Gordon Setter Puppies: Adopt or Buy in Australia?

Should you adopt or buy a Gordon Setter?

Either route can work. The Dogs Australia breed standard, which places the Gordon Setter in Group 3, Gundogs, describes a “stylish dog, with galloping lines”, “intelligent, able and dignified”, with a temperament that is “bold, outgoing, of a kindly even disposition”.

A registered breeder who scores hips and elbows, checks eyes and DNA tests for late-onset PRA 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 “black and tan 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 a Gordon Setter like to live with?

Loyal, clever and a puppy for a long time. Dogs Victoria says the Gordon is quick and alert, bold and outgoing with a kindly, even disposition, wary of strangers, aloof but not shy, and strongly protective of its family and home, though it will usually adopt its owner's attitude to visitors. It says extreme loyalty and intelligence make the Gordon Setter an excellent family pet, but that while it is willing to please it is also independent and determined, can have a stubborn streak, and is “a slow-maturing breed, so may behave as a boisterous puppy for longer than most others”.

Training and company matter. Dogs Victoria recommends puppy pre-school, says this is a sensitive dog that does not respond to harsh discipline, and that training should be calm and consistent but varied, because it can get bored with repetition. A secure yard is necessary, it says, but a Gordon does not like to be left alone for long periods and does not adapt well to life in a kennel. The breed was bred to find game on the rugged moors of Scotland, “so he required the substance and stamina to work all day in all conditions”, and the UK Royal Kennel Club lists more than 2 hours of exercise a day.

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

Which health tests should a Gordon Setter breeder show you?

Dogs Victoria calls the Gordon Setter generally a healthy breed, but says conditions that occur occasionally include hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, bloat and late onset progressive retinal atrophy (LOPRA rcd4), and recommends asking breeders what health testing they do. Two pieces of research explain the DNA tests you may hear about:

• Late-onset PRA (rcd4). A 2013 study in Animal Genetics (Downs and colleagues) linked late-onset PRA, an inherited disease of the retina, in Gordon and Irish Setters to a mutation in the C2orf71 gene; the mutation was homozygous in 19 of the 21 Gordon Setter PRA cases studied, so a small share of cases had another cause.
• Hereditary ataxia. A 2014 paper in PLOS Genetics (Agler and colleagues) found a variant in the RAB24 gene highly associated with a juvenile-onset, autosomal recessive hereditary ataxia, a disorder affecting coordination, in Gordon Setters and Old English Sheepdogs. Laboklin, a veterinary genetics laboratory, lists a DNA test for this variant in Gordon Setters and says first signs appear between 5 months and 4 years of age (read 12 November 2026). Ask your breeder whether the parents have been 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 Gordon 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 a Gordon 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 read the own websites of Gordon Setter breeders who are members of Dogs Australia state bodies, leaving out listing and classified sites, and found no published price. Not every breeder has a website of its own, 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, eye and PRA 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 26 Gordon Setters registered in 2025, against 36 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 Gordon Setters in rescue look like?

It varies. Check the live listings, as numbers change daily; a Gordon 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, strangers, recall and time alone. If you adopt, ask whether anything is known about the dog's eyes and joints, and ask your vet about a baseline check.

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

What does a rescue Gordon 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 Gordon 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, eye examination and PRA rcd4 DNA results, with certificates whose names match the litter.
• Colour. The standard allows black and tan only, with no other colour permissible, so a “Gordon” offered in another colour is not a pedigree Gordon Setter.
• 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 a Gordon 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. PRA rcd4 DNA results and a current eye examination for both parents.
4. An honest health history of the lines, including any bloat or ataxia.
5. A written contract covering health problems, register type, desexing and whether the breeder will take the dog back.

Is a Gordon Setter the right dog for you?

The appeal is real: a handsome, devoted dog that wants to be with its family, whether on a hike or on the couch. Be honest about three things before you apply anywhere: a lot of exercise every day; patient, varied training through a long puppyhood; and weekly grooming of a coat that sheds all year. 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 a Gordon Setter near you

We do not have a dedicated Gordon 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 setter and gundog adopt-or-buy guides: Irish Setter, English Setter, English Pointer, Flat-coated Retriever, Brittany.