Raise a Toast
 

Our first setter after 30 years of Labs. Decoverly’s Raise a Toast “Raisin” We get her, started, in about three weeks. A wee little thing at 43 pounds.

Cheers! Too early for whiskey, but I will raise my coffee

Beautiful setter Andy. I currently hunt 3 females. They finally mowed the hay fields in back of the house, so now I can run them in the mornings.

Thank you Harold. I'm fortunate I mowed some of my fields and the pond is nearly full. The plan is to run her there, and my one lab will be a dedicated duck dog as he's not a great upland hunter so he gets pond time.

There is nothing, and I mean nothing, like walking in on your own setter rigid on point, you carrying a Parker. Andy, the adventures you will have..,

Thank you Garry! I've hunted over a lot of other folks setters/GSHP/EP and I love them, but have a very soft spot for Labs. The reasons?

1. Tough beyond nails
2. Low maintenance: hose them off and don't bother drying
3. Tough beyond nails
4. They are always puppies
5. Tough beyond nails
6. They can swim in icy swollen lakes and just shake it off and, like a Parker, just keep on going. And they can RETRIEVE

No criticism of other dogs, but I love all dogs whether flushing or pointing. God made their lives short so we could enjoy more of them in our lives (paraphrased from Gene Hill).

Gracie on rigid point. She did her job but the woodcock chickened out exiting behind the trees. I saw him for the flush and he was gone...





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Dean, when my dog of a lifetime "Duck" was alive and in his final year, he would hunt and not hear me, being totally deaf. One time I tried to "head him off at the pass" to prevent him from getting totally lost. The wind was in his face from where I was in a muddy creek bottom. As I worked my way downhill I flushed a mudbat up towards him about 15 yards, he was still ~30 yards by his bell. I remained silent and as he worked his way towards me he became very birdy scenting this bird. That damn bird RAN through that underbrush down towards me, past me, and cut to my left and held about 15 yards away until he flushed him. I missed. If anyone tell you Timberdoodles don't RUN, call bull on it. That was an easy 35 yards that bird walked/ran right past me like a penguin. It's my story and I'm sticking by it. Sorry you missed, I know how it feels all too well.

Beauty

I am a Brittany fan, but those setters sure are good looking

There is NOTHING better than an English Setter!!

Mike, your boy is sure one of the best looking, biddable dogs I've ever met. The way he rests his head on the window sill longing to get outside just kills me. What a sweet creature.

Hey, hey, Mike, let’s not get carried away here. I said “setter” and they come in several different versions. 😇 (And some are so special they carry your family name.)

What a handsome setter, Andy? Congratulations!

-Victor

Thank you Victor

Good bird dogs get along -- why can't we all? Walk in on a point by any of these and tell me you don't get goosebumps...:shock::bowdown::whistle:

I wouldn't get goosebumps, I'd get birds retrieved to hand!!

Hmmm…maybe that’s why I miss so much.:crying::crying:

Now that’s just funny!!

Andy,
You got yourself a beautiful girl there. I bet you are looking forward to the upcoming season. Setters are beautiful dogs but often wonder how much time is actually spent on grooming? I am a GSP guy myself. As with a lab there is no coat maintenance after pounding the uplands for a day. Can Dean or Harold and whomever else give me a honest opinion of a few minutes brushing after a hunt and so on? How about how often they are sent to the groomers each year?

Zachary: Trim the feathering, have baby oil on hand and a horse comb and its easy peasey..... Never sent one to the groomers.... thats what electric trimmers are for.

Just sayin.....

As with so many good questions like this, there are lots of variables in an answer. There are maintenance issues with any dog, and setters have their own. We groom our dogs in the summer and at the beginning of the bird season -- in the summer to help keep them cooler, and at the beginning of the bird season for the heat...AND the burrs, which are more prevalent then than later. Some breeders have developed setters with coats that are easier to maintain. Those are field bred dogs for sure.

If you have a long haired dog, there are issues that go with that. Bruce's baby oil treatment (we use a tangle-free hair treatment on occasion) is a very helpful solution (I guess that would be a "hack" in today's lingo, eh, Bruce?). Grouse hunting in Northern Minnesota presents very few problems. SE MN is another story, and early in the season it can be a chore de-burring the dog. In our Missouri-Iowa-Kansas covers cockleburrs are a real nuisance when hunting around wet or poorly maintained crop fields. Cocklburs are wicked(!), and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. We sometimes have to cut those out, especially when then get under a leg against the chest. It does take time. We did have a Gordon that would skirt stands of cockleburrs to keep out of them, but most dogs just barrel on through...and regret it later. Short haired breeds are not immune to the cockleburs, but they don't get them nearly as bad as the long haired breeds.

