Proven bloodlines that produce excellent companion hunting grouse dogs
In the Thick of It early spring training in the Grouse woods
Northwind English Setters Bloodlines History
The Cinsar Setter Line
Since 2011 we have been working with a line of setters that has fit perfectly with our style of guided grouse hunts that we do on foot. Our dogs must hunt at our pace and work close while not bumping the grouse. We look for dogs that are first, very biddable and second, that will hunt with you and for you and last will be an excellent family dog.
This is what we have found in our setters that have originated from down in the SW part of Virginia. The line was developed by Tom Rasnic, owner of Cinsar Kennels of Virginia. Tom has worked for over 30 years breeding these dogs. These dogs were breed based on their abilities and not to perpetuate a particular line of dogs. These dogs are bred strictly based on performance.
You will find the typical Ryman, Hemlock lines in these bloodlines but what you will also find some of the famous UK English field trial lines of the Sharnberry Red Bracken lines and Irish Cloncurragh lines as well as some of the Llewellyn lines. Dogs that were designed to work for the foot hunter.
What we also appreciate about this line of setters is that they have not been bred for show or looks but for their hunting ability. They tend to naturally quarter, retrieve, and honor. For the most part they are very easy to work with and are not high strung and will settle in to their environment very quickly. We have found them to bond very strongly with their owner and they are very loyal companions.
Changing the Future
Pictured: Woundales Arnie the last of the Sharnberry Red Bracken line
After doing extensive research as to which bloodlines were available here in the US and determining which direction I wanted to go with the future of this bloodline, I chose to import bloodlines from England, New Zealand, France and Italian lines. There are many reasons for this but I feel the lines have been maintained better over seas and that they are breeding close to the same hunting dogs they breed 100 years ago. These dogs have an intense drive to hunt, are cautious on game and become wonderful companion dogs. I am also able to keep the “COI” co-efficient of inbreeding very low and have dogs that come strictly from hunting lines. These are dogs work with the hunter as a team, you will have no need for a GPS tracking collar. These setters will be in eye sight mostly because the hunt is just as important as having the owner next to them on the hunt. However, don’t let them fool you they are driven when it comes to covering the ground in search of scent.
Since the start of this project my goal is for these dogs to be trained to the level of a grouse guide dog while also becoming an excellent house dog. I have not been disappointed with my decision or the dogs. After importing 8 pups from specific lines and then training them in the grouse woods I am pleased with the outcome.
This has been a large investment on our part importing 8 pups, watching them grow and learning how to work with them differently and recognizing the differences in training to get the most out of them. These new lines fit with what I want to accomplish and that is taking a young dog in my training program, starting them in the grouse woods and seeing the natural ability that they have develop and watch them work the bird at a pace that is easy to keep up with. I am looking for young dogs that are ahead of the training curve and fit how I train. I have found I need to change and tweak some of my training to accomplish these goals but the outcome has been everything I had hoped for.
What impress us is how well a dog performs in the grouse woods, how the dog handles for the hunter. If the dog does not work the hunter and as a teammate than why even use a dog? A grouse dog should enhance your hunting experience. We are looking for dogs that can handle wild birds in a true hunting environment. Only then is the dog really tested and considered a Northwind English Setters. In the end, if a dog can work Ruffed Grouse all other birds are relatively easy. It is the Ruffed Grouse that is the true test of a dogs hunting ability. No other bird is harder for a dog to work than a Ruffed Grouse.
