Training & Exercise

Training

As with any other dog, it is important that your English Setter is taught the difference between right and wrong as soon as he joins your household. It is good practice to make him understand that he has a place of his own to which he can retire when it is time for bed or to which he will be sent when being disobedient. This may be a box, a bean bag, a rug, or even a chair, but he should recognise it as his own. If you do not wish him to climb onto a chair or your bed when he is an adult, then do not allow him to do so when he is a puppy.

When a puppy is separated from its mother and its siblings it is understandable that it feels lonely and unhappy. You will probably experience a few sleepless nights if the puppy is crying. Don't worry as this will subside within a few days. Don't give in to his cries and allow him into the bedroom if you do not want that to be his normal sleeping place. You will only give yourself a long-term problem by doing this. Try to give the young puppy something to comfort him ... perhaps the warmth of a hot-water bottle wrapped in an old blanket, a ticking clock , or leave a radio switched on.

Like children, puppies enjoy playing with toys. You may decide to give him an old slipper or a sock to play with. Do not let him chew it up unless you want him to chew your best shoes when he is an adult. He will not be able to differentiate between an old item of clothing you have discarded and a new item you have just been given as a present.

When your English Setter is ready for lead-training, you must first choose an appropriate lead. Many people choose a separate collar and lead (available in leather or nylon) whereas others choose a combined "choke lead" (available in leather, nylon, or as a metal chain). When a dog is attempting to pull on its lead, it needs to be given an appropriate command and "checked" so that it stops pulling. Unlike a "choke lead", a collar does not lend itself as well to the "checking" jerk which is required. However, you must ensure that a "choke lead" is of the correct size and construction such that it releases easily after a jerking action. Metal "choke chains" may be effective as a training aid, but they tend to spoil the coat around the neck of an English Setter, and are not recommended. A rounded leather collar may prove to be the most suitable as this will not mark the neck quite as badly as a flat leather or nylon collar.

English Setters are wonderful companions, but they have a reputation for being stubborn and this can be extremely frustrating. They may be within a few feet of the owner, and when called, may ignore you. It's not that they have not heard ... in fact, if you look closer, you will notice a slight twitch from the ears. They are listening to what is being said and deciding whether it is really worth the effort of responding.

Having said that, an English Setter can be trained and there are probably many cases where owners have their dogs obeying every command. However, they are not like Retrievers or Spaniels and it is really unreasonable to expect them to act in a similar manner. The natural hunting instinct of a setter is such that it will prefer to range out in front of you rather than walk by your side. You may think they are obeying you, but there will always be instances where the wilful streak emerges and they decide to go on runabout until they decide it's time to return.

Exercise

A large adult dog such as an English Setter needs plenty of exercise. This does not apply to a young puppy. Over- exercise or a lot of free running at an early age does more harm than good. Do not attempt to take a young puppy on a five-mile trek or expect him to keep pace with adult dogs. Inappropriate action such as this can lead to a puppy growing out of proportion or even contribute towards skeletal problems such as Hip Dysplasia.

An eight-week old puppy will get sufficient exercise just playing in the garden. When he has had his complete course of innoculations you can start to take him for walks on a lead. Start gradually and limit this to a couple of hundred yards for the first month or so (up to 6 months of age), extending the distance as the dog gets older and stronger.

You may have your dog well-trained at home, but when he is running free you may find he refuses to answer your commands. English Setters have a habit of appearing deaf when they wish to be and if they identify an interesting scent in the air, they will go and investigate, despite your protestations. Bear this in mind when exercising him off a lead. One does need suitable large open spaces away from all road traffic and other hazards to allow free exercise. Be responsible and ask for permission before exercising your dog on private land.

Even though they are energetic dogs, English Setters will frequently go from one extreme to the other. When visitors arrive, they will greet the person with lots of running around, tail-wagging, licking, jumping up, and perhaps barking. Try to deter them from jumping up at visitors.