Gordon Setter
Temperament:
The Gordon Setter is a temperamental and elegant dog. He is mainly used for hunting, but he also proves himself as a family dog, if he is sufficiently challenged. If you are experienced, athletic, hunt and live in the country, this breed could be right for you.
Characteristics
Gordon Setter captivate by their elegant appearance. The coat is of medium length, only on the back of the legs, tail and ears the hair is slightly longer. The predominant color is Shiny blackonly at the legs, above the eyes and at the muzzle the tan fire.
The body is very well proportioned. The head has the characteristic stop, as well as a long muzzle. The pendulous ears are narrow and set low on the head. He belongs to the large dogs. Males reach a shoulder height of about 66 cm, bitches are about 4 cm below. The weight is 25 to 30 kg.
The Gordon Setter is brave, spirited and thereby highly intelligent. His high willingness to perform makes him a popular hunting dog. Since he is very balanced and affable he could also prove himself as a family dog.
However, his upbringing requires experience and tact. You need to communicate to him consistently, but in a spirit of partnership, who is in charge.
Gordons are and remain Hunting dogsEven keeping them in a family household will not change this. This breed is not a pure leisure dog, which is satisfied with a round around the block and the run in the garden. Since he is extremely active physically and mentally, he expects you to provide him with appropriate activities.
Despite the tough shell, the Gordon Setter walks a very close bond with his people. Therefore, you should definitely let him participate in family life. He can get along with children if they have learned to treat dogs with respect.
Coat care:
Shedding:
Energy level:
Trainability:
Children suitable:
The right food
In terms of nutrition, the Gordon Setter is usually unproblematic. Whether you Wet or dry food which one you prefer, is up to you. Meat should be the main ingredient in both variants.
If you prefer to do it with Raw feeding try or prepare the food yourself, then inform yourself exactly. So that your dog also gets all the nutrients he needs.
About vegan feeding opinions are divided. However, you should keep in mind that your dog descends from the wolf and was not created by evolution to be a pure herbivore.
Even if you avoid meat yourself, you should not demand this from your dog. But you can still be responsible when buying food and pay attention to sustainability.
How often you need to feed the dog depends on his age. Puppies and young dogs should have four meals a day, and two are sufficient for older dogs. The view that you only have to feed an adult dog once a day is now outdated.
The amount of food depends on the activity of your dog. The manufacturer's feeding instructions are only rough guidelines. Therefore, check the weight of your Gordon regularly. If he is sufficiently challenged, there is usually no danger of him becoming too fat.
Immediately after meals, you should accustom the Gordon Setter to rest, so that he can digest the food. This way you reduce the risk for the dreaded Gastric torsion, to which especially larger dogs tend.
Gordon Setter Care
The Gordon Setter has a coat of medium length and must therefore be be brushed regularly. It is best to use an ordinary dog brush. Tools that remove the undercoat can damage the top coat and should only be used by professionals.
Whether or not to bathe your dog is also a topic of debate. In principle, you can bathe your Gordon once a month. For this you use a Mild dog shampoo. However, as a rule, thorough brushing after walking will be enough.
Like all setters, the Gordon Hanging ears. These can easily ignite. Especially in warm and humid weather, this happens quickly. It is therefore important that you regularly check your dog's ears.
If they are dirty, you have to clean them carefully with a Special lotion clean. If you don't have the confidence to do this, your veterinarian will be happy to show you how or do it for you.
Likewise, you must make sure that the claws not become too long. This can happen if your dog is primarily on soft ground. Even if he can no longer walk so long because of his age.
In this case, you need to shorten your dog's claw with special pliers. This work also requires practice so that no injuries occur. Please ask your veterinarian or dog salon for advice if you are unsure.
Suitable accessories
For your Gordon Setter, of course, you need the basic equipment necessary for a dog of this size. If you are taking on a puppy, keep in mind that it is still growing.
Eight when buying the "Basket"so make sure it's the right size. With leashes, collars or harnesses, you must expect that you will have to replace them more often until your dog is fully grown.
The same goes for your car. You need a suitable Dog BoxYour dog must be in a safe place during the journey and must not hinder you while you are driving. In public transport, your dog must have a muzzle wear. Get him used to it early on.
What other accessories you need depends on what you want to do with your dog. Do you want to do with your dog Retrieval work then you need Dummies or the tried and tested Retrieval wood.
A Clicker can work wonders in education. Especially for such strong character, but at the same time emotional dogs clicker training is often the key to success.
Origin & History
The breed originates from the British Isles. Already in the 18th century, people had bred so-called "setting dogs" by combining the breeds of Pointer and Spaniel crossed with each other. The relationship of our current setter to the pointer has been genetically proven since 2017.
These ancestors of today's setters belonged to the Pointing dogs. They showed their hunter where to find the game by assuming a certain posture. Since they did this lying down, they were called "setter" for short. Unlike the classic pointing dogs, they were more versatile and thus adapted to modern hunting.
The selective breeding of the Gordon Setter began in 1810 by the Scottish Lord Alexander Gordon of Banffshire. The standard valid today was not established until 1873 by the newly founded Kernel Club.
From that time on, other color variations were excluded for this breed. Until 1924, the designation "Black-and-Tan-Setter" in common use, after which the name was changed to "Gordon Setter" changed.
For the compliance with the breed standard in Germany is the VDH, the Association for the German Canine Industry, is responsible. It acts as an umbrella organization to which many of the German breeding associations and clubs are subordinate.
The sub-associations responsible for the Gordon Setter are the Gordon Setters Club Germany and the Association for Pointers and Setters. The Gordon Setter is assigned to the pointing dogs in the FCI and thus belongs to group 7.
