Country/Date of Origin: Scotland/1700s
The original setter was used to point game and then drop or "set" while nets were thrown over the birds. With the advent of firearms about four hundred years ago, the job of the field dog changed. The original setters were bred with heavier Spanish pointers and a whole new and quite handsome type of dog was created.
The black and tan coloration is an old variety but it came to prominence only in the late 18th century in the kennels of the fourth Duke of Gordon in Scotland. It can hold its own in the show ring against the Irish Setter and in the field against the English Setter, although it's not as popular as either of them. Gordons were one of the foundation breeds represented in the American Kennel Club.