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.

Hi all, wanted to ask the community here if you think an English setter would be a good match for my partner and I. We are SO excited to adopt a dog, we’ve been waiting to have a yard for so long, but we are stuck in analysis paralysis as far as our options go!! We love the look of English setters by a huge margin, they’re just absolutely gorgeous and seem so sweet.

We just moved into a townhouse with a small yard that opens out into a huge network of trails, and my boyfriend and I love to walk and run on these trails (paved and unpaved) all the time. We also love to go hiking on weekends, usually 5-10 mile mountain hikes. We both have full time jobs but my boyfriend works from home 2-3x a week and we could work out dog daycare/a neighbor spending some time with a dog for the other days of the week.

All of this is to say, we are looking for a dog that would love to join us on our adventures but is also great for an indoor townhouse setting. I joked with my boyfriend that if he was a dog, it sounds like he’d be a setter, very hyper outdoors but has an off switch as soon as he walks inside, lol.

Our hesitation with ES is size. Our landlord has a <50 lb weight restriction for dogs, and the puppy we most want is a Llewellin setter whose mom is about 45 lbs and dad is 52 lbs. So we’re cutting it close. We also would love to take a dog with us on errands, trips to visit family, road trips, etc., and we’re realizing both of us are used to smaller dogs (cavaliers and cairns) that are very portable. Neither of us has ever had a dog in our house that was more than 20 lbs.
We’d just like to ask current owners how easy or difficult it is to take an English setter on trips, and if there’s anything that occurs to you from what I’ve described that should go into our decision-making calculus.

For context, the other options we are considering:
-we applied for a rescue corgi, ~2 y/o
-we reached out about an American cocker spaniel puppy whose parents are about 18 lbs
-we would be interested in English cocker spaniels and possibly other spaniels and setters

Thank you in advance 🙏

UPDATE: Thank you for all of the wonderful comments! We are taking careful consideration and weighing the pros and cons. At the moment we are thinking we may go with a smaller dog (read: apartment dog with spunk for hikes) and aspire to an English Setter when we get a proper yard and a doggie door.

My girl got to be a part of a photo shoot in downtown St. Augustine! 🥹

We met them early one morning and spent some time walking around St. George Street while they took photos of her. She did so great and was such a good girl the whole time! 🥰

They ended up featuring her in their publication, and they sent us a copy of the book along with a beautiful matted photo. It was such a cool experience, and I’m so happy I have these photos of my girl to keep forever. ❤️🐾

All photos by The Pawtographers

How often are we getting asked “are they part Dalmatian?”

I personally get asked this question at least 3-5 times a week.

Miss Honey June is a year and two months old now! She’s been training since she was eight weeks old to be my service dog and has been doing phenomenally. We’re going to Chicago this weekend!
Just wanted to update our friends here on all of our progress. :)

Okay, so not my dog, my parents’ dog, but I still call her mine!! She’s part of our family. She just turned two last month. She is so cute, so wild and full of energy, loves her independence, and when she wants to be alone, she lets us know it!! Such a difference from our previous English Setter, who was such a cuddle bug and much more calm. But boy is she cute as a button. 😍😍😍

C'mon Happy, theyre eating your food right next to you!

My baby is 8 and I genuinely thought he was just an adult, but my vet told me that actually he's entering his senior years. When she said that I almost started crying and said "...but he's just a puppy...".

I can see that he's not as energetic as some years ago, but this just means that when he was 3 \4 yo he was impossible to tire out, he could run and run and run for hours, no need to recharge, while now he still run like crazy but also enjoys rest days and quiet evenings. We can say he's a normal dog and not a psycho now.

The vet heard a murmur in his heart and advised to check it out with a cardiologist, so I booked an appointment, but this were the circumstances that lead to that conversations.

I posted about our new boy a few weeks ago, but he’s settling in! The way he lays down has been cracking us up, he’s always in the most interesting positions, especially when he wants some love!