English Setter - description of the breed and character of the dog

Setters are the most popular kind of cops. The beauty and grace of these dogs was admired by famous artists of the 19th century. For example, F. Palmer expressed it in his film “Snipe Hunt”.

Story

Each dog breed has its own history of origin. The English Setter breed is known from January 28, 1859. On this date, it was first presented at the exhibition and received universal recognition. Edward Laverak (1797-1877) has been involved in improving the quality of the breed for more than 30 years. Careful selection, selection and inbreeding led the English setter to its current noble appearance. Opinions about the true ancestors of the setters diverge significantly. Like any breed, there are a lot of legends about the true origin of the setter.According to some evidence, the roots of the breed could even be of Spanish origin. But a number of other specialists, including the passionate lover of this breed Laverak, were convinced that their ancestors were primitive spaniels brought from the British Isles. However that may be, the United Kingdom is recognized as the official homeland of the English Setter.

A short time after the statement of the breed about itself, its breeders had competitors. Tom Stidman organized a nursery breeding setters for exhibitions. But when breeding, Stidman did not take into account the working qualities of the breed. This is how the set of mollweids came into being: beautiful and graceful, not having large spotted tricolor dogs. As exhibitions evolved, the requirements for color setters began to tighten and large stains in color became less desirable. However, the hunters preferred to keep the setters with only large spots, bred by Laverak.

Contributed to the breed and the famous English breeder Richard Pursel Luellin. He acquired a few setters in the Laveraka kennel, and then mixed them with some other breeds.As a result, there was an easy field dog, well-proven in sports. Pets Lyuellyn enjoyed in England very widespread demand.

Appearance

Squat physique and movements, like a feline, distinguish the English setter from most other breeds. Elegant refinement, extraordinary endurance and beauty are gracefully combined in this dog. Connoisseurs highly appreciated the incomparable beauty of the setters, which served to immense popularity of this breed not only in the homeland, but also far beyond its borders.

Inherent in the breed mottling color distinguishes it from many others. Monochrome setters do not exist. Their color consists of two or three colors. The main color of the coat is always white. The most valuable are the pets with the smallest spots.

The coat is thick and silky, slightly wavy in the hips, evenly covering the body of the dog. On the head and front legs the coat is short. On the hind limbs, the inner side of the thigh, the abdomen, the sternum and the ears, there are towing. The tail is decorated with an impressive suspension of long wool.

English setters are tightly built dogs of small stature. Males reach 69 cm at the withers, bitches lower - up to 65 cm. The dog has an excellent physique: a proud, highly raised posture, a graceful body, slightly protruding forward with strong breasts and a slightly extended head.

The special structure of the tail allows you to constantly keep it in a vertical position flush with your back.

Have a gentle calm disposition, quickly go to contact with the owner, easy to train.

Characteristics of the breed:

• high set oval head;
• from forehead to face there is a pronounced fracture;
• nose black or brown, nostrils dilated;
• Slightly sagging;
• the eyes are very expressive;
• low-set ears are low over the cheekbones;
• scissor bite;
• high neck;
• back straight, shortened;
• tail shape is like a feather;
• legs have roundness;
• developed thigh muscles;
• straight parallel limbs.

The breed is hunting. Setter likes to explore wide spaces, even if there are no living creatures in these territories. The breed is very energetic and hardy.It can run at a gallop, which looks very impressive from the outside. Perfectly shows itself on hunting in various districts.

Setters take a very interesting stand at the sight of game. The dog slows down the run and leads the game, moving on half-bent legs, barely touching the ground with his chest. Hunters call this maneuver feline. Watching a setter hunt is amazing.

Characteristic habits

In the old days, setters were widely used in the hunt for wild birds. They can be great helpers for a person. Modern hunters and now do not neglect this breed, going along with the pet to hunt. Due to the highly developed hearing, the dog is able to hear the game at a great distance. And it is worth her notice the object of hunting, wild instincts prevail. In this situation, the setter stops paying attention to the host commands and slowly crawls across the terrain until it becomes possible to pounce on the prey.

Individuals who are not able to get on the hunt, live a slightly different life. But they show themselves as excellent companions, they are very friendly to small children, they love their owners with all their hearts.

English setter should not be acquired in cases where:

1. The owner can not walk the dog daily.
2. The area of ​​the apartment is small and difficult to move around the rooms.
3. The dog is forced to spend many hours alone due to the busy owners. This breed needs constant communication.

Basics of English Setter Care

These dogs do not require complex care.

First of all, provide them with the necessary physical exertion. Walking this dog must be at least 1 time a day. During the walk, the setter should run to a state of mild fatigue. Walk time must be at least 1 hour. Small puppies should be taken out for less time. A 10-minute walk is enough.

The care of the hair and skin of the English Setter is quite simple. It is advisable to purchase a massage glove and clean the coat of the animal's coat daily. After removing the excess wool, the procedure can be completed by wiping with a wet towel. If you carry out such actions regularly, the dog will be in the necessary purity. Do not abuse bathing, as they can harm the dog's skin. The procedure with rubdowns is particularly suitable for the care of puppies who do not like to swim.

It is important to regularly comb the dog, cut the tangled wool.The fur under the ears, on the sternum and on the paws between the pads is also trimmed.

Fact! The quality of the English Setter's wool depends to a greater extent on the conditions of detention rather than seasonal moulting. Climate conditions can also have a negative effect on animal fur.

