The setter is a hunting dog breed selected both for the retrieving of birds such as quail, partridge, snipe and pheasant, and for the point, an activity in which these dogs are truly unrivalled. It is no coincidence that setters owe their name to precisely this latter behaviour — that of freezing (in English to set) by pointing their muzzle at the quarry to be flushed. Most members of the breed are born with a natural predisposition for hunting: training then has the task of further developing that instinct. There are the English setter, the Irish setter and the Scottish setter (otherwise known as the Gordon setter). It is the English setter — perhaps the most famous of the three — that we shall begin to look at.

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The English setter and its development

The origins of the English setter are dated to the 1500s, when Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, had by his side what would become, three centuries later, the definitive English setter as we know it today. This was a dog most likely descended from spaniels imported from Spain during various English conquests.

It was not until the 1800s, however, that Sir Edward Laverack, a wealthy Anglo-Saxon nobleman, set about refining the breed and establishing a precise standard for it. Laverack was greatly interested in one particular characteristic of this dog: that of flushing prey. Through an increasingly targeted series of selections he managed to stabilise and render innate this behaviour, until, having moved to the countryside, he began to create the breed as it exists today. In 1825, Ponto and Old Moll were born — a pair of English setters destined to become the true ancestors of today's specimens. The subsequent crosses were Laverack's means of eliminating many nervous traits from these dogs and of stabilising their temperament.

Temperament and morphology

The English setter has a magnificent coat, shared indeed by the other members of the breed. The fur is smooth, silky, long and slightly wavy. Its colour variations are several. English setters can be found in the blue belton (white and black with a bluish tinge), orange belton (white and orange) and liver belton (white and brown) variants. There is even a tricolour English setter that displays dark patches and tan markings on a white ground.

This is a medium-sized dog: at the withers it measures 56–63 cm, while its weight settles between 20 and 30 kg, which must never be exceeded, lest it lose its innate elegance and grace of movement. The English setter is a dog with a toned musculature, ideally suited to hunting. Nevertheless, the gentleness of its temperament and its extreme adaptability to any situation also make it a perfect companion dog that takes equally well to flat living, provided it is given long daily walks and the occasional outing in the countryside at weekends.

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The English setter, health and daily care

The English setter — like its Irish and Scottish "siblings" — generally enjoys excellent health. "There are English setters that comfortably reach 17 years of age. It is a long-lived breed with no particular pathologies to its name," explains Dr Cinzia Cortelezzi, veterinary surgeon.

As for daily care, a brush every two or three days is an ideal solution, especially if the dog goes out into the countryside or lives in a garden. The English setter's soft coat readily collects dirt and dust, and must be kept clean to prevent parasites and dermatological problems. A proper diet for this splendid dog of innate elegance will help it avoid putting on excess weight and unnecessary kilograms — and will ensure its wellbeing and health for many happy years to come.