Looking for info

[Born2Hunt]

Sad to say that I had to put my youngest and best gsp down last week. Now I'm left with my 13 year old vizsla who's sight and hearing are going so I want to get another pup. I have always had gsp and vizsla but am now considering a setter. I have two teenage kids and the dog will be an inside part of the family dog. Just looking for some info on how their temperaments are , how trainable the are, how good inside the house and so on. Are they close hunting All help is appreciated. Thx

[Angus]

I believe when it comes to Setters; the amount of variety within the breed is endless. Anyone can find a setter that they are looking for be it Horeback trials, close working, to couch potato. The hardest part is finding a line/breeder that would fit your needs, then go see teh dogs work and hunt before purchasing.

My Setter is young yet. His range varies with terrain, but works at the edge of Bell range on average.

Most setters I have met are lovable fur balls. Just happy friendly dogs.

My setter is pretty soft and needs positive training. Big difference from the labs I had for years. Being you own a Viszla, I would guess that the training would be similar.

In th house as a pup he was a handful. He is fine now at 2.5 yo. and has the "Switch" that many look for in a dog, but can still be a little mischievous if he doesn't get his daily exercise. Plays well with our cats, dogs, and kid inside.


Other setters I know personally are about the same way.

[shags]

Sorry about the loss of your dog

You can't really characterize an entire breed - there are lots of setters that will fill your criteria and there are some that won't. Do a lot of research and ask questions about breeders and lines and you'll have a better chance of getting the kind of dog you want.

We have five setters living in our house, and they are all good dogs. My four males are intact and they don't mark indoors or do other gross things. My spayed female is a close worker, and the boys run much bigger ( but that is what I want and why I went with their bloodlines). Four of my dogs are easily trainable, but one is a bonehead and was a challenge. My female is a rescue so I don't know her background, but she is good with kids, and so is my puppy. The other three didn't have exposure to rugrats when they were young, so I'm careful when little kids are visiting.

Shedding isn't a huge issue like with labs, but I vacuum every day because I like my house tidy. My dogs get body clipped in late spring and midsummer, and bathed maybe 4 times a year.

None of them have chronic health problems.

So much depends on early socialization and training. If you choose a bold and friendly pup from a reputable breeder you can bring him up to be the kind of dog you desire.

Good luck, and have fun with your search

[DonF]

I love my guy's but they started fast and finished slow. I think Red Delicious has one male pup left to sell. I saw them a couple weeks ago and nice pup's. They will be ready to go before Christmas.

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Dad, Robert, on point
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Mom, Breelie, with Craig. 2010-11 AFTCA Region 10 shooting Dog of the Year
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BTW, I think Craig is back up on the North Slope now but he has a computer up there.

[RayGubernat]

The person who stated that the variety in setters is endless...got it right.

I think they are, as a breed, very much a people kind of dog and very "plastic" in terms of molding themselves into the kind of dog their owner wants them to be.

I was at a trial this weekend and got to spend just a bit of time with Grand Heritage Motion(Mo) who was last year's Setter of the year for horseback shooting dogs stakes. That, by the way, is just about as high octane and major league as it gets in setters.

He was as calm as dishwater and he looked right into your eyes(and right through me btw) with no fear, no hesitation and when I scratched his chin, he just tilted his head and never broke eye contact. That is the kind of dog that you can do darn near anything with.

The trainer said that he is not generally allowed in the house because he HAS to be right with them ALL the time. When they sit, Mo is sitting in their lap, if they lay down, Mo is laying on top of them.

You could do a lot worse than get a setter for your family. Good luck on your search.

RayG

[Sharon]

2 setters in the house now - 12 and 8. . Never had any problems. One is loving ; one is aloof.

[Born2Hunt]

Thanks for the info. How do the different types of setters compare is the Irish red better than the Llewelyn or is it just preference. Thx

[shags]

Define "better".

It's a matter of what you like and with the setter breeds it pretty much breaks down to which color you prefer. You'll be looking at your dog for 13-15 years if you're lucky, so you might as well get one you like to look at. Personality, trainability, style, range, etc is individual to each dog so you ought not to pick a breed because it's supposed to be someway or other.

Don't forget to check out Gordon setters, too. There are Irish Red and Whites as well, as long as you're at it.

[SetterNut]

I have had all the setters other than the Red and White.
Basically you can get what ever you want, it just takes some investigation.

I have two Llewellins right now and they are outstanding in the house and in the field.
Look at the Gordons as well, there are a lot of good Gordons now.

[BigJake]

What people are telling you is true, the variety in setters is endless. I have had Springers, pointers, and now a ryman type setter. The dogs are very lovable, great with kids and other animals. You have to really study the lines though because of such a vast range in them. My ryman is slow to develop, very close working, and very soft. I work at a kennel that raises the gsp, great dogs, definitely more hard charging than my ryman, we hit the fields and those gsp's work there but off. I have a red setter coming in the spring, one that will have a little more zip than my ryman and hunt closer to the way the gsp hunts. I have really fallen in love with the temperament of the setters, have not found one I haven't liked yet. I plan to try them all out, red setter, the Gordon, and the English. The English has the biggest gene pool, you have the show dogs:( ryman/hemlock, llewellins, and the field. Plus there is a great variety in each line, everything from the very close working with a heavy coat, to the light coated Thunder bolts:) Look, study, learn, and listen to as many breeders possible and you will find a setter that fits your needs, good luck.

[Moulders Farm]

I Breed Llewellins They are a great breed . I have several Referns that most will tell you from the time they took there puppy home. House training was easy they love to please there owners . how ever they need to run at least 2 of my puppys run mearthons with there owners , watch if you wont a close hunting llewellin as in all breeds pick a breeder that raises walking dogs not horse back . My dogs have a lot of drive but hunt close back & forth . They are natural pointing , reterving plus train to back real easy . I will have a litter on ground last Nov. or first Dec. at 70 years old I need them to hunt close so I train that way