Setters

[Dhoey07]

Anyone hunt with Llewellin or gordon setters? I have a 2 yr old lab but am intrigued with those two breeds of setters for my next.

[AspenBud]

No, but with Llewellyn's you are getting dogs from a much smaller gene pool that hasn't had a chance to take advantage of genes in the rest of the English Setter world for 15-20 generations. Some will tell you that's bad, others will tell you it's not.

Gordons, you need to be very picky about who you buy from. Some are bird finding machines others are lumbering show dogs that people get excited about if they actually point a bird at a hunt test.

In general I would focus on specific kennels and ask around about them. Unlike Pointers, setters of any type are all over the map in genetics and one person's experience with one kennel's dogs may be quite different from that of another kennel's dogs.

If you are looking for a foot hunting dog I would suggest also looking into Ryman English Setters.

[jetjockey]

My FIL has a. Llewelyn.  Nice dog, but I will admit, I'm not a Setter guy.  If I were to get a setter, I'd lean towards the regular old English Setter with good breeding.  The only draw back to a Setter that I have seen, is their tendency to mature a little slower then some of the other pointing breeds.  On the other hand, there is no prettier dof on point then a setter.

[Wacenturion]

I would also give Red Setters a look see......great little bird dogs.

[Bmcox86]

I have an English setter, he will be 3 in January. He's a hunting machine from Chuckar to west side pheasants and grouse he adapts quickly.  Doesn't retrieve well but I don't really care as long as he finds the birds before and after I shoot them. He can cover ground or hunt close depending on the situation and is great at adapting.
Also can make a great baby sitter!

[Bmcox86]

One downside though is he doesn't like going for rides in my kayak. Flipped me twice last time and he usually wants his own bed in hotels.

In all seriousness they are tough as nails, my has ripped off pads Chuckar hunting and didn't show any signs of it or slowing down till I kenneled him at the end if the day. He can also hit a barbed wire fence and full speed and keep going, but don't know whether that's really a good thing

[summerb67]

 

I would also give Red Setters a look see......great little bird dogs.

[Dhoey07]

Thanks for the info guys.   I kinda thought that they would be more versatile.  I'm probably a 70/30 upland to waterfowl guy to I need my dog to do it all.

[AspenBud]

Thanks for the info guys.   I kinda thought that they would be more versatile.  I'm probably a 70/30 upland to waterfowl guy to I need my dog to do it all.

Look into a shorthair or wirehair then. Though I'll be honest, specialists tend to be better at their trades than generalists. If you can I would buy a duck dog for ducks and an upland dog for upland work.

[10Key]

Thanks for the info guys.   I kinda thought that they would be more versatile.  I'm probably a 70/30 upland to waterfowl guy to I need my dog to do it all.

Look into a shorthair or wirehair then. Though I'll be honest, specialists tend to be better at their trades than generalists. If you can I would buy a duck dog for ducks and an upland dog for upland work.

Or better yet, give up going after birds in the mud, get a pointer and become a full time uplander! >

[Bmcox86]

 

[constructeur]

I'm surprised no one has told you to contact and visit kennels. Talk to the owners about how they hunt, what they breed for, all that stuff. There are as many variations of a dog within a breed as there are breeds of dogs. Whatever you choose it'll be with you for the next 14 or so years, so it just doesn't make sense to choose a breed, or base an opinion off what a few fellas on an internet forum have to say (IMO.)

[Dhoey07]

Actually no one has answered my original question

[constructeur]

Most of us gave you a silent 'NO' 

[Don Fischer]

Why do you need a duck dog/upland dog, you already have a Lab? The Llewellyn is an E.Setter! It's just a strain that will trace back to Percival Llewellyn dogs. Generally smaller dog's. The AKC bench type E. Setter's I don't have a lot to say about. I've only seen a few and if they did work out, I couldn't live with all that hair. About the same problem's with Gordon's, hair. My E. Setter's get shaved each spring and again late summer and they don't have near the hair as the AKC dog's. Best Gordon I ever saw in in Bainbridge, Washington. Owned by Janet Grunbock. The Red Setter is another to consider for an upland dog. I got my first one last Dec, he turned one this month. Wish I had found these dogs years ago. Don't confuse the Red Setter with the show bred Irish Setter, world of difference. My Red started slower than any of my other breed's but is learning fast now. My E. Setter's started very fast but to much run in them. One has slowed down not but the other, well we'll see this year. I have hunted him on a preserve and he never get's gone there, don't know why! Easiest and most forgiving dog's I ever trained were German Shorthair's.