Fun English Setter Facts For Kids

The English setter dog breed is a gun dog used before the invention of shotguns on hunts by smelling the prey's scent. It is one of the oldest gun dogs.

This breed is known as 'setting spaniel' because its forerunners belong to the Spanish pointer, French pointer, and various Spaniels. This beautiful and obedient dog was developed in England in the 14th century.

This breed belongs to the 'setter' group. English setter hunting skills exhibit versatile setting posture; due to this reason, they are called setter dogs. They are available in five colors: blue Belton, Tan Belton, lemon Belton, orange Belton, and liver Belton.

This dog originated in Britain and is also found in the United States and Canada. These dogs are skilled hunters with friendly and playful nature.

Curious to know more about the English setter? Check our exciting and fun facts below. Don't miss out on our other guides to the Kelpie dog and Saint Bernard too!

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English Setter Interesting Facts

What type of animal is an English setter?

The English Setter setter is an active and energetic dog with a white body coat and flat silky, feathered hair under the body, ears, behind the legs, tail, and chest. This gentle dog is very active and friendly with children and owners. It belongs to the sporting group, and it is one of the favorites among dog breeders.

What class of animal does an English setter belong to?

The English setter belongs to the family Canidae, class Mammalia, with the scientific name Canis lupus familiaris.

How many English setters are there in the world?

The exact number of English setters around the world is not known, but it is observed that based on the AKC and FDSB studies, there are almost 30-40 thousand English setters in America. Italian people are big fans of these English setter dogs.

Where does an English setter live?

These adorable dogs are very enthusiastic and energetic. They are suitable to reside in houses with an extended backyard.

If they are given a chance to live in a house without fencing, there may be chances of them running off. This dog needs plenty of exercise and loves running and exploring, so it should be kept in a perfectly safe long yard with fencing. They are not apartment-friendly dogs.

What is an English setter's habitat?

This breed is famous for hunting game birds and has a high prey drive. These hunting dogs' natural habitats are plains and fields, where game birds are hunted.

Who do English setters live with?

English setters enjoy living in packs and like to be around in groups, with people. These gentle dog breeds love to be included as part of the family and do not like being left in the backyard or dog shelters. They are kid-friendly dogs.

These dogs are also friendly with other canines, but because of their high prey drive, an owner should take care of cats. 'Velcro dog' behavior is typical in this dog and it gets emotionally stressed if left alone. This compassionate dog is not suitable for busy, isolated, and lazy people.

How long does an English setter live?

The English setter's life span ranges from 10-12 years. However, the average life expectancy depends on many characteristics such as diet, general health conditions, health problems, exercise, breed, and dog size.

How do they reproduce?

This species' reproduction process is generally sexual reproduction and follows the estrus cycles that every dog breed follows. The reproduction cycle happens in four phases (Proestrus, Estrus, Diestrus, Anestrus), and the gestation period of a female English setter is between 60-64 days. An English setter's litter size is generally between four to six puppies.

What is their conservation status?

England's The Kennel Club, in 2011, included English setter in the Endangered list. Conservation status on the IUCN Red list is Not Evaluated.

English Setter Fun Facts

What do English setters look like?

English setters are amicable dogs with medium structure, sculpted heads, floppy ears, and colored patches all over the body. It has a long neck with dark brown eyes. This dog has different speckled coats on its white-coated background, called 'Belton'.

When talking about the English setter's temperament, they are brilliant and strong-willed dogs with an ability to learn new things quickly. As they shed moderately, the English setter needs regular brushing and a weekly bath. The English setter mixes well with strangers.

How cute are they?

The English setter is named 'the gentleman of the dog world ' (as per the AKC) and is the most adorable dog with loyalty and cuteness. Its innocent looks, activeness, and playfulness attract your attention.

Their eagerness to grab the owner's attention wins your heart. The cute part is this gun dog adapts to the new environment and people very quickly.

How do they communicate?

The English setter communicates through body and vocalization methods. As they are watchdogs, they bark a lot when strangers try to approach them. They communicate through barking, growling, whines, and whimpers.

This breed communicates to its owners by pointing out the prey nearby by raising their paw. When this dog identifies its prey, it freezes its body, and points in the direction of the prey. When stressed out, it ends up digging holes in fields or lawns.

How big is an English setter?

The English setter is a medium-sized dog with a well-built, athletic body. A male English setter's average height is around 25-27 in (63.5-68.6 cm), and a female English setter stands 23-25 in (58.4-63.5 cm) in height. The English setter size is two times bigger than English Cocker Spaniel.

