English Setter?

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ZaraD
Posts: 577
Joined: Sat Feb 04, 2017 10:06 am
Location: Staffordshire, UK

English Setter?

Post by ZaraD »

Hi

as some of you know i had decided on the Italian spinone for my first dog but then when i went to crufts i met another breed that i fell in love with like the Italian i fell for the English Setter. and the past month since crufts have been meeting as many English setters as i can in there own home. but im now stuck and dont know which one to choose :lol: :D . i was hoping that you all could help me in choosing by first telling me if what iv been told about the English setter is true if theres anything else you think i should know. i think deep down i would pick the English setter but wanted your thoughts on them as a first time dog?

the English breeders told me there hell for the first 2 yrs and then they mellow out but are still very active dogs that need more than 2 hrs a day (im talking about the show line you see at crufts) they said they are easy to train but are not Labradors so dont expect them to sit hundred time just for a treat like a lab would. they have a stubborn steak , the biggest challenge i will face is recall training them and apart from that they are affectionate and are great dogs. they also told me they have hearing issues so need to be tested when pups to check for deafness and mom and dad should be checked before mating and suffer from hip and elbow issues.

is all the above true as im fine with all of it and am fine and aware that they are mad for the first tow years although i thought all puppies were crazy in the first 2 yrs.

i really want you to just advice me on which one out of the English Setter or Italian Spinone you would choose for a first time owner?
emmabeth
Posts: 8894
Joined: Tue Oct 17, 2006 9:24 pm
Location: West Midlands
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Re: English Setter?

Post by emmabeth »

What Setter breeders probably won't have mentioned is the very high incidence of awful skin problems in English setters, allergic, itchy paws and ears, dogs chewing themselves raw - so if you go that route do ask about it!

Of the two options the setter is probably the easier but neither are an easy breed for a first time dog owner.
West Midlands based 1-2-1 Training & Behaviour Canine Consultant
ZaraD
Posts: 577
Joined: Sat Feb 04, 2017 10:06 am
Location: Staffordshire, UK

Re: English Setter?

Post by ZaraD »

hi emmabeth

thanks for your advice. i spoke to an owner of the English yesterday after writing my post and he told me about the skin problems and he told me most breeders dont tell you before hand however he advised me against both the English setter and the Italian spinone as there not a great choice for a first time handler. he said his English is his 4th dog his first was a Labrador and he said English setters are harder to cope with in puppy-hood than labs as setters just dont know how to calm down it take a lot of experience to know how to and feels that a first time owner just wont know what to do and will most likely give up. he also said that labs were 10 times easier to train as setter can be stubborn and tend to only do things if they see a point to it he said most people think setters are stupid or daft but this is not true is that they are very very active high energy dogs who can have a stubborn streak.

he said setters are more energetic than a lab. he said that the easiest dogs hes owned have been number one and tow the lab and the golden retriever.

number three was a Newfoundland who he said he found easier than the setter as well even though there so big he said they were like training a big lab.

he told me i should think of labs or golden as my first dog as they are always picked for newbies for a reasons.

with what he said about the setter that made me think long and hard and i have chosen against the English setter i have to let my head rule this decision not my heart.

what do you think of his suggestions are goldies and labs better suited to first time owners than the Italian spinone? and why?

he did say the Golden was easier to live with and train than the lab even though he loved both.
emmabeth
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Joined: Tue Oct 17, 2006 9:24 pm
Location: West Midlands
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Re: English Setter?

Post by emmabeth »

I would say he's probably right, but... big but, the downside of both labrador and golden retrievers is that they are SO popular there are SO many breeders and sadly, very many of them are just producing pups for the money as they know they will sell, without doing the required research, health testing etc.

As a result we are now seeing labradors and goldens with horrible temperaments.

So - shop around, pick a breeder who vets owners VERY thoroughly. If they don't give you the third degree and really grill you and try and put you off a bit even, then run away.

If they do not health test AND/or the grandparents of the dogs involved are either not health tested or have dreadful results... run away.

So for example they may have good results on mum and dad... but either grandma and grandad on either side were not tested OR there are some really poor results in there ..... shop elsewhere. Health testing is not just about the immediate parents having great results, and breeding in general is about knowing the ancestry not just the immediate parents, so any breeder who breeds from a dog who may have great hips or elbows, but their grandparents were unknown or had bad results, is not doing the job right!

Look for a breeder who DOES something wtih their dogs - doesn't matter really what that something is or even if they are all that successful at it, the point is that their dogs go out there and do something and are thus of good temperament and the breeder is also regularly seeing others of the breed so is unlikely to be 'kennel blind' where they only see their own dogs and have nothing to compare to or strive to achieve.
West Midlands based 1-2-1 Training & Behaviour Canine Consultant
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