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AKC: English Setter breed overview

Sporting group · England

English Setter

Also called Setter, Laverack Setter, Llewellin Setter

A speckled gentleman of the field, mellow at home yet slow to grow out of puppy silliness.

Speckled, silky and soft-eyed, the English Setter was bred to find game birds and freeze in a crouch to show the hunter where they were. At home it is sweet-natured, sociable and often comically goofy, with a long adolescence to match. It needs space to run, patience in training and regular care of its feathered coat.

Original AI-generated breed illustration

Weight

20 to 36 kg

44 to 79 lb

Height

61 to 68 cm

at the shoulder

Life expectancy

10 to 12 yrs

Activity estimate

90 to 120 min

editorial daily planning range

Adult-size estimate

24 months

approximate model input

Life with a English Setter

Setting dogs worked in Britain as early as the 1500s. Hunters used them to locate game birds, and the dog would crouch low so a net could be thrown over both dog and birds. Once shotguns took over, the job became finding birds and holding a point until the hunter caught up. The modern English Setter owes most to two nineteenth-century breeders: Edward Laverack, who refined the show type over some 50 years, and R. Purcell Llewellin, who crossed Laverack dogs with other lines to produce fast, driving field dogs.

Those two branches still look and act differently. Show setters are larger, with heavy feathering and a stately outline, while field setters are lighter, quicker and often less coated. Pet owners generally find show-bred dogs calmer indoors and field-bred dogs more intense outside.

Gentle is the word most owners reach for. English Setters are affectionate, rarely aggressive and fond of company, and they tend to sprawl across the best furniture as though it were theirs by right. Outdoors they switch into hunting mode, nose down and tail up, following scent across a field. Living with one means enjoying mellow evenings while giving that outdoor engine regular use.

What stands out

Training

English Setters are sensitive and do best with calm, positive training. They are clever, but their nose and their love of fun often compete with your instructions. Short sessions, food rewards and patience deliver results; harsh handling makes them shut down.

Read the full training guide

Easy to train

Open with strangers

Good with other dogs

A great match for

active families with a garden
owners who enjoy long country walks
homes with other dogs
people interested in field work or gundog training
families with children of all ages

Think twice if

slow to mature and slow to house-train
powerful nose that pulls it off course
feathering needs regular brushing and trimming
gently stubborn when it has other plans
does poorly if left alone for long days

Personality and needs at a glance

Living together

Good with children

Good with other dogs

Open with strangers

Apartment friendly

Copes with alone time

Energy and character

Energy level

Playfulness

Easy to train

Barking

5 means very vocal

Care and climate

Grooming needs

Shedding

Drooling

Handles cold

Handles heat

How much an English Setter eats

Illustrative calculations for neutered adults at midpoint breed weights, with food at 370 kcal per 100 g and 100 g per cup. These are not measured breed requirements. Use actual weight, the food label and veterinary body-condition advice.

Dog	Weight	Calories	Dry food
Female, relaxed lifestyle	24 kg	1050 kcal	285 g (2.8 cups)
Female, typical pet	24 kg	1200 kcal	325 g (3.3 cups)
Male, typical pet	33 kg	1520 kcal	410 g (4 cups)
Male, very active	33 kg	1910 kcal	515 g (5.3 cups)

Full English Setter feeding guide Calculate for my dog

Care guides for the English Setter

FeedingPortions vary more than usual because of the gap between show and field types. 25 cups, depending on activity.Read more Puppy growthEnglish Setter puppies grow steadily and reach adult height at about 12 to 14 months, but they keep maturing physically until around two and mentally until about three. Many owners describe a long adolescence of enthusiasm, selective hearing and creative theft of tea towels and socks.Read more ExerciseBudget 60 to 90 minutes daily for an adult, including time to run and use that nose. English Setters love open fields, long rambles, scent games and gundog training.Read more GroomingBrush two or three times a week with a pin brush and comb, concentrating on the ears, chest, belly and legs, where feathering tangles. Shedding is moderate all year.Read more HealthHip and elbow dysplasia, congenital deafness, hypothyroidism and allergic skin conditions are all associated with English Setters. Being deep-chested, they also carry some bloat risk.Read more

Things owners are often surprised by

1The speckled pattern is called belton, a name Edward Laverack is said to have taken from a village in Northumberland
2Two distinct types exist: taller, heavily feathered show dogs and lighter, faster field dogs often called Llewellin Setters
3Puppies are born mostly white, and the belton flecks appear over the first weeks
4Many stay playful and puppyish until around three years old
5Males usually stand 65 to 68 cm (25.5 to 27 in) at the shoulder
6Congenital deafness occurs in the breed, so many breeders hearing test litters with a BAER test

English Setter questions

What does belton mean in English Setters?

Belton describes the speckled flecks of color on a white background that are unique to this breed. Edward Laverack is said to have named it after a village in Northumberland. Blue belton is black on white, orange belton is orange on white, and lemon and liver beltons are less common. A tricolor is a blue belton with tan markings on the face and legs.

What is a Llewellin Setter?

Llewellin Setters are English Setters descended from the field lines developed by R. Purcell Llewellin in the late 1800s. They are lighter, faster and usually less heavily coated than show-bred English Setters, and they were selected purely for hunting ability. Some registries record them as a separate strain, but genetically they remain English Setters.

How is an English Setter different from an Irish or Gordon Setter?

Color is the quickest clue. The Irish Setter is solid mahogany red, the Gordon Setter is black and tan and more heavily built, and the English Setter is white with speckled belton flecks. The English is often considered the most easygoing of the three at home. All three are sensitive gundogs with similar exercise needs.

Are English Setters easy to house-train?

They have a reputation for being slow. Many take until six months or longer to be reliable, and some adolescents slip back when excited or distracted. A strict schedule, trips outside after meals, naps and play, and immediate rewards for success make the biggest difference. Punishment only slows things down in this sensitive breed.

Do English Setters bark a lot?

Moderately. They will tell you about visitors and may bark when bored, but most are not problem barkers. An English Setter is more likely to show excitement by wagging its whole back end than by making noise. A setter that barks constantly is usually telling you it needs more exercise or more company.

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