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LAND'S BEST FRIE ND
The Gentleman's Bird Dog
This Brit is a natural in all respects. — Henry Chappell
RUSSELL GRAVES
M
ore than one pointer aficionado has told me,
"I'm a pointer man forever, but the best all-around
shooting dog I ever saw was an English setter."
This breed most likely developed from various land spaniels
common in Europe in the late 14th century. Some historians
credit the crossbreeding of the Spanish pointer, the water
spaniel, and the springer spaniel as the source. Regardless,
setters came by their name honestly, crouching on their bellies
or "setting" as soon as they located game. Gradually, as firearms
replaced the net as the bird hunter's tool of choice, selective
breeding raised the setter's crouch to the rigid stance we now
call a point.
In 1825, an Englishmen named Edward Laverack established
a line-breeding program that produced a tall, big-boned, heavyheaded, well-feathered setter type favored in the show ring.
Half a century later, R.L. Purcell Llewellin bred a pair of
Laverack dogs to smaller setters from northern England.
22 TheLandReport | WINTER
20 12
It was these dogs – the lighter, more athletic decedents
of Llewellin's – that form the foundation of the modern field
setter. The modern English setter has all the class of the best
pointers, and its beauty is unsurpassed. Although the setter
is most associated with bobwhite quail, those bred from
close-working lines are also popular with woodcock and
grouse hunters. True to their spaniel heritage, most wellbred setter pups are natural retrievers.
Do:
• Start your pup play-fetching by 8-10 weeks of age.
• Make your setter a member of the family.
Don't:
• Rush or pressure your pup. Setters mature more
slowly than pointers.
• Use harsh training methods. Setters tend to be sensitive.
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