I've hunted with guys who have GSPs and Pointers, and there are places where some of them won't go into the briars and canes that our Gordons bust on through. A heavier coat in those conditions is a plus. But I've also seen short haired dogs that would just bull on through any cover...and then not be able to take super cold weather, especially snowy, cold weather for more than a short hunt.

This is an often argued point, but in the end there are advantages to every breed under certain conditions, and for those who love a particular breed, we are willing to overlook any drawbacks...and often put up with the things that are a nuisance.

(Below is an example of early season SE Minnesota conditions -- before and after. This was a pretty mild case of the small burs that are so prevalent in those coverts. I don't have similar pictures of cockleburs because we are too busy getting them out to take photos!)

Great responses everyone. We get her in about two weeks. Luckily I have a full size stainless steel dog grooming station in my garage so she'll spend some time there for sure. I'm not sure what any dog would look like if I were to take trimmers to her. Guess it's time to look at Youtube videos. As is usual anymore, can't get her into a groom here, they don't have the staff to accept new clients. Don't get me started on that.

Our Setters can be filthy after a hunt. Funny thing, I load them into the truck and by the time we get home they are as clean as beforehand!! Another hack for “hitch hikers” is to spray them with Pam cooking spray before a hunt.

We also found, by research, that grooming the dogs during warmer weather does not keep the dogs cooler but actually will raise the surface temperature of their skin.

Almost time to “Hunt ‘em up!!”

Mike maybe they're clean because you spray them with cooking spray and they like the taste of it?? I'm still trying to figure out if you're serious. If I spray that dog with Pam my wife may skidaddle. (Hmm..I'll get a few cans...)

Andy, I don’t spray them with anything. I know guys who do use “Pam”. The thing I use is Musher’s Secret. I put that on their toes/pads if we’re in icy/wet snow conditions. I do run our dogs in Cuga vests. That helps protect them from punctures and hitch hikers.

Pam works great - a very proper lady who ran Springer spaniels put me onto it when I got my setter long ago. Especially important to apply liberally inside the front shoulders, belly and of course the ears. Another tip she gave me for removing burrs was to buy a cheap plastic styling comb, the kind with a long slim spike handle. You run the spike behind or under the hair tangled in the burr and lift straight up; it comes up and out quite easily.

Do you need to bath the dog afterwards or do you live with a greasy couch and floor, or does it wear off over the course of a day? Honest question : )

xxx

Except maybe Two !

My dogs lived in an outdoor kennel so it was never a problem.

Horse products Mane n Tail Detangler or Show Sheen are helpful with burr removal and don’t have the greasy residue of Pam, nor do they retain dust. With 3 Setters and 1 Springer working in what must be the burr capital of the world, we spend about as much time cleaning dogs daily as working them. And yes we body clip the adult Setter in June, the Springer gets a blanket cut about every 3 months. They all look pretty Butch, but functional. And still we occasionally have to suspend training to remove burrs. When we get to the Lake States I marvel at how clean the coverts can be in comparison.

Garry, the picture of your setter with those small burrs immediately reminded me of how Gracie looks when she emerges from those covers. I hate those worse than the cockles.

Here’s a thought - has anyone tried Musher’s Secret? I use it to prevent snow balls between her toes and pads and I would imagine it would make for easier burr removal. It is non-staining and is made from natural waxes.


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Dean, we always keep the large size Musher's in the dog gear (right next to the Skunk-Off!), and use it during snowy conditions. Not sure about how it would work for those SE MN devils, but we may give it a try. Thanks!

Or four!

Show Sheen works well too. We use that on our taxidermy. Helps repel dust.

Do you apply these products before hunting or after to help remove the burs?

Andy, the de-tanlger "stuff" we use is applied before to help facilitate burr removal. We have different kinds of brushes for different burrs. You learn what works best...and, yeah, it takes time. But, most days, it's worth it. (Here's Alder before and after from an early season SE MN grouse hunting trip. Again, cockleburs are worse, and sometimes their ears look like clubs. We don't trim their ears as much as their body and leg hair. We leave the tail feathers, but by mid-season they're gone and they've developed what we call "monkey finger.")

Andy, pre-hunt.

Andy: All of the suggestions are applied pre hunt. I kept a bottle of baby oil in the truck for "tough" work. Show Sheen is actually the best as it dries and is not as messy as the oils. Used it on our horses and dogs and never had a problem.