Would you like a medium-sized, hardy, great family dog that would love to join in your activities and compete in dog sports with you AND cuddle on the couch? If so, how about considering an English Setter? Maybe you already have an English Setter and are looking for activities to do with your dog. The good news is that this versatile breed can succeed, and even excel, at almost anything you would like to do.
The English Setter was first developed hundreds of years ago to hunt upland game birds (pheasant, grouse, and quail) with the goal of putting food on the table. People cannot do this alone. They need the dog to find the birds in vast acreage with lots of vegetation cover. These birds hide in the cover and can’t be detected by humans with our puny sense of smell, which is meager when compared to a dog. To perform this function, the dog has to be physically sound and athletic. It has to be motivated to perform in all weather and blast through heavy cover. It has to be able to run at a gallop all day long. Fast forward to 2025. Those same canine traits can be assets in many other dog sports in addition to hunting. And English Setters can do them all.
A new and rapidly growing dog sport is Barn Hunt. An English Setter can spot a squirrel or rabbit a mile away. Your ES might easily transfer the squirrel-rabbit obsession to finding rats (sweet, clean rats bred especially for the sport), and be a superstar in Barn Hunt, where rats are hidden in plastic tubes among bales of straw.
Another rapidly growing dog sport is Scent Work. If you drop the tiniest morsel of food and it scoots under the refrigerator, does your ES go on the alert, sniff it out immediately and lock onto it? If so, your dog could probably shift that scenting prowess to specific odors and would probably excel at Scent Work. Dogs really appreciate the fact that they can get food treats while competing in a SW trial.
Running in the field can easily transfer to Fast CAT, a sport that evolved from Lure Coursing for sighthounds (like Greyhounds). Lure Coursing events are reserved only for sighthounds, but when other breeds wanted in on the fun the sport of Fast CAT (Coursing Aptitude Test) was invented. It’s a 100-yard dash where the dog runs as fast as it possibly can. Most dogs love it. Bonus: in Fast CAT, the dog does most of the work.
When hunting, a bird dog has to jump obstacles, like fences or downed trees, and turn on a dime. These skills easily transfer to dog Agility, which features jumps, tunnels, an A frame, and more, and calls for a dog to be athletic and agile. Agility is a complex sport that requires equipment and years of training, but those who do it find it highly rewarding.
If you enjoy the creativity of training your dog to do tricks, you can give Trick Dog a try. You can teach tricks at home and try for titles, or you can take a class. Most people find Trick Dog a lot of fun.
Fetch Dog is an old activity that has evolved into a new sport, providing a fun way to give your dog exercise, even if you don’t have a lot of space. You simply throw something, the dog chases it, brings it back to you, and you throw it again. Lots of people play fetch with their dogs with balls and bumpers. In Fetch Dog, if you learn the rules and some more advanced skills, you can compete for AKC titles.
Does your ES enjoy learning everyday skills like sit, down, walk by your side, spin left and spin right in a user-friendly atmosphere where you can talk to him and encourage him? That might be a sure sign that Rally is the sport for you.
Do you like the ultimate challenge of mastering complex skills in ever-increasing levels of difficulty? Would you feel a sense of pride for learning one of the more difficult dog sports? Then Obedience, one of the oldest and most traditional dog sports, might be just right for you.
Tracking is a sport where a dog follows a scent trail left by a human being. It gets you into the great outdoors and cashes in on a dog’s natural ability to follow scent. If the dog is really good at Tracking, then the transition to Search and Rescue might not be difficult.
English Setters instinctively understand when someone is hurting physically, mentally, or emotionally and settle in quietly by their side, bringing comfort. They are also especially gentle with little kids and anyone who is frail. There is a program called Therapy Dog where dogs demonstrate that they can visit hospitals, nursing homes, schools and the like, and bring comfort and joy. English Setters really excel at being Therapy Dogs.
English Setters have done all of these activities and have earned titles in them. Of course, they still participate in hunting upland game birds, which is their absolute favorite activity because hundreds of years of selective breeding have hardwired hunting into their DNA. There are probably trainers in your area who offer classes in these sports. If you want, you can earn AKC titles. For all of these sports, your dog can be spayed or neutered and still participate.
And, of course, if you want to show your dog and try for a championship, English Setters are gorgeous show dogs. For Conformation, dogs must be intact, as the goal of the sport is to evaluate breeding stock. Just let the breeder know that this is one of your goals.
All you have to do is partake of the information and put in the work, and a world of excitement and fun will open up for you and your dog. You’ll also be part of a community of like-minded folks with this shared passion.
You can compete or not, your choice. Just the act of training and learning provides lots of satisfaction and deepens the bond you have with your English Setter. So, choose what piques your interest and dive in.
The English Setter Association of America (ESAA) has lots of members who participate in sports with their English Setters and would be happy to help you. For more information, go to: www.ESAA.com. ESAA also has Facebook pages, ESAA Club, which has current news, and ESAA Companion Sport Support, where you can meet folks who are active in dog sports and who can provide information and support.
Here are some AKC web pages with more info about the sports themselves:
https://www.akc.org/sports/companion-dog-sports/
https://www.akc.org/sports/beginners-guide-performance-sports/
https://www.akc.org/sports/title-recognition-program/
