American Setter

Although rare and fairly unknown, this lovely working gundog is not of recent origin. Created in the late 1800's by the more demanding hunters, the American Setter is a result of crossing a variety of imported setters from Britain, such as the Irish Red Setter, Irish Red-n-White Setter, Llewellyn Setter, Gordon Setter and the English Setter, as well as the American Pointer and the Labrador Retriever. Inheriting all of the good working traits of its parent breeds, while not suffering from certain health issues that some of them were plagued with, the American Setter was seen as a superiour hunting dog, prized for its versatilty and stamina. Bred only for their working quality, a variety of types within the breed existed. Over the years, with the introduction of Dog Shows and Field Trials, many breeders opted for breeding their American Setters back to some of their more popular cousins, like the English and Irish Setters, slowly giving up on the American breed altogether.

However, working American Setters remained in use in rural areas for the good portion of the 20th century, before getting overlooked and eventually forgotten. There are some specimens still found today, but they're not considered a breed anymore, but rather a working strain of whatever established setter breed they resemble the most. Lively, dedicated and trainable, the American Setter is an excellent hunting dog, capable of pointing, chasing and retrieving a variety of game. It is quite energetic and easily excited, not making the best house dog, due to its size and love of barking. The American Setter needs a fair ammount of excercise and training.

The coat is moderately long and richly feathered, coming in a variety of bicolours and tricolours. Average height is around 24 inches.