Gordon Setter

[darmento]

I am considering getting a Gordon Setter as a hunting dog. I hunt mostly quail in Georgia. The cover is fairly open - lots of grass about 2' high. During hunting season, it gets up in the 50's and 60's during the day. I need a dog that will range about 50 - 100 yards away. Has anyone in the south had good luck with Gordon Setters? Most of the breeders I see are up in MN or Wisconsin or Michigan. Also, do Gordon's have lots of stamina? Are their noses as good as a Pointer? Thanks for any advice!!!!!!

[Gordon Guy]

PM sent.

[S'setter]

Gordon's have two basic types the larger grouse (show) type (50-80 lbs.) & the smaller type! The smaller type can have more range than what you said you require. However they have stamina, style, & intensity on point! The larger type are slower less range more along the 50 to 200 yrd. They often carry more coat which can be shaved... Pam cooking spray also helps. Many have lower tail set & style can be lacking (if your into high tails). Gordons seem to have good noses! Their temperaments vary but can be one man dogs... Not good kennels dogs but family dogs! Select a dog from a breeder that will help answer the many questions that can come up!
Also just so you are aware Gordons can be very pricey & the breeders very demanding. I no longer have Gordons but maybe able to point you in a good direction or answer some questions... PM me if you have questions
Tom

I am considering getting a Gordon Setter as a hunting dog. I hunt mostly quail in Georgia. The cover is fairly open - lots of grass about 2' high. During hunting season, it gets up in the 50's and 60's during the day. I need a dog that will range about 50 - 100 yards away. Has anyone in the south had good luck with Gordon Setters? Most of the breeders I see are up in MN or Wisconsin or Michigan. Also, do Gordon's have lots of stamina? Are their noses as good as a Pointer? Thanks for any advice!!!!!!

[RayGubernat]

Just something to think about....

Gordons are a BLACK, longhaired setter. You are in Georgia. It can get gawdaful hot and humid there and a dark colored heavily furred dog may not do as well in such heat and humidity as a dog with lighter coloring and less fur.

I have seen some VERY nice, very capable Gordon setters, so they are out there if you look.

RayG

[polmaise]

I am considering getting a Gordon Setter as a hunting dog. I hunt mostly quail in Georgia. The cover is fairly open - lots of grass about 2' high. During hunting season, it gets up in the 50's and 60's during the day. I need a dog that will range about 50 - 100 yards away. Has anyone in the south had good luck with Gordon Setters? Most of the breeders I see are up in MN or Wisconsin or Michigan. Also, do Gordon's have lots of stamina? Are their noses as good as a Pointer? Thanks for any advice!!!!!!

They usually mature when they are about 14 years old :roll: ..That's only if you get a good one ..
There nose is about as good as any dog, how they use it is up to the training of it...Stamina would depend on how the dog is kept/reared/nurtured. Not all are marathon runners just because you feed them the recommended kibble or food on forums?
If you are 'considering' getting a 'Gordon Setter' ?..then you really haven't thought it through?..........You should have already decided

[S'setter]

Ray brought up a good point about heat & black coat! Some of our gordons handled heat with no issue but others didn't... Seems to be an indivaul thing not a strain! Coat textures can also be a part of this... Some have a tremendous amount of under coat. Keeping it brushed out can be a challenge!
Some Gordons do mature slower but they can & do hunt well into their senior years! Our Gordon was productively hunting & winning in the ring when she was 6 monthes old & still competive in the field & ring as a senior citizen! Her Grand father was winning in the ring at age 10... With a youthful performance in the hot sun!

[Trekmoor]

Even here in Scotland I have seen very few Gordon Setters working and I have only seen them on the grouse moors. The best one I saw was a dog called "Bruce" but I cannot remember his K.C. name. I went out on the hills down in the borders several times with his owner and sometimes held on to Bruce as other dogs were worked ......he took a lot of holding on to and my arms got well and truly stretched.

Bruce could and would run a grouse a moor from one hill top to the opposite one ! Definetely not a 100 yard hunter ! He was very fast and very difficult to keep control of but I loved watching him at work. He became a F.T.Ch. the following trial season . His owner had been a top class competition athlete, a runner, and was a very fit man ........ he needed to be to have any hope of controlling Bruce ! Making Bruce a F.T.Ch. was helped a lot by the fact that his owner is pretty wealthy and leased a huge area of the hills to train his dogs on and to take shooting parties on to for driven grouse shooting.
Bruce could be trained almost every day.

The breed has a reputation of being a bit headstrong here.

Bill T.

[Gordon Guy]

The breed has a reputation of being a bit headstrong here.

You might say headstrong = I might say lots of desire to find birds. So much so that one of my dogs will only voluntarily come into the house and lay down when it's dark outside and the birds are no longer about. Otherwise, she's up at the window wanting out. Some can be like that... and very "focused" while outside.

[ckfowler]

We lived in SC for 4 years with our Gordon and he did fine. Conditioning played a bigger factor for him than temperature, wore out fast when out of shape even if cool and had stamina when in shape regardless the temp. I carry lots of water and strategically hunted to hit creeks or ponds. Would worry more in TX in that regard. Lots of folks down there with labs and that coat insulates even more. Current Gordon hunts all day, great nose and smart as a whip. Really came into her own at 4 but has hunted since the day she came home. I happen to think that the smaller dogs last longer and seem less laboring as the work but that is not breed specific.

[SetterNut]

I have had a couple of Gordons, one from a good breeder will be just fine there.

[DonF]

Get a set of clipper's and clip it in the spring and keep it clipped. Leave a bit of feathering on the tail and front legs, lust for looks. If I lived down there and had a black dog I'd clip and wouldn't go out myself if it got to hot and humid!

[MonsterDad]

Don't clip a dog like this. It just exposes the dog's skin to the sun and makes heating more of a problem.

It ruins their coat as well and takes several coat cycles to sort out.

Clipping a dog in the summer is an old wives tale.

You should however thoroughly brush out the undercoat as it is shedding in the warmer months.

[polmaise]

Don't clip a dog like this. It just exposes the dog's skin to the sun and makes heating more of a problem.

It ruins their coat as well and takes several coat cycles to sort out.

Clipping a dog in the summer is an old wives tale.

You should however thoroughly brush out the undercoat as it is shedding in the warmer months.

They sheer sheep don't they?...
That said , It does depend if the dog is kennelled or in the house?..
+1 to the last line !
Do they not have Labrador's in Georgia?..Hmm ? would they clip them?..just saying.
Red herring regarding coat, get back on the 'quest' of what they do!..and do well ..Just manage the environment where you do it . They can hunt!..Just get a good pair of running shoes

[setterpoint]

I would look at one of the short hair dogs. . heat and long hair are a bad combination .that's why most gordons are up north.

[dan v]

Gordon Setters are not a double coated breed like say, a lab, where hair comes out in clumps.
I prefer body clipping with a #7 to keep heat retention down. There is a balancing act that only you, given the cover you hunt, will know. Hair also guards against abrasions. Run some short haired dogs in the switch grass of the Dakotas in the fall, and you'll see what mean.

Heat tolerance is something that every breed strives for, and some breeds have done a better job in that regard. Gordon's aren't known for heat tolerance, but IMHO the breed has made good progress towards improving it.