fat or under weight as this hinders the working ability. Again, the weight to height ratio makes him heavier than the other Setters. The proportion of the Gordon should be square when mea- sured from the forechest to the back of the thigh verses withers to the ground. The English and Irish Setters are slightly longer than tall. The head should be deep rather than broad, we do not want an elegant head. The eyes are dark brown, the darker the better, good sized, oval rather than round and not deep set, nor bulging. The eye rims should be tight and pig- mented. The ears are set low on the head, preferably on the line of the eye, they are fairly thin and large, well fold- ed and carried close to the head. The skull is widest between the ears, nicely rounded and good sized. There should be a clearly indicated stop. The muzzle is fairly long, not pointed either as seen from above or to the side. The muzzle should be fifty percent of the length of the head and should be parallel to the line of the skull. The flews should not be pendulous. The nose should be broad with open nostrils and black in color. Snow nose is very common and should not be penalized. The lip line from the nose to the flews shows a sharp, well defined square contour. A strong under jaw also helps fill out the muzzle so there isn’t any snippiness. A scissor bite is preferred, but a level bite is not a fault. The neck should be long, arched and lean flowing into the shoulders. The throat should be as dry as possible. The neck must be long enough to pick up the downed game and bring it back to the shooter. The topline should straight with a moderate slope to it. The body should be short from shoulders to hips. The chest is deep reaching to the elbows, but not too broad to hinder the front leg movement. The ribs should be well sprung and long to allow room for heart and lungs. There should be a pro- nounced forechest. The loin is short, strong and broad with no arch. The croup is nearly flat with a slight slope to the tailset. The tail is thick at the root finishing in a fine point and should reach to the hock. The placement of the tail is important for correct carriage. The placement is judged in relationship to the structure of the croup. The tail is also a barometer to temperament. The shoulders should lay well back. The tops of the shoulders should be close together. When viewed from the behind the neck should flow into the shoulders in smooth line and gradually widen from neck to shoulder. The angle of the shoulder blade and upper arm should be 90 degrees. The front legs should be straight and well boned, not
The tail feathering is long at the root and tapers to the tip forming a triangular appearance. Considering color when judging, the Gordon is primarily a black dog with tan markings, which can be a rich chestnut or mahogany shade. This color can go from a very light chestnut to a very dark mahogany. Black penciling on the toes is allowed. The borderline between the colors should be clearly defined. There should not be tan hairs in the black. The tan markings are as follows: 1. Two clear spots above the eyes, not over ¾ of an inch in diameter. 2. On the sides of the muzzle, which should not reach the top of the muzzle from one side to the other. 3. On the throat. 4. Two large
bowed, with the elbows not turning in or out. The pasterns are short, strong nearly straight with a slight spring. Dewclaws may be removed. Catlike feet with well arched toes with plenty of hair between them and full toe pads. The feet do not turn in or out. The hind legs are long from hip to hock, flat and muscular. The hock is short and strong when standing they should be perpendicular. The stifle and hock joints should be well bent and not turned in or out. The feet are the same as the front. The coat should be long and straight, a wave is permissible, but not curls. The hair will be the longest on the ears, under stomach and on the chest.
294 • S how S ight M agazine , F ebruary 2019
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