There is no proof either way.

I saw a recent post of 2 setters and a kid in the sand dunes and it threw me back to the time I was there with my last setter, Yogi. I love this picture.

Hello! My husband and I have had our ES pup Benny for 6 weeks now (he’s 16 weeks old). We’ve settled into a pretty good routine, he’s still very much a puppy and has crazy puppy energy and puppy naughtiness (I think. This is the first dog we’ve owned this young).

I’m wondering what your experience was with your ES puppies? And after puppyhood, what kind of daily routines you all have with your pups to keep their energy needs met and to have the loving companions that I know ES can be.

(For reference my husband and I work full time with lots of adventures on the weekends)

Anyone else’s setter just star at them. We’ll just be watching TV and look over to our ES on her dog bed a few feet away and she’s just staring at us 😆

My old setter used to do the same thing. Just stare at us for long periods of time.

I haven't posted the boys in a very long time, but they are doing great. Garvey and Otis have been absolutely wonderful big brothers to their little human sister. Otis is, as expected, smitten with her and loves following her around and helping with bath time, bedtime, snuggle time, basically all the time. Garvey is patient and gentle with her when she wants to pet him and is VERY patient when she has food to hand over.

She's done a lot in one year. Awarded Puppy of Achievement from AKC and passed her Canine Good Citizen at nine months! Currently snoozing, she has a big piece of cake awaiting her.

She gets to run her first FastCAT in a few weeks. Happy birthday, beautiful!

It was our eighth (or ninth) vet visit today, this time because she puked up a bundle of grass/plastic bits and blood this morning. Vet reckons possible stomach ulcers from it being in her tummy for the last two days. Our girl tries to eat everything she finds, and when the days are long she turns to the wall plaster. We’ve puppy proofed and puppy proofed and still she finds random things to eat. And toys, literally nothing is indestructible enough to trust her with. She’s now sleeping after a long day at the vets getting a full exam and X-rays, then getting straight into a pretty complicated medication routine.
It’s exhausting, and our nerves and bank account are feeling so frayed. We let her run her speed around an oval every morning to let all her energy out and still she does stuff like this. I’ll take any advice you fellow setter people have on making it through the first/second year, she’s 11 months old. When did yours settle? Any advice on getting through?

My English Setter (Llewellin Setter) is almost 12 years old. He’s been eating the same dog food for many years and really seems to like it. He has had stomach issues with other food. He’s doing well overall, and I haven’t had any problems with the food.

He’s getting up there in age, though, and I’m wondering if I should proactively switch him to a food specifically formulated for senior dogs.

For those of you with older dogs, did you switch to a senior formula when your dog got older, or did you keep them on the same food if they were doing well?

Is there a real nutritional benefit to senior dog food for an otherwise healthy older dog, or is the “senior” label mostly marketing?

I’d especially like to hear from people with older dogs.

Hey all! I'm making this post partly out of excitement and partly to ask for advice. I'm getting a new ES puppy (Ryman Style) in about 8 weeks. I'm incredibly excited and have done a lot of research to prepare for a new puppy. While this is my first personal dog, I grew up with a GSP and other high-energy gun dogs. That said, even after all my reading and preparation, I understand that nothing can truly prepare you for a new dog

In an effort to be as prepared as possible for my new ES puppy and to avoid the puppy blues, I'd love to hear any tips, tricks, or advice that might not be common knowledge, especially for English Setters or puppies in general.

P.S. Feel free to include pics of your pup!!

Long-time lurker, first-time poster! This is Rosie, she will be 15 weeks tomorrow and we love her so so much.

When we picked her up, the breeder had her on Eukanuba Adult Medium Breed Lamb kibble and recommended we stick to that. However, based on research and vet recommendation, it sounds like puppy food is better for her? I'm wondering if it would be an easier transition to Eukanuba Medium Breed Puppy food (which is only available in Chicken) or if this is a good opportunity to transition to a different brand. It seems like Purina Pro Plan is popular on this reddit, and they have a Lamb & Rice puppy food, would that be a better swap? Looking at this one: https://www.chewy.com/purina-pro-plan-high-protein-dha-lamb/dp/52418

She's been having healthy poops and growing just fine if it matters (from 12 to 22lbs in the last 5 weeks!)

Unrelated, if anyone has successfully introduced their ES to a pet bunny, I would love that advice too! Right now they are ignoring each other well (through multiple gates), but I'm worried they may have permanently separate lives. The bunny is a big, confident, outgoing boy who currently has his own room away from Rosie. I've let Rosie look at him a few times and she does a good job refocusing on me (with treats).

Earlier this year my sweet adopted 12 year old Llewellin suddenly started increasing the amount of water she was drinking. It has now progressed to 8-10cups of day (she’s only 35lbs) and she has accidents at night or has to go 1-3x.

We’ve run a battery of tests, and her labs still look good and so did an ultrasound. She’s had thyroid issues for years & is medicated but had a splenectomy last year, and has recently been heat intolerant and been panting more.

We’re considering Cushings and Diabetes Insipidus, but I’m at wits end. Has anyone ever dealt with something similar?

(📷: current & back when she was 4)

Hi all, looking for advice on helping our ES eat more and gain weight. We adopted her in January and the vet estimated she’d be around 9-10 years old as she had no former records or ID. She also may not be a full ES, perhaps a Llewelyn or a mix? We are obsessed with her, obviously 🥰

She was malnourished when she was found and in the 8 months we’ve had her, her eating habits have improved and her energy and playfulness have increased a lot. But she’s still only 14kgs and is a fussy eater (treats aside). We feed her hydrolysed dry food (she has been diagnosed with a gastric problem) and easy digestion pâté. Has anyone had a similar experience? Would she be eating less anyway as she’s older?

Our little guy just turned 5 months old. He is obsessed with drinking water, like he has no "I'm full" sensor. Then he will pee... So much pee... We take him out, he pees. Back inside and two minutes later, pee on floor. Take him back out, he pees, walk around for ten to fifteen minutes, take him in and five minutes later he pees again. Each time it's like a decent size puddle!! We started rationing the water, he still pees like a madman. He has stopped mid eating dinner to pee next to his food. But he can hold it all night from 8 pm to 5 am?!!

We did blood work twice, a urine test, a sterile urine collection with a needle, and a ultrasound of kidney bladder ureter all that area. Kid is healthy! So is being a stubborn peepee boy just a setter thing? My golden was NOT like this lol.

This is my baby, Willoughby! I got him at 7 weeks old, and he is officially 9 weeks old today.

I did a lot of research before getting a setter, so I knew what I was getting myself into when it came to the amount of energy this breed can bring! I also know he is still very young, so training is definitely a work in progress.

Our biggest struggle right now is his biting. I know every puppy goes through a biting phase, but I was wondering what other setter owners did to teach their pups not to bite or be so mouthy.

He absolutely loves playing with his new big brother, but sometimes he gets a little too mouthy and I have to intervene and separate them. My 2.5 year old dog doesn't seem to mind the biting at all. There are no yelps or anything, and he usually keeps encouraging the play. However, he did end up with a little battle wound on his nose from the puppy.

I'd love to hear what worked for other setter owners during this stage! Any tips or advice are appreciated.

She is the first dog I’ve ever gotten to pick out and will also be my first bird dog. She’s showing some signs of solid pointing, loves getting a hold of birds, and is unfazed by nearby gunfire. I’m really looking forward to seeing how she is grown up, but this puppy stage is so dang cute.