ENGLISH SETTER
Q&A
ANN YUHASZ I am a lucky girl as my
I would say the 3 words to describe the ES when judging are elegant, substantial and gun dog. Those are also my must haves. 4. Are there any traits in this breed you fear are becoming exaggerated? I fear that traits that might be exaggerated are of those “must haves” either direction. Too much elegance for sake of substance. Too little elegance and unattractive. No substance meaning lack of proper bone, no depth of chest, incorrect ribbing and long loins with poor tailsets. Gun dog means proper angles and heart room to get the job done. Good feet to work. 5. Do you think the dogs you see in this breed are better now than they were when you first started judging? Why or why not? I know our dogs are more sound of movement than in the past, certainly better presented and I hope healthier as far as hip dysplasia. It is a pretty small gene pool and seems to be getting smaller. We do sadly have some other health issues creeping in. I see more “generic” dogs than in the past. They are pretty with tons of coat, groomed by talented people, some over groomed with no natural topcoat. They lack a robustness that I want a gun dog to have. Perhaps a better word is functionality. They should be beautiful, but equally substantial. 6. What do you think new judges misunderstand about the breed? I guess new judges see these dogs I have just described and well, they are attractive but mostly not right I my eyes. Hopefully they get beyond that part and find what’s under all that coat. But when I see them reward generic dogs then I think they do not understand that “gun dog “ bit. 7. Is there anything else you’d like to share about the breed? The English Setter is a delightful breed and I think one of the most beautiful breeds we have. They can be clever problem solver even though they may have selective hearing. They make loving companions and are the quintessential family pet. That’s probably why we are going on our fourth human generation owning and loving the breed!
husband and I and one very spoiled Norfolk Terrier split our time between the glori- ous Chagrin Valley (Cleve- land, Ohio) and the fabulous Florida Keys--you can guess when! Outside of dogs—there is a life outside dogs? I work for our son as CFO for his printing company, I love to paint in oils and we garden— orchids in Florida, veggies and
perennials in Ohio. I have a very full life augmented by fam- ily, dogs and wonderful dog friends. As my folks were both involved in the sport, my mother, a breeder of ES and later a well respected judge, and my father, a dog lover, supporter and AKC delegate, I really always was “doggie”. I myself have been involved in the sport since the late 60s showing, raising ES and Flat Coated Retrievers plus my finger on several other breeds. I started to judge in 1988.
1. What makes the English Setter an outstanding show dog? What makes him a great pet?
I’m not sure the ES makes an outstanding show dog as most would rather be sleeping on your bed, chair, couch—well you get the picture. But they are willing to try and there are lots of owner-handlers who finish their dogs. But of course when outside if a bird should fly by, well that’s another story. He is bred as a companion hunt- ing dog, though with emphasis on companion. There is no tolerance for anything but that. His bidability to his owner is paramount. Sweet and loving, although a fenced-in yard is a good thing as he will go hunt if left to his own devices.
2. What is the most prevalent fault you see in the rings today?
I suspect the most prevalent fault I see in the ring is a deviation of type, which is addressed in our standard that extremes of anything distort type and must be faulted
3. Describe the breed in three words. What are your “must have” traits in this breed?
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