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English Setter
Breed Standards
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| Sporting Group - Field and Bench |
General Appearance
An elegant, substantial and symmetrical gun dog suggesting the ideal blend of strength, stamina, grace, and style. Flat-coated with feathering of good length. Gaiting freely and smoothly with long forward reach, strong rear drive and firm topline. Males decidedly masculine without coarseness. Females decidedly feminine without over-refinement. Overall appearance, balance, gait, and purpose to be given more emphasis than any component part. Above all, extremes of anything distort type and must be faulted.
Field Dogs must also have an overall appearance, balance and gait, but most improtant to the field dog they must have the ability to hunt by setting birds and following owners camands while in the field.
Head
Size and proportion in harmony with body. Long and lean with a well defined stop. When viewed from the side, head planes (top of muzzle, top of skull and bottom of lower jaw) are parallel.
 Skull- oval when viewed from above, of medium width, without coarseness,
and only slightly wider at the earset than at the brow. Moderately
defined occipital protuberance. Length of skull from occiput to stop
equal in length of muzzle.
Muzzle-long and square when viewed from the side, of good depth with flews
squared and fairly pendant. Width in harmony with width of skull and
equal at nose and stop. Level from eyes to tip of nose.
Nose-black or dark brown, fully pigmented. Nostrils wide apart and large.
Foreface- skeletal structure under the eyes well chiseled with no suggestion of
fullness. Cheeks present a smooth and clean-cut appearance.
Teeth- close scissors bite preferred. Even bite acceptable.
Eyes- dark brown, the darker the better. Bright, and spaced to give a mild
and intelligent expression. Nearly round, fairly large, neither deepest
nor protruding. Eyelid rims dark and fully pigmented. Lids fit tightly so
that haw is not exposed.
Ears- set well back and low, even with or below eye level. When relaxed
carried close to the head. Of moderate length, slightly rounded at the
ends, moderately thin leather, and covered with silky hair.
Neck and Body
Neck- long and graceful, muscular and lean. Arched at the crest and clean-cut
where it joins the head at the base of the skull. Larger and more
muscular toward the shoulders, with the base of the neck flowing
smoothly into the shoulders. Not too throaty.
Topline- in motion or standing appears level or sloping slightly downward without
sway or drop from withers to tail forming a graceful outline of medium
length.
Forechest- well developed, point of sternum projecting slightly in front of point
of shoulder/upper arm joint.
Chest- deep, but not so wide or round as to interfere with the action of the
forelegs. Brisket deep enough to reach the level of the elbow.
Ribs- long, springing gradually to the middle of the body, then tapering as
they approach the end of the chest cavity.
Back- straight and strong at its junction with loin.
Loin- strong, moderate in length, slightly arched. Tuck up moderate.
Hips croup nearly flat. Hip bones wide apart, hips rounded and blending
smoothly into hind legs.
Tail a smooth continuation of the topline. Tapering to a fine point with only
sufficient length to reach the hock joint or slightly less. Carried straight
and level with the back. Feathering straight and silky, hanging loosely
in a fringe.
Hindquarters
Wide, muscular thighs and well developed lower thighs. Pelvis equal in length to
and forming a nearly right angle with upper thigh. In balance with forequarter
assembly. Stifle well bent and strong. Lower thigh only slightly longer than
upper thigh. Hock joint well bent and strong. Rear pastern short, strong, nearly
round and perpendicular to the ground. Hind legs, when seen from the rear,
straight and parallel to each other. Hock joints have no tendency to turn in or
out when standing or gaiting
Coat
Flat without curl or wooliness. Feathering on ears, chest, abdomen, underside of
thighs, back of all legs and on the tail of good length but not so excessive as to
hide true lines and movementor to affect the dog's appearance or function as
a sporting dog.
Markings and Color
Markings- white ground color with intermingling of darker hairs resulting in
belton markings varying in degree from clear distinct flecking to roan
shading, but flecked all over preferred. Head and ear patches
acceptable, heavy patches of color on the body undesirable.
Color- orange belton, blue belton (white with black markings), tricolor
(blue belton with tan on muzzle, over the eyes and on the legs),
lemon belton, liver belton.
Movement
An effortless graceful movement demonstrating endurance while covering
ground efficiently. Long forward reach and strong rear drive with a lively tail
and a proud head carriage. Head may be carried slightly lower when moving
to allow for greater reach of forelegs. The back strong, firm, and free of roll.
When moving at a trot, as speed increases, the legs tend to converge toward
a line representing the center of gravity.
Bench Size
Dogs about 25 inches
Bitches about 24 inches
Field Size
Dogs and Bitches slightly smaller than the Bench.
Temperament
Gentle, affectionate, friendly, without shyness, fear or viciousness.
Approved November 11, 1986
© American Kennel Club (AKC), 11/11/86, All rights reserved, No part of this breed standard may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without prior written permission from the AKC.
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