- Deep, shining coal black, without rustiness, with markings of chestnut red, i.e. lustrous tan.
- Permissible: Black pencilling on toes and black streak under jaw
- Tan markings: Two clear spots over eyes not over 2 cm (3/4 ins.) in diameter.
- On sides of muzzle, tan not reaching above base of nose, resembling a stripe around clearly defined end of muzzle from one side to other.
- On throat, two large, clear spots on chest
- On inside hindlegs and inside thighs, showing down front of stifle and broadening out to outside of hindlegs from hock to toes.
- On forelegs, up to elbows behind, and to pastern joints or little above, in front.
- Around vent.
- Permissible: Very small white spot on chest
- Permissible: No other colour
About the Gordon Setter
Origin: Great Britain
- Typical life span
- 12-13 years
- Size
- Large — from its typical weight
- Weight
- Male
- 25-36 kg
- Female
- 20-32 kg
- Height
- Male
- 61-69 cm
- Female
- 58-66 cm
- FCI status
- Recognised by FCI
- FCI group
- Pointing Dogs
- Origin
- Great Britain
- Known hereditary risks
- Not researched yet
About
What is a Gordon Setter?
Large, athletic bird dog with distinctive glistening black-and-tan coat. Built sturdily for work in rugged terrain, it is the heaviest and most substantial of the setter breeds, known for endurance and loyalty with an alert expression.
Gordon Setter history and origins
Developed in Scotland by Alexander the fourth Duke of Gordon in the late 18th and early 19th centuries from black and tan setters. Established as a durable one-man bird dog capable of working long days in rugged Scottish Highland terrain.
Gordon Setter appearance and size
Males typically weigh 25-36 kg and stand 61-69 cm at the shoulder; females 20-32 kg and 58-66 cm.
What the breed standard says
- Bred for
- Pointing dog
- Behaviour and temperament
“Intelligent, able and dignified. Bold, outgoing, of a kindly even disposition”
Quoted from FCI standard n°6. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
Breed reference from The Dog API.
Characteristics
- Size
- Large
- Exercise needsRead from what the breed was bred to do, in the registry’s own words: “Pointing dog” That is a working purpose, not a measured exercise requirement — an individual dog’s needs depend on its age, health and household.
- 4 of 5
- Easy to train
- —
- Amount of shedding
- —
- Grooming needs
- 4 of 5
- Good with children
- —
- Cost to keep
- —
- Tolerates being alone
- —
- Intelligence
- —
- Health of breed
- Not researched yet
Pros & cons
Pros & cons for the Gordon Setter
What you get with the Gordon Setter
- Purpose stated in the standard: “Pointing dog”
- The standard describes the breed as: “Intelligent, able and dignified. Bold, outgoing, of a kindly even disposition”
What you are taking on
- High grooming needs — the standard’s own description is “on backs of legs long, fine, flat and straight, fringes on belly may extend to chest and…”
Drawn from sources rather than written as an opinion — cited health research, the registry’s own standard, and peer-reviewed longevity. FCI breed standard. One breeder’s animals can differ from any of it, and an empty column means we hold nothing for that side rather than that there is nothing to say.
Characteristics
FCI standard · Gordon Setter
Coat and colour
As the FCI standard sets it out. Every line below is the standard’s own wording, tagged permissible.
Coat
On head, front of legs, tips of ears short and fine
moderate length, flat and free from curl or wave on all other parts of body.
Feather on upper portion of ears long and silky
on backs of legs long, fine, flat and straight, fringes on belly may extend to chest and throat.
As free as possible from curl or wave
Colour
- Preferred
- Permissible
- Undesirable
- Disqualifying
Preferred, permissible, undesirable and disqualifying are FCI’s own words about the breed. They describe what the standard asks for — not an assessment of any individual dog, and not ours.
Shortened from FCI standard n°6 — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source.
Breed-level information from The Dog API. It describes the Gordon Setter in general; any individual animal can differ.
Health guide
What to ask for in a Gordon Setter
No breed-specific health panel has been written up for the Gordon Setter on this platform yet. That is a gap in our records, not a clean bill of health — ask the breeder which hereditary conditions their lines are tested for, and ask to see the results for both parents, dated and from a named laboratory.
Gallery
No photographs yet
This is where Gordon Setter owners’ own photographs will go, from the pet profiles they keep here. Nobody has added one to a public page yet.
A photograph in a pet profile stays private to its owner. We will not put one here unless they ask us to.
Puppies
No puppies listed right now
No Gordon Setter breeder has a record on this platform yet, so there is nothing to list. That is a gap in our coverage, not a fact about the breed.