Gordon Setter vs Eurasier - Breed Comparison | PetzLover

The Eurasier is a dog which hails from Germany and is a cross between the Wolf Spitz, the Chow Chow and the Samoyed.

The puppies of the dog could reproduce themselves, so that a new breed was recognized by the German Kennel Club as well as the Federation Cynologique Internationale.

It is believed that the name was chosen as a referral to the dog’s European and Asian background. Today the Eurasier is found in most European Union countries as well as in Canada and the United States, but still the breed’s population is low, with efforts in place to raise its numbers.

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.

The Eurasier is a medium-sized dog, standing at roughly 48cm to 60cm in height and weighing 18kg to 32kg. He has a medium to long length coat in a range of different colors – fawn, black and tan as well as a mix of colors such as silver and black.

He has medium-sized, erect ears and the tail is always held over the back. The nose is black and the eyes are also medium in size and dark and should never be obscured by the dog’s hair.

Temperament:

Confident while being reserved around strangers, the calm Eurasier isn’t an aggressive dog.Bred as a companion animal, he is tolerant of other pets in the house as well as with children, and having him socialized and trained will ensure that he is obedient, relaxed and amicable. He is an intelligent dog and responds well to training.

He loves to be with his human family and will adapt happily to city- or country life. He doesn’t have high activity levels so daily walks and ball games will be sufficient for him.

He isn’t the kind of dog that you can keep in your backyard as a watchdog and then just neglect him. He’ll become bored and destructive through no fault of his own.

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.

Temperament:

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.

You can just see on the face of the Eurasier that he is a loving, gentle dog who wants to be part of a loving human family.

As a companion dog he makes a splendidly devoted and loyal pet, wanting to be involved in everything his human ‘pack members’ are doing. He is healthy, intelligent, playful and loving and when you invest in such a pet, you’re investing in a close, loving relationship for many years.

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.

To a large extent, we have the health of our pets in our hands. The way we treat them – the food we give, the activities he takes part in, his sleeping facilities and the attention we give him all contribute to whether he will be healthy or not.

Nonetheless there are dogs who enjoy the best life and yet they still get sick. The Eurasier is a healthy dog breed who can push 12, 13 or 14 years, but still there are some common dog diseases to look out for.

Problems which are of concern are hip- and elbow dysplasia and patellar Luxation. Patellar luxation is when the dog's kneecap becomes dislocated and you see your pet holding up his hind leg for a while. These dislocated kneecaps are quite common in dogs and can lead to arthritis and even lameness.

Your vet can diagnose this problem through different means to help your pet.

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.

Hip Dysplasia:

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.

Progressive Retinal Atrophy:

This eye conditon just gets worse over time and can lead to vision loss.

Hypothyroidism:

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.

Gastric torsion or Bloat:

This can be very dangerous with your pet as the stomach is swollen and the stomach rotates and twists and can lead to death.

Diet:

The Eurasier, just like any other dog, requires high quality food. Luckily, as far as convenience goes, there are some excellent commercially manufactured foods, but you still need to check out the ingredients on the packaging as you want to avoid some of the dog foods high in chemicals and fillers.

The best pet foods are the ones that are high in protein, and meat sources such as chicken, beef or salmon for instance should show up among the top 5 ingredients.

Your Eurasier won’t want to eat kibble every day of his life so add in your own homemade cooked brown rice, vegetables and chicken from time to time. Also, every now and again, it will be of tremendous value to your pet’s immune system to include some raw meat.

Grooming:

Brush your Eurasier twice a week to keep his coat shiny and healthy. Grooming your pet has a number of benefits apart from making him look good. It infuses him with a healthy glow – he literally glows with a sense of wellbeing and confidence because you care for him.

The benefits of brushing your pet include better blood circulation and a shinier, healthier coat. Also check your dog’s nails, check his ears inside and out and make sure to attend to his teeth 2 or 3x a week. There are special toothbrush and toothpaste designed specifically for dogs.

Exercise:

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.

Grooming:

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.

Diet:

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.