Information on AKC English Setter Puppies
English Setter Breed Standard
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.
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 deepset 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
cleancut 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.
Forequarters
Shoulder--shoulder blade well laid back. Upper arm equal in length
to and forming a nearly right angle with the shoulder blade. Shoulders fairly
close together at the tips. Shoulder blades lie flat and meld smoothly with
contours of body. Forelegs-- from front or side, forelegs straight
and parallel. Elbows have no tendency to turn in or out when standing or gaiting.
Arm flat and muscular. Bone substantial but not coarse and muscles hard and
devoid of flabbiness. Pasterns--short, strong and nearly round
with the slope deviating very slightly forward from the perpendicular. Feet--face
directly forward. Toes closely set, strong and well arched. Pads well developed
and tough. Dewclaws may be removed.
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 and Carriage
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.
Size
Dogs about 25 inches; bitches about 24 inches.
Temperament
Gentle, affectionate, friendly, without shyness, fear or viciousness.
Approved November 11, 1986
