PetzloverBoth English Water Spaniel and Gordon Setter are originated from United Kingdom. English Water Spaniel may grow 19 cm / 7 inches shorter than Gordon Setter. English Water Spaniel may weigh 16 kg / 35 pounds lesser than Gordon Setter. Both English Water Spaniel and Gordon Setter has almost same life span. Both English Water Spaniel and Gordon Setter has same litter size. English Water Spaniel requires Low Maintenance. But Gordon Setter requires Moderate Maintenance
The English Water Spaniel breed is extinct and has been since the early 1900’s. It was last seen in the 1930s. The breed was a hunting breed, diving for duck and hunting other waterfowl. Legend has it that Shakespeare was referring to this breed of dog in Macbeth when he refers to the “water rug”. Again, in Two Gentlemen of Verona one of the character states about another that “She hath more qualities than a water-spaniel.’
The English Water Spaniel came along before the Irish Water Spaniel and had a part in the development the Curly Coated Retriever, the American Water Spaniel and the Field Spaniel. The English Water Spaniel looks somewhat like a Poodle/Springer Spaniel cross or a Collie. It is not known whether the English Water Spaniel was part of the development of the Irish Water Spaniel.
When the English Water Spaniel was first developed the UKC had a “Water Spaniels other than Irish” and the English Water Spaniel had no standard written and accepted for it yet. But by 1967 the breed was extinct. Still the American Water Spaniel and the Flat Coated Retriever are believed to be descendants of the English Water Spaniel.
The Gordon Setter includes mixes of the English Setter and the Irish Setter. The original purpose of the breed was to hunt game birds.
The dog breed hails from Scotland with a history that dates back to the 17th century. The dog was developed in Gordon Castle by the Duke of Gordon IV.
The dog became popular among hunters in the early 19th century. He is the biggest of the setter breeds. It was in 1884 that the American Kennel Club recognized the Gordon Setter.
Resembling the Springer Spaniel, poodle, collie and setter the English Water Spaniel has very little in common with the Irish Water Spaniel in respect to looks. The English has a narrow and somewhat longer head their than other spaniels and they have long furry ears. Their body is stout, and they are shaped like a barrel – more like a Clumber. With long legs and large feet, it is ready to take to the hunt. There coat was waterproof, and their toes were webbed.
The Gordon Setter is a large dog, capable of reaching up to 69cm in height and weighing up to 36kg in weight.
He belongs to the Setter family and is somewhat heavier than the other Setter breeds. Setter dogs are classified as sporting- or gun dogs. He is a beautiful dog with a pitch black coat with tan markings found around the chest, muzzle and paws as well as those two familiar tan dots above each eye.
Sometimes you can find a small amount of white on the chest. The coat is straight and silky but it can be slightly waved with feathering around the legs, chest, ears and tail. Both the tail and the ears of the dog are also long and feathery. The Gordon has an intelligent, dignified look about him.
The Gordon Setter is a confident, fearless, loyal and affectionate dog. They do well with their human families, when there are other pets in the house as well as children.
He can be a boisterous dog so training and socialization will become necessary. Your Gordon Setter is an intelligent dog and also a dog ready and willing to learn. He is calm and even-tempered but playful too.
He isn’t a dog suited to life in the city if there isn’t an adequately sized garden. He is essentially a country life dog well suited to farms or large fenced gardens.
The English Water Spaniel was aloof with strangers but loyal with his hunter. He was a little stubborn and an excellent water dog. They loved being in the water and could enter it without making any noise so as not to frighten his prey. He was highly intelligent and trainable. He also was very affectionate with his people.
Beautiful to look at, the intelligent and even-tempered Gordon Setter has everything to be confident about. He loves the attention he gets from his human family and is always looking for a pat.
He can be stubborn and he certainly won't like the idea of being left cut off from his family for long periods of time as he is a social dog with those he knows and loves.
The Gordon Setter is energetic and playful so he will need regular exercise. When you bring a Gordon Setter into your home, you bring in a wonderfully loyal pet and companion.
The English Water Spaniel is a fairly healthy breed given to some fairly common disorders such as:
Can lead to lameness and arthritis
Arterial fib and flutter and other problems that could lead to death.
This is a disease seem in several “Dwarf” breeds such as Corgis, as well as in many spaniels. This is the canine version of Lou Gehrig’s Disease or ALS and it is fatal.
Life expectancy for the Gordon Setter is usually about 10 to 12 years and with good nutrition and care, your Gordon can easily reach 12 years of age.
Every dog is prone to some common health issues and these include among others hip dysplasia, gastric torsion or bloat, retinal atrophy and ear infections.
Large dogs are more prone to hip dysplasia. The disease is a malfunction of the hip joints causing pain and loss of function in the rear legs.
This eye conditon just gets worse over time and can lead to vision loss.
An under-active thyroid causes a decrease in metabolism. Symptoms of hypothyroidism in dogs include weight gain, obesity, cold intolerance, changes in the skin and coat like hair loss and your dog is lethargic.
This can be very dangerous with your pet as the stomach is swollen and the stomach rotates and twists and can lead to death.
The English Water Spaniel is not an overly energetic dog and has a tendency to over eat. Feed him 1 to 1.5 cups of high quality dry dog food over two meals each day.
In addition to the health issues mentioned earlier, the English Water Spaniel is also prone to:
Pattern baldness – is genetic and occurs on the neck and back of the hind legs.
English Water Spaniels can have these in old age like most other breeds.
Clumps form in the retinal tissue and can lead to blindness
The English Water Spaniel was a worker and an outdoor athlete at a time before organized canine games and activities such as agility and flyball. They loved to swim, and they loved to hunt. Without a job to do they could become barky and destructive.
Gordon Terriers are energetic dogs so he is going to require a good deal of exercise each day. Take him with you on your walks and make sure that you give him lots of ball games and rope games.
All Gordon Setters shed, and their coat will require a good brushing at least twice a week. Check nails, teeth and ears regularly. Brush teeth at least twice a week to prevent dental decay.
As a working dog your Gordon Setter has a special need for a high fat content diet. You can include some raw meat in his high-energy dog kibble. He can also have some cooked brown rice, chicken and vegetables added into his kibble from time to time. Make sure he has access to fresh, cool water.