English Setter Puppies: Adopt or Buy in Australia?

Should you adopt or buy an English Setter?

Either route can work. The Dogs Australia breed standard, which places the English Setter in Group 3, Gundogs, describes a dog “of medium height, clean in outline, elegant in appearance and movement”, “very active with a keen game sense”, and with a temperament that is “intensely friendly and good natured”.

A registered breeder who scores hips and elbows and BAER tests for hearing gives you the best odds against the breed's known inherited problems and a puppy you raise yourself. Rescue gives you a dog whose energy and manners you can see first; check the live listings, as numbers change daily. The route to avoid is an online ad for a cheap “belton setter” with no health results and no breeder you can check.

Reference figures: the RSPCA Victoria adoption page, read 12 November 2026. Not a quote. Breeders and rescues set their own prices and change them, so check with them.

What is an English Setter like to live with?

Gentle, sociable and athletic. Dogs Victoria calls the English Setter a sweet-tempered breed that is great with people and other animals and will adapt easily to your lifestyle, and says the standard's “intensely friendly” description, coupled with the breed's size, makes it an ideal family dog. It also says English Setters do not like being left in a back yard; they like to be with you as part of the family. Suitable owners, it says, are those who enjoy regular exercise with a daily long walk.

Be realistic about the exercise. The UK Royal Kennel Club lists more than 2 hours of exercise a day for the breed, and Dogs Australia's puppy-choosing advice says a working dog or gundog “will be active in mind and body and will require regular occupation and a lot of exercise”. Dogs Victoria describes the English Setter as one of the oldest gundog breeds, descended from setting spaniels traceable to the 14th century.

Sources: Dogs Australia breed standard, Dogs Victoria and the Royal Kennel Club, read 12 November 2026.

Which health tests should an English Setter breeder show you?

Dogs Victoria calls the English Setter generally a healthy breed, but says conditions that occur occasionally include hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, hereditary deafness (BAER) and bloat, and recommends asking breeders what health testing they do. BAER, the brainstem auditory evoked response test, checks hearing; ask whether both parents and the puppies were tested.

Here is what Dogs Victoria names, next to what two overseas bodies list: the UK Royal Kennel Club and the US national breed club's recommendations published by the American Kennel Club. The overseas lists are for asking an Australian breeder questions, not Australian rules:

Sources: Dogs Victoria English Setter profile, the Royal Kennel Club and the American Kennel Club's list of national breed club recommendations, read 12 November 2026. A buying checklist, not veterinary advice.

Ask to see the certificates for both parents, with names that match the litter. Dogs Victoria warns that a claim of “clear of all hereditary disease” based on a DNA test alone should ring alarm bells, because there are many breed-specific diseases without a DNA test; hips and elbows, for example, are checked by X-ray scoring.

Bloat, or gastric dilatation-volvulus, is the emergency to know about. If your dog has a swollen or tight belly or retches with nothing coming up, call or go to your nearest vet now. Our dog bloat guide explains the warning signs and what the research says about risk.

How much is an English Setter puppy from a registered breeder?

We quote no breeder price, because none of the member breeders whose websites we read published one. In November 2026 we looked for the own websites of English Setter breeders who are members of Dogs Australia state bodies, leaving out listing and classified sites. Few have a website of their own, and none we read published a price. The only price we saw was on a listing site, which we do not use, and we found no guide price from a breed club or state body. We cannot speak for every breeder, so ask each one.

Ask for the price in writing and compare what it includes: the parents' hip, elbow and BAER results, the vet check, vaccination and microchip, whether the puppy is on the Limited Register with a desexing agreement, and whether the breeder will take the dog back if your circumstances change. Dogs Australia also suggests asking whether your own vet can check the puppy.

You may need to wait for a litter. Dogs Australia's registration figures show 59 English Setters registered in 2025, against 67 in 2021 (registrations, not litters bred). The dog cost calculator gives a first-year budget beyond the purchase.

Survey of member breeders' own websites, November 2026. Any price a breeder gives you is theirs to set; prices change, so check with them. Nothing here is a quote.

What do English Setters in rescue look like?

It varies. Check the live listings, as numbers change daily; an English Setter in rescue may be an adult or a Setter cross, and a good rescue will tell you how the dog is with children, other dogs, recall and time alone. If you adopt, ask whether the dog's hearing has been checked, and ask your vet about a hip check.

Browse family dogs listed by rescues too: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide.

What does a rescue English Setter cost?

Reference only, not a quote. These are the fees each rescue published on the date shown; fees change and some dogs are priced individually, so check with the rescue. Read our guides to adopting a dog in Australia and adopting a senior dog.

How do English Setter puppy scams work?

Scamwatch warns that scammers set up fake websites, and fake profiles on social media and online marketplaces, for pets that do not exist, and that if a pet is very cheap it is likely a scam. Dogs Victoria's puppy scam fact sheet adds that fake ads may display microchip, source or membership numbers lifted from legitimate breeders. Checks to make before you pay:

• Health results. Ask for the parents' hip and elbow scores and BAER hearing results, with certificates whose names match the litter.
• Hearing. Ask whether the puppies themselves were BAER tested, which the Royal Kennel Club lists as part of best practice.
• Borrowed numbers. Dogs Victoria says to contact the organisation a seller claims membership of and check the number is valid and matches the breeder's name, location and breed.
• Copied photos. Dogs Victoria passes on the ACCC's advice to use a reverse image search to check whether the photos appear on other websites.

Our guide to puppies for sale in Australia has the state-by-state table of breeder numbers, how to check each one, and what to do if you have already paid.

When is a registered breeder the better choice?

Rescue is not right for everyone, and if you want an English Setter puppy specifically, waiting for a registered breeder is reasonable. Check these before you pay:

1. Registration. Ask for the breeder's prefix and membership number and check them through Dogs Australia's breeder search or your state body.
2. Hip and elbow scores for both parents.
3. BAER hearing results for both parents and, ideally, the litter.
4. An honest health history of the lines, including any bloat.
5. A written contract covering health problems, register type, desexing and whether the breeder will take the dog back.

Is an English Setter the right dog for you?

The appeal is real: a beautiful, gentle dog that is friendly with people and other animals. Be honest about three things before you apply anywhere: a long walk and a good run every day, a place for the dog inside with the family rather than alone in the yard, and regular brushing and trimming of the feathered coat. Not sure? Try the what dog breed is right for me quiz, the dog exercise calculator and the adoption readiness check, and compare with our guide to family dogs.

Find an English Setter near you

We do not have a dedicated English Setter listing page yet, so look through the large dogs listed by rescues in your city and set an alert:

• Large dogs for adoption in Sydney
• Large dogs for adoption in Melbourne
• Large dogs for adoption in Brisbane
• Large dogs for adoption in Perth
• Large dogs for adoption in Adelaide

More gundog adopt-or-buy guides: Irish Setter, Brittany, German Shorthaired Pointer, Vizsla, Weimaraner.