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English Setter Breed Standard - 1929 to 1950

When,  in 1950 the rules of the Club were changed and the Club relinquished control of the Show side of the Breed the English Setter Club ceased to publish the Breed Standard which had been in place since 1929.


Reprint from 1939 English Setter Club Year Book

Description of 

The English Setter




Head- Should be long and lean, with a well defined stop.  The skull oval from ear to ear, showing plenty of brain room, and with a well defined occipital protuberance.  The muzzle moderately deep and fairly square; from the stop to the point of the nose should be long, the nostrils wide and the jaws of nearly equal length, flews not be pendulous; the colour of the nose should be black, or dark, or light liver according to the colour of the coat.  The eyes should be bright, mild and intelligent, and of a bright hazel colour- darker the better.   The ears  of moderate length, set on low and hanging in neat folds close to the cheek; the tip should be velvety, the upper part clothed with fine silky hair.



Neck – Should be rather long, muscular and lean, slightly arched at the crest, and clean cut where it joins the head; towards the shoulder it should be larger and very muscular, not throaty or any pendulosity below the throat, but elegant and blood-like in appearance.



Body – Should be of moderate length, with shoulders well set back, or oblique; back short and level; loins wide, slightly arched, strong and muscular.  Chest deep in the brisket, with good round widely- sprung ribs, deep in the back ribs, that is, well ribbed up.



Legs and Feet – Stifles well bent and ragged, thighs long from hip to hock.  The forearm big and very muscular, the elbow well let down.  Pasterns short, muscular and straight.  The feet very close and compact and well protected by hair between the toes.



Tail – The tail should be set on almost in a line with the back; medium length, not curly or ropy, to be slightly curved or scimitar shaped but with no tendency to turn upwards; the flag or feather hanging in long pendant flakes.  The feather should not commence at the root, but slightly below, and increase in length to the middle, then gradually taper off towards the end; and the hair long, bright, soft and silky, wavy, but not curly.



Coat and Feathering – The coat from the back of the head in a line with the ears ought to be slightly wavy, long and silky, which should be the case with the coat generally; the breeches and forelegs, nearly down to the feet should be well feathered.



Colour and Marking – The colour may be black and white, lemon and white, liver and white, or tricolour – that is black white and tan; those without heavy patches of colour on the body but flecked all over preferred.

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