Llewellin Setter

Breed Rating

Breed Details

General

The Llewellin Setter is a medium size gun dog that originated in England. Also known as Field Setter, this gun dog is used to hunt upland game birds. There is some confusion as to whether this breed is a pure breed or is it just a variant of English Setter. Some people consider this dog as a strain of English Setter while fanciers of this dog believe that it is a pure breed in itself. This dog is named after its developer, R. Purcell Llewellin, obtained some of the best English Setters from another English Setter breeder, Edward Laverack, and combined these dogs with his own dog lines which resulted in Llewellin's personal strain, "the Dashing Bondhu". This breed has superior field skills over English Setters when it comes to hunting skills on field.

This dog has long and lean head with a snippy muzzle. Dark brown eyes have intelligent and mild expression. Moderate length, low set ears are carried close to the head. Deep chest has well sprung ribs. Topline is level and strong. The dog has a straight tail, carried higher than back level. This breed is single-coated with soft, fine, silky and medium to long in length. Tail, back of the legs, chest and ears are covered with feathering. This breed comes in a wide variety of colours and combinations. Most common colouring include black and white, orange and white and tricoloured (white/black/tan and white/chestnut/tan).

Though this dog breeds true to type but it is NOT recognized as a separate dog breed by most kennel clubs including AKC.

Color

The Llewellin Setter comes in a variety of different colours. The dog has been classified into three varieties on the basis of colouring. One type of colouring is called Belton. The dogs having this colouring pattern are born completely white. With growing age, ticking begins to come in which intermingles with white hairing all over the body and sometimes gives a roan look to the dog. Second type is Non-Belton where dog is born with patches of colours. Ticking begins to set in with the age and completes within first six months of the dog. Third type of colouring is called Blanketed where dog is born with a predominant colour other than white. This type of colouring is exactly opposite of the non-belton type. These dogs are born black or in chestnut colour with patches of white. Ticking will develop shortly after birth within white patches. Non-belton type colouring is most common with white and orange, white and black, white and chestnut, white and tan or tri-colour dogs (white/black/tan and white/chestnut/tan). Rare are Belton type coloured dogs with Blue Belton (white with black ticking), Orange Belton (white with orange ticking), Chestnut Belton (white with chestnut ticking), Tri-Belton (white with black and tan ticking), Chestnut Tri-Belton (white with chestnut and tan ticking) colouring. Most rare are Blanketed type dogs with Tri-Colored , black/white/tan, Tri-Chestnut - chestnut/white/tan colouring patteren.

Coat

The Llewellin Setter has a single layered medium to long soft, fine and silky coat. No undercoat is present. Llewellin bloodlines have produced coat textures that are both smooth (flat without curl) and also wavy like.

Personality

They are loyal, gentle, intelligent, affectionate, obedient, and enthusiastic. They have a high desire to please their owners whether in the field or in the home and tend to create a strong bond with their human companion. They crave human companionship so this is not a hunting breed that should be left outdoors in kennels their entire lives. These dogs need human interaction on a daily basis in order to thrive and to reach their full potential. These dogs can be strong-willed at times so reinforcement of training is essential. They are excellent family dogs. Unlike many other high-strung and/or aloof hunting dog breeds, these dogs are more laid back, want to be in your company and do very well around small children and in the home. They can be excitable at times, but tend to quiet down and settle in very quickly.

Care

Single layered coat of this dog does not need lot of grooming. It should be brushed once per week with a soft bristle brush to clean off dirt and debris. Due to single coat, using hard brush can damage the dog's skin. Ears should be cleaned regularly and toe nails should be trimmed regularly.

Training

This intelligent breed is easy to train as it learns fast but due to its sensitive nature, it must be trained in a soft and gentle manner. This breed can be easily discouraged and become fearful of training if harsh reprimands are extended. Also, it can be easily distracted in open areas. A professional or experienced trainer will suit this breed the most.

Activity

This energetic breed will require a large yard or open space to roam, run and play. It needs lots of exercise and will need to be taken on daily walks along with ample playing time.