Setters were originally bred to lie down in front of the bird and language of the time called it "setting the bird", hence the name English Setter.
I have seen extremely intense bird dogs sit on point. It is not relegated to any one breed. I assisted a guy with a shorthair this past summer that had all the bird drive one could ask for. Unfortunately, he had moved from retrievers to pointers and he started this shorthair on what he knew - retrieving. It took me a long time to get the dog to stand his birds and then every once in a while he would relapse.
As in all dog training personal preference plays a significant role in the training. Personally, I would sooner avoid problems than try to correct them. I see no useful need for an English Setter or pointer to sit.
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