Official ICCF Breed Description
Brief Historical Background
The Setter is one of the classic English pointing breeds, formed in the 16th–18th centuries as a dog for hunting feathered game. Its ancestors are considered to be spaniels and early pointing dogs possessing exceptional scenting ability and a stable pointing posture. The breed received its name from the characteristic “setting” pose, when the dog lay down before the game. With the development of firearms, breeders aimed to create a fast, enduring, and elegant hunter. In the 19th century the breed was standardized and became popular in Europe and America. Today the Setter is known as a refined, working, and highly sensitive pointing dog.
General Appearance
The Setter is a harmoniously built, elegant pointing dog with clearly defined dry musculature and an aristocratic outline. The body is moderately elongated and proportional. The head is elongated, dry, with smooth lines. The neck is long and graceful, smoothly transitioning into a strong withers. The limbs are straight, well angulated, providing free, wide-reaching movement. The coat is of medium length, silky, with feathering. The Setter combines lightness, speed, endurance, and grace while maintaining the working type of a true field pointing dog.
Important Proportions
The format is moderately elongated. The height at the withers is slightly less than the length of the body. The depth of the chest reaches the elbows, providing sufficient volume for breathing. The head is proportional to the body: the muzzle length is approximately equal to the skull length. The neck is long and dry, emphasizing elegance. The limbs are balanced in angulation, contributing to wide-reaching movement. The tail is of medium length and carried at the level of the topline. All proportions aim to ensure endurance, long stride, and a stable point.
Behavior and Temperament
The Setter is distinguished by a balanced, friendly, and energetic temperament while maintaining high sensitivity and a strong focus on working with humans. The breed possesses a pronounced hunting instinct, excellent scenting ability, and the capacity to react quickly and accurately to game scent. In everyday life the Setter is affectionate, sociable, attached to its owner, highly trainable, and attentive. Cowardice, aggressiveness, or nervousness are unacceptable. The proper temperament combines softness, steadiness, and an innate passion for searching.
Head
The Setter’s head is elongated, dry, harmonious, with smooth and noble lines. The skull is oval, of moderate width, slightly rounded on top. The stop is moderately defined. The forehead is sufficiently long, without coarseness. The muzzle is elongated, parallel to the skull lines, slightly tapering toward the nose. The cheekbones are dry, not protruding. The lips fit well, not pendulous. The jaws are strong, with correct scissor bite. The entire head gives an impression of intelligence, lightness, and breed refinement.
Facial Region
The facial region is elongated with a straight profile. The nose is large, well pigmented, with widely open nostrils. The lips are thin, dry, fitting tightly. The jaws are long and strong, the teeth large and even. The cheeks are smooth, without protruding musculature. The chin is moderately defined, not protruding. The muzzle demonstrates a balance of strength and refinement required for precise scent work. Weak jaws, a pointed or overly coarse muzzle, or insufficient pigmentation are unacceptable.
Eyes
The Setter’s eyes are oval, medium-sized, set moderately deep, expressing attentiveness, softness, and intelligence. The iris is usually dark brown, harmonizing with the coat. The expression is lively and expressive, without signs of aggression or cowardice. The eyelids fit tightly with even pigmentation. Too round, light, or protruding eyes, as well as signs of irritation or weak eyelid stability, are unacceptable. Correct eye shape and expression highlight the breed’s intelligence and hunting concentration.
Ears
The ears are long, thin, low-set, hanging and fitting closely to the cheeks. In shape they are narrow at the base and wider toward the lower part, with soft rounding at the tips. Covered with long, silky hair that emphasizes the breed’s elegance. When alert, the ears rise slightly at the base while maintaining a soft expression. Unacceptable are ears that are too short, coarse, insufficiently coated, or high-set. Proper ear shape enhances the breed silhouette and head harmony.
Neck
The Setter’s neck is long, dry, graceful yet muscular, with a correct arch smoothly transitioning into the withers. The neck set is high, emphasizing the breed’s elegance and working expressiveness. The skin is thin, without dewlap. The neck provides freedom of head movement and contributes to correct body balance, especially during wide-reaching motion. Faults include a neck that is too short, coarse, thick, or weak, disrupting the overall silhouette and functionality.
Body
The Setter’s body is moderately elongated, strong, with well-developed yet dry musculature. The withers are pronounced, smoothly transitioning into a straight, strong back. The loin is short, muscular, and slightly arched. The croup is elongated, broad, moderately sloping, providing powerful drive. The chest is deep and well developed, reaching the elbows; the ribs are moderately sprung without barrel shape. The belly is tucked up, emphasizing lightness and functionality. The body should express speed, endurance, and harmony typical of a working pointing dog.
