SETTER

any of three sporting dogs used in pointing birds. Setters are derived from a medieval hunting dog, the setting spaniel, that was trained to find birds and then to set (i.e., crouch or lie down) so that a net could be thrown over the birds and the dog. The English setter has served as a hunter for more than 400 years and has been bred in its present form since about 1825. Characteristically rugged yet aristocratic in appearance, it stands 61 to 63.5 cm (24 to 25 inches) and weighs 23 to 32 kg (50 to 70 pounds). Like the other setters, it has a long head, hanging ears, a deep chest, and a pointed tail, and its coat is longer on the ears, chest, legs, and tail. A valued hunter and companion dog, the English setter may be all white, black and white-and-tan, or white flecked with a darker colour. The Gordon, or black-and-tan, setter dates from 17th-century Scotland and is named for the Duke of Gordon, whose kennels brought the breed to prominence. The Gordon stands 58 to 69 cm (23 to 27 inches) and weighs 20 to 32 kg (44 to 70 pounds). Its soft, wavy coat is black with tan on the head, throat, chest, and legs. Noted for its appearance and loyalty, the Gordon setter is generally methodical in the field. Irish setter. The Irish setter, renowned for its elegant build and its bright, mahogany-coloured coat, was bred as a gun dog in early 18th-century Ireland. Probably of English and Gordon setter, spaniel, and pointer ancestry, it stands about 64 to 69 cm (25 to 27 inches) and weighs 27 to 32 kg (60 to 70 pounds). Its coat is straight and flat; originally red-brown and white, solid colours are now preferred. The Irish setter is noted for being good-tempered and swift in the field. See the Table of Selected Breeds of Sporting Dogs for further information.