startle or frighten them, and this can cause them to be unreliable pets. Deafness can be diagnosed by the Brainstem Auditory Emission Response (BAER) test, available at veterinary schools and at large clinics, in which electrodes are placed on the dog's head to record the brain's response to a clocking sound in the ear. Puppies can be tested as soon as they are old enough to go to the vet's office. If a pup is found to have normal hearing after being BAER tested, that pup will not develop deafness unless he suffers an ear injury or an illness that affects hearing. Again, people interested in English setters can maximize their chances of getting a normal-hearing dog by choosing a puppy whose parents can hear in both ears.
Where to Find One
If you would like more information about English setters, or if you want the names of breeders near you, contact the English Setter Association of America, Secretary Dawn Ronyak, 114 S. Burlington, Oval Dr., Chardon, OH 44024; (216) 285-4581.
Vital Statistics
The English is the smallest of the three setters. Females stand, on average, 23 to 25 inches at the withers (shoulders). Males stand 24 to 26 inches. Females weigh between 45 and 55 pounds; males, between 60 and 75.
To the Rescue
No comments:
Post a Comment