Tail
The Setter’s tail is of medium length, straight or slightly sabre-shaped, set at the level of the topline. In movement it is carried horizontally or slightly below the back, not raised high and not curled. It tapers gradually toward the end. Covered with long, silky hair forming characteristic feathering — the “flag,” emphasizing the breed’s elegance. Unacceptable are tails that are too high-set, short, coarse, or excessively low. Correct tail shape emphasizes the Setter’s balance and dynamism.
Description of the Exterior
Forelimbs
The forelimbs are straight, parallel, with strong but not coarse bone. The shoulder blades are long and well slanted, providing wide-reaching motion. The upper arm is well connected to the body, with correctly expressed angulation. The forearms are vertical and strong. The elbows point backward, not turned out. The wrists are strong and elastic. The feet are compact, oval, with tight pads. Weak joints, east-west stance, or narrow placement are unacceptable. The forelimbs must ensure lightness and long stride.
Hindlimbs
The Setter’s hindlimbs are strong, well angulated, with voluminous yet dry musculature providing powerful drive and wide-reaching movement. The thighs are long and broad; the stifles are stable with correctly expressed angulation. The lower thighs are long and muscular. The hock joints are low-set, strong, without weakness or deviation. The rear pasterns are vertical and strong. The feet are compact, oval, with tight pads. The hindlimbs must demonstrate balance, strength, and correct movement mechanics typical of a pointing breed.
Gait and Movement
The Setter’s gait is light, free, and wide-reaching, with confident forward reach of the forelimbs and powerful drive of the hindlimbs. The dog moves straight, maintaining a stable topline and good body balance. At the trot it demonstrates a long stride, allowing efficient coverage of large areas. Movements should be harmonious, effortless, with visible elasticity of the ligaments. Unacceptable are short stride, heavy movement, east-west feet, cow-hocks, or instability. Proper movement emphasizes the Setter’s working potential.
Coat
The Setter’s coat is of medium length, silky, straight or slightly wavy, lying close. On the chest, belly, back of the limbs, tail, and ears the coat forms characteristic feathering and ornamentation. The undercoat is moderately dense, protecting from cold and moisture. The coat must remain natural, without excessive fluffiness or curliness. Unacceptable are overly short, coarse, harsh, or tangled coat, as well as absence of breed feathering. Coat structure emphasizes elegance and the working type of a pointing dog.
Acceptable Colors
The Setter is allowed traditional colors typical of English pointing breeds. The most common are orange belton (orange and white), black belton, lemon belton, and tricolor. Spots of different size and intensity are allowed, as well as light ticking. Solid colors are generally unacceptable. Pigmentation of the nose and eyelids must be full and dark. Excessively large dark patches on the head, pale pigmentation, and non-standard colors are considered faults. Correct coloration emphasizes breed type and origin.
Size
The Setter is a medium to large dog with a harmonious format. Males typically stand 61–68 cm at the withers, females 58–65 cm. Weight varies depending on sex and condition, maintaining balance between lightness and strength. Excessively large or small dogs are undesirable as they disrupt proportion and functionality. The dog must demonstrate strong bone, developed musculature, and overall balance. Size is important for endurance, long stride, and stable pointing characteristic of pointing breeds.
Faults
Faults include any deviations from breed type: weak bone, loose body, insufficient musculature. Narrow chest, soft back, weak limb angulation. Light, round, or protruding eyes; insufficient pigmentation of nose and eyelids. Ears that are too short, coarse, or incorrectly set. Incorrect bite, weak jaws. Soft, tangled, or overly short coat; absence of characteristic feathering. Movement faults such as east-west stance, cow-hocks, or restricted stride. Nervousness, shyness, or aggressiveness are also faults.
Disqualification
Disqualifying faults include serious deviations disrupting breed type. Complete depigmentation of the nose, eyelids, or lips; blue or odd-colored eyes. Severe bite faults: overshot, undershot, missing several teeth (except age-allowed cases). Clear limb deformities, lameness, severe movement issues. Complete absence of breed feathering, excessively short or harsh coat. Non-standard colors, absence of typical belton pattern. Cryptorchidism in males. Also pronounced cowardice, aggression, or unstable psyche.
Important Notes
The Setter is a working pointing breed, and evaluation gives special attention to functionality, lightness, and long stride. Minor external deviations are acceptable if they do not affect working qualities. Full pigmentation of eyelids, lips, and nose is important. Artificial alteration of coat structure, ear shape, or tail is unacceptable. Judging considers age, sex, condition, temperament, and ability to maintain breed expression. The temperament must be balanced, confident, and working-oriented.
Conclusion
The Setter is a graceful, energetic, and high-class pointing dog combining working qualities with a noble exterior. To participate in shows and breeding within the ICCF system, the dog must have official documents of this system confirming origin and conformity with the standard. Evaluation includes analysis of temperament, coat, pigmentation, movement, structure, and overall balance. Only healthy, typical individuals fully meeting ICCF requirements, demonstrating stability, working type, and breed expression, are allowed for breeding.
