THE ENGLISH SETTER
(The American Kennel Clubs Standard and Description)
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
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