English Setter

Its temperament is mellow and gentle, but its energy requirement is not. People conflate the two and get burned. An English Setter is a hunting dog that needs 60-90 minutes of real daily exercise; given that, it is genuinely calm and sweet indoors. Denied it, the same dog becomes anxious, destructive, and prone to obsessive licking. It is low-drama in personality and high-need in exercise — plan for the second, not just the first.

Moderate to high. Brush the feathered coat 3-4 times a week, 15-20 minutes, working to the skin on the ears, chest, legs, and belly where mats form within days. Trim the feet, ears, and feathering every 4-8 weeks and bathe every 4-6 weeks. Add a weekly ear check-and-clean, which is not optional for this breed's long, hairy, drop ears. Outsourced grooming runs roughly $50-$90 per visit every 4-8 weeks.

Generally yes — this is one of the gentler, more tolerant gundog breeds, typically patient with children and sociable with other dogs. The cautions are practical: it is a large, exuberant dog that can knock over a toddler in play, and its strong bird-hunting instinct makes it an unreliable companion for pet birds and small fluffy animals. Supervise around very small children and don't trust the recall near wildlife or free-roaming small pets.

Because it was bred for generations to lock onto bird scent and act on it independently — when the nose engages, the ears switch off. This is normal breed behavior, not disobedience. You can build a strong recall with early, positive, high-reward training and a long line, but treat reliable off-lead recall as a multi-year project and never assume it near wildlife or roads. Harsh corrections backfire badly with this sensitive breed and make recall worse.

Typically 10-12 years. The most impactful concerns over a lifetime are hip dysplasia, inherited deafness (which is why BAER testing of breeding dogs matters), hypothyroidism, and recurrent ear and skin problems driven by the breed's ear conformation and allergy tendency. None of these is usually rapidly fatal, but ear, skin, and orthopedic management are real recurring costs — budget for them and buy from a breeder who hip- and hearing-tests.

At minimum, OFA or PennHIP hip evaluation and elbow evaluation on both parents, BAER hearing testing (English Setters carry inherited deafness tied to their coat genetics), and a current ophthalmologist eye exam. Thyroid testing is a strong plus given the breed's hypothyroidism rate. Ask to see certificates rather than take a verbal 'they're healthy.' A reputable breeder who health-tests or a breed-specific rescue is far cheaper over the dog's life than an untested bargain puppy.