Searching for the perfect dog breed for your family can be tricky – big or small? Short hair or long hair? Lazy or active? Clever or stupid…..? Well, maybe not the last one, but some dog breeds have a bit of a reputation for having minimal numbers of brain cells. To some people, setters fall into this category, but is this justified and does it matter?
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The ‘setter’ breed
There are four types of setters in the UK
- Irish setter
- Gordon setter
- English setter
- Irish red and white setter
They are all part of the gundog group of dogs, a group known for and bred for hunting game birds such as quail, grouse and pheasant. Modern breeding has produced two slight variations in the setter breeds – a working-type and a show-type. Both will be fairly similar in appearance, with setters in general all having a noble, slightly domed head shape, a fairly long body and tail with strong legs and a long, flat, silky coat, but differences between working and show stock may be seen in their behaviour and temperament.
Behavioural differences
Although traditionally different dog breeds will be known for having different temperaments; actual behaviour is very much dependent on the individual dog. Because of what they were originally bred for, setters are actually a very trainable breed. And therefore ought to be seen as relatively clever. They needed to be able to search out birds and alert their handler by ‘pointing’ with their body shape, before the birds were flushed out to be shot. Most dogs, on encountering a bird on the ground, would instinctively chase it; but setters had to be trained not to do this.
It is possible that their reputation for being a bit stupid comes from the fact they are also very playful dogs and can be very bouncy and boisterous. In recent times, the need to have them trained for sport is much less of a required point, so they are able to act out their exuberant side. Although a degree of training is obviously required for the show dogs, the majority of setters in the UK today are simply pets and therefore are fully allowed to be goofy.
Genes do matter
There is always an argument around nature vs nurture and which one plays the biggest role in an individual’s upbringing. The same can be said for dogs – despite today’s modern attitude towards and basic requirements of pet dogs, how much of their ancestral behaviours and instincts still remain? As many of the hunting breeds were still being bred specifically for their working roles right up until only the past century or two (and a small number still are), it’s understandable that their descendents still retain some of those traits.
This behaviour is displayed by the setter’s need for plenty of mental as well as physical stimulation. They have a lot of energy but need to be shown how to focus that energy on certain tasks or exercises, otherwise boredom and disobedience can creep in. They can also be stubborn which may be mistaken for stupidity so good quality basic training is always required.
Ideas for keeping them happy
- Teaching them tricks – old or young, dogs tend to pick up tricks relatively easily. You could try teaching them to give ‘high five’, ‘play dead’, balance a treat on their nose or even jump through a hoop.
- Hide and seek – either with yourself or with treats. Setters are bred to use their nose so these types of seeking games can really make the most of that.
- Agility – teaching them skills such as agility can help with both mental and physical exercise.
- Expand their repertoire of commands – as well as just ‘sit’, ‘stay’ or ‘down’, think about teaching them things like the names of their toys so they can bring you a specific one, or maybe even learning their left from their right.
It’s not fair to call setters stupid when in reality, a ‘stupid’ dog is likely just a misunderstood or bored dog. With the in-built skills that they possess, there is no reason to label the breed as dumb, in fact, they ought to be classed as the opposite – intelligent and highly trainable but able to revert to a loving and friendly, if a little excitable, family pet.
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