Spotlight Breed: Gordon Setter 

Welcome to our Spotlight Breed article of the week. We are excited to feature a unique dog breed from around the globe. Today we are helping you learn more about the Gordon Setter! This dog breed was initially bred to hunt pheasant and quail. They are also trained to compete in obedience, conformation, and agility. However, there is much more to be learned about the Gordon Setter. Please continue reading; you may be shocked at some of the details behind the breed!

We mentioned that the Gordon Setter was bred to complete the job of hunting. The breed is typically not suited to live in a small home or apartment. The reason being is that they strive for physical and mental stimulation. If they do not have the space required for these activities, destruction may occur, which is never ideal. The Gordon Setter is a highly sensitive dog. They take everything to heart. This may not be bad, but owners should keep this in mind, especially if discipline is involved. The breed loves attention and does not tolerate being alone for long periods. If you are a person who is away from the house for long periods, the Gordon Setter is not ideal for you.

Let’s talk about the friendliness of the breed. The Gordon Setter has a heart of gold for its “pack.” The breed loves to form strong bonds with its family. You may discover that the breed acts differently toward children, other dogs, and strangers. The Gordon Setter may appear nervous or anxious around children, dogs, and strangers. Enrolling your dog in socialization and obedience training will help them gain the confidence they need to be around others!

Training a Gordon Setter may be an easy task compared to other breeds. The breed is considered easy to train as it is more adept at quickly forming an association between a prompt, an action, and a consequence. Once again, the breed was bred to hunt. They have no problem showing you how smart they are! The Gordon Setter may possess a “what’s in it for me?” attitude. This is where you will utilize positive reinforcement in your training sessions to seek out the best results.

Are you looking for an active and intelligent dog breed that loves to form close bonds with family? If so, the Gordon Setter may be for you! We will leave you with our favorite quote about the breed: “Gordan Setters: Once they love, they love steadily, unchangeably, until their last breath.”