Makes me think I should keep investigating them. 
A setter wonât be a collie. Whether you like the difference or not is an individual preference. It wonât be as big a difference as it would be if you were looking at a hound, but will likely be more silly than smart. Silly can be fun, but not if youâre looking for smart.
True. The only hound I ever met was years ago a friend of a friend raised bloodhounds. Not necessarily looking for smart, then would go for a Border Collie, nearly everyone plus Bob has a border collie or cross, around here. If I had the time would love to do the BC idea and do agility. My ideal adult will have the ability to be calm, chillax, and patient with children.
A friend had a Gordon Setter and English Setter. I loved that Gordon Setter for some reason. DUMB as a box of rocks, but heâd do anything for you.
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I had an English setter, definitely bred for field vs show. We NEVER had an issue with her running off. A good hunting setter will work with their handler and not go too far out of range.
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What about if youâre in the house? In the barn working? Those are not scenarios where a dog is working with a handler.
I run my dogs off lead 2x a day, but I would not clean the house with them sitting in the yard with an open gate. Thatâs when they go hunting on their own.
I did own a Brittany that would not; but he was definitely the exception, not the rule.
Big running, out-of-sight, need a horse or ATV to keep upâŠ
Thatâs the #1 thing theyâre looking for in a field trial dog. The bird work comes second (and if I hear âthe pheasants stay in the tree lines!â one more time I might puke). Perhaps other disagree with me on what field trial dogs are judged on, but in comparison to other game bird sports the run in field trial dogs is beserk. This often makes them not suitable for an average owner, unless you have a commitment to exercise the dog very regularly.
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Yes thatâs the same although a lot of that is training too. You can get a FT dog to pass a HT but you need to change the training. Not always in reverse though. Our breed is supposed to be a close working hunter so they shouldnât naturally take off like a cannon blast.
In NAVHDA calling a dog a FT dog is an insult. It means untrained. E.g. dog takes off along the edge at full gallopâŠ.âyou could Field Trial that dog!â 
Typical response would be 
and try to recall the dog.
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I think theyâre beautiful, and I love a spaniel-type face and the whole aesthetic of the hairy hunting dogs, but I would not want one myself because of the chances of running off. If I lived in a place where dogs went out leashed all the time period it wouldnât be a thing, but especially dealing with a Pyrenees cross all the time now, I want my next dog to stick to me like velcro 
A former coworker was huge into game birds and hunting, raised quail etc, big into it. He had at least two English Setters, possibly more, and it was very common for him to get a call that his dogs were out and had run off.
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She still kept within eye sight of us. Would not leave unfenced yard without us. I think she was just hard wired that way. She was definitely âbirdyâ, set her first timberdoodle at 7 months. But her 2nd desire was to please us.
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