QuesTions & answers:
wiTh bev andersen, gary andersen and barbara burns
“THE STRUCTURE OF THE GORDON IS VERY DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHER SETTERS. The sTandard is expliciT on proper movemenT and sTrucTure of The fronT and rear which is very differenT from mosT sporTing breeds.”
BA: Yes I do. GA: Yes, I do not see this being a problem. BB: Better now than in years past.
8. And, for a bit of humor, what’s the funniest thing you’ve ever experienced at a dog show? BA: Not at a dog show, but an experience I had with our second Gordon Setter litter. We had a beautiful 6 month old male puppy who had the “throwback white” neck down into the chest area. I asked several people about dying this white area to the Gordon Setter mahogany. After advice from several people and from my cousin who owned a beautician college, I decided to try this feat. It took several hours and when finished, I was so pleased with the new beautiful “mahogany” neck, down into the shoulders. I turned him loose in our backyard to dry. About 30 minutes later, checking on him running around, I could not figure out where he had obtained the bright pink “rag” that he had. Unfortunately, it was not a rag, but the entire area I had dyed, had turned bright pink. YIKES!! Needless to say, he was placed in a lovely pet home and that ended my attempts at dying the coat. GA: There have been many funny things that have happened through the years. There is not one episode that stands out. They have all added to the pleasure I have experi- enced for the last 43 years! BB: I was showing a dog for a friend and she “forgot” to tell me he would not show without bait. I did not have bait. So the dog laid down and rolled on his back while in the ring in defiance and the crowd was hysterical and I was embarrassed, needless to say.
7. Is there anything else you’d like to share about the breed? Please elaborate. BA: The four setters are distinct breeds. I like to see them judged accordingly with the appropriate movement for “form following function” for each specific breed. GA: We are losing the correct movement in the front. Gor- dons are not to move the same as the other Setters, it is more of a power stroke and not moving as fast, they are bred to work in heavy brush, not open plains. BB: Breeders need to work on front angulation and not encourage a rear that is over angulated. The structure of the Gordon is very different from the other setters. The standard is explicit on proper movement and structure of the front and rear which is very different from most sporting breeds. They were developed in an environment that was not condusive for just any setter, thus the impor- tance of the structure is to get the dog out of the thick and very rugged terrain. The lift and reach is important to get out of the vegitation and the proper rear angula- tion drives the dog out of the vegitation. The heavy bone absorbs the shock of the rocky jagged terrain in which they are required to hunt. They should be slow and methodical as hunters as well as in their movement in the ring. They are the “work horse” of the setters.
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