Breeding the Lines, a Successful Long-term Strategy ~ Part One

by John Fetters

© 2008-2009 Fetters Setters, all rights reserved

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Pictured above, Ryman's Racket Boy, bred by George H. Ryman,

although a male, a near mirror-image of the setter shown below
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Pictured above, Fetters-bred "Grouse Greta," a 42-pound, fully

trained Blue Belton female, shown at 16 months old in 2009
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After many years of breeding, training and hunting the "Ryman" setter lines on a variety of "wild" game bird species and obtaining exceptional results, I noticed some time ago that I would need to introduce new blood into my lines which would be compatible and blend well with that which I already had achieved.
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However I did not wish to introduce the same blood being used on a regular basis by a vast majority of other present-day breeders ~ as the resultant offspring from those lines were not headed in any direction I would be satisfied with. .

As a matter of mention here, during this time I turned away a number of other breeders who contacted me out of interest in breeding to my shooting dog lines. .

The lines I was breeding ~ and which generations of my family before me also had bred ~ had everything a "Classic" shooting dog must have: that being heart, drive, speed and the required stamina to hunt for hours upon hours each and every day and in any type of cover, no matter what type of weather conditions were encountered on any given day.
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During my endeavor, I also did not want to risk losing the "Classic" good looks and working qualities of what I already planted; and so I did not care to follow the same breeding path being undertaken by other breeders who were (and are) breeding setters like the resultant setters made available during the "Calkins" era ~ which began in 1955 and has continued with highly varied results to this day.
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While the "Calkins" scheme of breeding was and is even today an easy method of breeding to produce a large beautiful English Setter through the use of modern day Bench and Field lines, the resultant offspring does not measure up to what a George H. Ryman bred setter once was and still should be. .

I find these types of setters to be more suited to the sportsman who has a busy schedule and limited time to spend afield ~ and not so suited for the serious upland game hunter who spends hours upon hours afield.
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With the above observations in mind, I started doing test breedings through the introduction of new blood from the best imported blood with an infusion of the old Wing Commander lines.

After a lapse of time ~ from 1999 to 2006 ~ I finally reached my goals in producing an even better "Classic" setter shooting dog which is even more in keeping with the same type of setter shooting dog George H. Ryman himself would be very pleased to see and shoot over..

Through constant vigilance and relying on the accumulated knowledge my family before me passed on to me ~ and who themselves bred for shooting dogs which met the George H. Ryman standards as well ~ successful breedings have continued, the result of one such breeding which is pictured above with Ryman's Racket Boy, a setter bred by George H. Ryman himself..

It should also be said here that contrary to some of the present "marketing" techniques, there is no such thing as "modern" George H. Ryman standards ~ or for that matter, a "modern" Ryman setter. Setters bearing the "Ryman" brand name either meet George H. Ryman's timeless standards, or they don't.

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George H. Ryman's standards were developed over a period of time by him with much hard work, patience, vigilance and accumulated knowledge. .

Although many of the "Ryman" setters went through remarkably drastic changes during the ensuing "Calkins" era after his stroke and subsequent death, George H. Ryman's own set of strict standards remain the same today as they were when he was alive and actively breeding his famous shooting dogs.

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John's Great-Grandmother and Some of the Fetters Family Heritage English Setters

While sorting through the massive Fetters Family English Setter histories, we came across these photos which we'd like to share with you here.

Below you will also see a photo of John's Great-Grandmother, Mary B. Fetters, at the young age of 86, with a female Orange Belton Setter out of bench and field lines (note the dog's litter of pups in the background). The English Setters in the other three photos are also Fetters Family-bred and owned.

These photos are circa. 1950s, and we will be sharing more of the Fetters Family English Setter history and heritage with you in the near future.

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