THE AMERICAN GORDON SETTER. t 85 



Setter. Neither have I ever seen his equal, in nose, obedi- 

 ence, stanchness, and speed. When the nature of the 

 ground will permit it, he is one of the fleetest dogs of the 

 Setter breed. At his work, he is naturally a high-headed 

 dog, always seeking for the body-scent of his game. When 

 the weather is such as to require it, he is quick to take the 

 foot-scent as well. His natural instinct is developed in a 

 marked degree, and it leads him to know where to look for 

 his game, without that racing over ground that is charac- 

 teristic of Setters of other strains. 



I have ever found them easily broken, and they never 

 forget, when once taught, what is required of them. You 

 can shoot over them the first of the season with as much 

 pleasure as at the end. 



The American Gordon Setter has never taken part in public 

 trials, except on one or two occasions in America. The rea- 

 son is that they have never been owned by those who cared 

 for yearly field trials, or for a test of so short a duration. 

 Most of those who run dogs at yearly trials own either 

 Llewellin Setters x^r Pointers, and select judges from those 

 who own the same breeds; and Gordon Setter owners have 

 been well aware that in running their dogs under them they 

 would have a poor show. 



The field- trial advocates are preparing to organize yearly 

 trials, in which each brace of dogs are to be run eight 

 hours. They should have, for these trials, judges from all 

 the Setter strains, and Pointer men also. This would, I 

 think, with their eight-hour heats, bring out more dogs 

 than ever have been seen at any of the thirty-five-minute 

 heat trials in the past. 



Keep your dogs well exercised, for no dog, unless he is, 

 will keep in health. A dog that is properly exercised will 

 not, after your first day' s hunt, be running to heel, but on 

 the contrary, will do all the work you may require of him, 

 no matter whether for a week or a month. My way is to have 

 my dogs follow me in my drives for miles. I give them 

 but gentle exercise in the summer, not over six miles in the 

 round trip, and over a route where they can find plenty of 



