An excerpt from “Setterly Yours: The Photographic Introduction to the English Setter” by Danica Barreau

Is that an English Setter, too?

Even within the individual setter breeds there is a lot of variety. English Setters come in many different colors, shapes, and sizes. The English Setters you see on TV during the dog shows may look very different from the dogs you see hunting in the field.  There is no "right" or "wrong" type.  Every English Setter is an enthusiastic bird dog with a quirky personality, regardless of their coat, color, or size. 

 Today there are arguably four fairly distinct English setter types in the United States - bench, Llewellin, field, and Ryman. 

 The dogs you see at the AKC dog shows today are described as “Bench” Setters.  Some all-breed shows require dogs to stay in an assigned “benching area” for the duration of the show, so that the public can easily view the dogs up close and talk to the breeders, owners, and handlers. The term eventually grew to mean an English Setter that was bred from AKC registered show lines. These dogs usually have bigger heads with longer flews, and very long coats. In the opinion of some, the hunting ability of bench dogs was compromised by the focus on their physique so there has been a push in recent years to create a "dual dog" bench Setter, which can both hunt and show.

 Llewellin Setters are English Setters from breeding lines developed by Richard L. Purcell Llewellin, Esq. (1840-1925). Llewellins are registered in the Field Dog Stud Book (FDSB) instead of by the AKC, and must be descended from Llewellin’s original stock. There have been several unsuccessful attempts by the Llewellin breeding community to get the Llewellin Setter recognized as a separate breed from the English Setter since the AKC registered version bears little resemblance to the Llewellin Setter. Llewellins have shorter coats than the bench dogs and smaller flews; their energy levels are much higher since they are used actively as working gun dogs across the US.

 The “field type” English Setter is probably descended mostly from Llewellin’s breeding lines in the United States. There is more variety in terms of size, shape, and color in the field type English Setter where hunting ability trumps most physical characteristics.  These dogs are also registered in the FDSB but no specific breeding lines are required. Field dogs are usually smaller than bench and Llwellins and can run anywhere from 25lb "pocket" setters to larger 50lb dogs. These are active, high-energy dogs, who can keep up with hunters, both on foot and on horseback, and range far for hours on end.

 In the United States, a fourth type developed by George Ryman bridged the widening gap between the bench dogs and the field dogs, by breeding them both together to get a good-looking dog that can also work well in the field. These dogs are called “Ryman English Setters” or “Rymans” and can be both AKC and FDSB registered. Rymans are larger dogs, males sometimes reaching 75lbs and resemble a bench dog but with a slightly shorter coat. They are prized for their closer foot hunting and balanced energy levels.

English Setters have spots that come in several different colors - black, orange, lemon, brown, and tri-colored (two different colors on a white coat). Some English Setters have a lot of little spots and some just have a few big ones.  Some barely have any spots at all and some have so many they’re almost solid!  The spot pattern is called “belton” and you’ll hear Setters described as “Blue Belton” (black and white) or “Orange Belton” (orange and white) and so on. English Setter puppies are born mostly white and it’s difficult to tell how many spots they’ll have or what color they are.  However many spots they have or what color, they are all English Setters.

 These beautiful dogs are not very common in parts of the United States and some people think they are Dalmatians or Dalmatian mixes but the two breeds are not related. The only thing they have in common is their pretty spots.