To give shine to the coat, it is recommended to use lanolin. It will become irreplaceable if the setter lives in the conditions of arid climate. Before using this tool, be sure to moisten the coat of the animal. Bathing is carried out only in case of contamination of the animal. The dog will go to the benefit of swimming in the reservoirs, as well as pouring water in the summer.

At the end of walking the dog can be combed with a brush. Usually the dog is combed once every two weeks, first with a rare comb, then with a frequent comb. The mats are removed by thinning scissors.

Checking the length of the claws and their trimming is also an important procedure. It is convenient to make actions with scissors or kogterezom.

It is very important to help your pet maintain ear hygiene. Ear diseases are common in pets from 2 months. Sources of disease can be accumulations of sulfur and ticks.If ear hygiene is not observed, ear otitis may develop. A sick dog begins to tilt its head to the sore side and scratch it. This is caused by severe itching. If such signs are noticed, the setter should be shown to the veterinarian as soon as possible. Launched disease cures much more difficult.

The owner must also monitor the state of the teeth of the setter. It is important to remove tartar in time with a toothbrush or other special devices. Excellent help to cope with tartar crushing bones and similar items.

Require regular care and eyes setter. It is necessary to wash them with a cotton swab moistened with cold water. If the dog's eyes are watering, you need to inspect, lifting her eyelids. If foreign particles are found, wash the eyes with plenty of water.

If the animal is going to be used in exhibitions, it is necessary to acquire additional items: a stripping comb, a clipper, a knife, and a spray with lanolin. Shortly before the show, the dog is bathed with a neutral shampoo, the balm is rubbed and rinsed.Drying wool is done with a wipe with a mitten in the direction of hair growth. Dried coat is treated with lanolin along the spine.

To maintain the health of the dog, it is imperative to regularly carry out preventive measures against fleas, ticks and worms. First of all it concerns working dogs.

Feeding

The big plus of the representatives of the breed is that they are able to independently limit the amount of food consumed. Therefore, these dogs are not overweight.

You need to put your pet food in a bowl and give it to eat. Having fed, the dog will stop eating itself. When the dog eats, the remains should be removed. If she has eaten everything and asks for supplements, her desire should be satisfied. It is important to understand that each dog has individual characteristics. And if one requires a small amount of food for proper development, the other may require more food.

Food, above all, must be balanced, include the necessary vitamins and minerals. This is especially true of the growth period. With malnutrition, puppy growth may slow down and he will not reach the desired size.Allegations of unwanted mixing of dry and wet food, as well as dry and natural food, are not always true.

Note! Setter is forbidden to include in the diet any sweet and salty food, flour products, starch, potatoes. All of the above can trigger the development of diabetes, and even the death of the animal.

It is very useful to include in the diet of vegetables and fruits, lean beef, sea and ocean fish (it is better if it is a fillet). Replacing meat with fish is allowed two to three times a week.

Feeding puppies, starting from 2 months, should be 3 times a day. Once a day, be sure to give your baby milk and dairy products. For example, in the morning, you can give fermented milk products. It is useful to mix low-fat cottage cheese with low-fat kefir (yogurt).

Training

English setters differ in intelligence and abilities. Both they and their owner enjoy the training. Setter puppies are allowed to train from a young age. The earlier the better. So it will be easier for them to execute commands. It is recommended to put a light collar on a puppy from 4 months.After that, you can start gradual training for walks. At first, the puppy will try to escape or even refuse to walk, but if you do not resort to rudeness, the baby will quickly calm down and adapt. The first such exercises are best done in a quiet place, then you can gradually accustom the puppy to noise and strangers.

Aportirovanie better start with soft balls and cylindrical objects. It is necessary to give a puppy a sniff and then throw a short distance in front of you. It is possible that the English Setter puppy does not immediately understand what is required of him. In this case, do not scold the pet. It will be better to repeat the exercise a few more times without making high demands on the puppy.

Teams are usually easily acquired by the dog, but if it is further encouraged by petting and goodies, it will be even harder to do everything correctly. If an adult animal does not obey, in spite of great love for him, it will be necessary to apply punishment. But in no case can you use physical force. The animal will understand when it is punished with a rough voice. In the worst case, you can slightly hit it with a thin sprig, in order to fulfill the necessary command.

The English setter learns commands often much faster than representatives of other breeds.This dog has such a look that it seems as if she understands every word. Very often, an animal can memorize orders the first time. Training of these dogs usually does not cause difficulties, and passes quickly and easily.

The relationship of dogs with children

Children can walk the animal on their own. There is no risk that the dog will fall off the leash and run away. A muzzle when walking is also not required. The setter is very good-natured and will not rush on passers-by. He simply will not pay attention to them.

The English setter greets the guests cheerfully, giving various signs of their predisposition. He wags his tail and in every way shows his joy.

Setters get along well with other pets. Cats adjacent to the apartment with a dog, does not threaten.

Tips for purchasing an English Setter

Start a puppy preferably at the age of two months.At this age, he will quickly get used to his new family. It is noteworthy that the nature of the bitches is more appeasable, but they are less suitable for hunting, since about 2 weeks a year they are in heat. During this period, the dog can not be used as a hunting. Males are more hardy and in shape all year round. But their temperament is somewhat excitable, and a sense of discipline is less developed.

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