How fast can an English setter run?

These dog breeds are very active and like walking at a fast pace. Besides walking, this dog loves swimming (serving as waterdogs), lying in the sun for hours, participating in dog events, and learning new tricks. The average speed of this breed is 4 mph (6.4 kph).

How much does an English setter weigh?

The average weight of a male English Setter setter is around 67.5 lb (30.5 kg) 65-80 lb (29.5-36.3 kg), and a female weighs around 57.5 lb (26 kg) 45-60 lb (20.4-27.2 kg). However, weight depends on many factors such as diet, physical activities, and breed.

What are their male and female names of the species?

Male and female English setters do not have specific names for each gender. They are simply known as a male English Setter setter or female English setter.

What would you call a baby English setter?

Young English setters are called English setter puppies. The English setter puppy needs a lot of exercise. Proper care should be taken while training them as they have very sensitive bones. They may cost around $800-1200.

What do they eat?

Their diet depends on various factors such as activities they are engaged in, and their weight, size, and breed . The English setter is given a protein-rich diet.

Chicken, beef, and meat are the best options. Vegetable proteins should be given in very least quantities as they are hard to digest. Various types of dog foods are available in the market that matches this breed's nutrient requirements.

The English setter puppies need to be fed three times per day. Once they reach adult stage, protein-rich food twice a day that covers around 1100 Kcal is advised. The owners should always keep an eye on the English setter's weight, as they are prone to obesity. Regular exercise and an active lifestyle can tackle the obesity problem.

Are they slobbery?

Slobberiness is the tendency to release saliva by a particular species. The English setter is a low slobbery dog.

Would they make a good pet?

An adult English setter is an enjoyable dog; it likes to be around kids and family members and other pet dogs. It serves as a protective dog, and the English setter needs many physical activities. It makes a good pet for a family that has an active lifestyle.

It may be independent and stubborn sometimes, and you should start English setter training from the puppyhood stage by teaching them small words like 'sit,' 'good', and other such words. Training them when young makes it easy to socialize them. Never forget to give them a treat once they complete a task. It works wonders on their emotions.

Did you know...

President Roosevelt was a big fan of dogs and was famous for 'First Dogs'. Winks was one of his pets, which was a purebred Llewellin English Setter with a black mark around his left eye.

The other Setter dogs are Irish, Gordon, Irish Red and White Setter.

Llewellin Setter vs. English Setter: Llewellin setters may be a type of English Setter, but the English Setter is not always a Llewellin one; they may be Laverack Setter also.

They are prone to health conditions like hip dysplasia, hypothyroidism, deafness, and elbow dysplasia.

This rare version is ranked 98 by the American Kennel Club.

How was the English Setter used as a status symbol?

For centuries pets have been considered a status symbol. In modern and commercial society, owning a famous breed is considered a great status symbol other than wealth and material virtues.

Back in history, the English Setters were purely used for hunting purposes. In past centuries hunting was not a commoner's job; only high society people such as dukes and countesses were allowed to hunt.

In the early 17th century, in England, owning an English Setter was considered a status symbol, and ordinary people were not allowed to adopt these dogs.

What different breeds make up the English Setter?

English Setters are divided into two types. Laveracks and Llewellin Setters. Edward Laverack and R. Purcell Llewellin owned this modern breed's credit of appearance.

The Laverack Setter is larger in size and has a more feathering coat, and points its tail straight to near level. The Llewellin English Setter serves best as a field dog with less feathered coats and small size, and larger patches on white background. The Lewellen English Setter points its tail straight up.

Before 1825, English Setters were breeds that exhibited qualities of different dog breeds and didn't have standard traits. Edward Laverack took the initiative to give an English Setter a standard pure breed position.

He took pure breeds Ponto (male dog) and Old Moll (bitch) and inbred them and discovered a pure show-based English Setter.

This pure breed has standard English Setter's qualities, which work best in show rings rather than field trails. We can say that Laverack setters are an outcome of crossbreeding between the Spanish Pointer and Irish Setter.

Later, Purcell Llewellin took Laverack-type dogs and cross-bred them with Gordon Setter and some different breeds to generate a breed that performs well in the fields. This breed runs fast and has a unique scenting ability.

Later both types of dogs were exported to Canada and the United States in the late 1800s.

Ryman's are large and beautiful Setters who serve as working dogs for foot hunters. They serve both as field dogs as well as show dogs. They are available in blue or orange Belton colors.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other mammals including Toy Poodle, or Airedale Terrier.

You can even occupy yourself at home by drawing one on our English setter coloring pages.