General Appearance

An elegant, substantial and symmetrical gun dog
suggesting the ideal blend of strength, stamina,
grace, and style. Flat-coated with feathering of good
length. Gaiting freely and smoothly with long forward
reach, strong rear drive and firm topline. Males
decidedly masculine without coarseness. Females
decidedly feminine without over-refinement. Overall
appearance, balance, gait, and purpose to be given
more emphasis than any component part. Above all,
extremes of anything distort type and must be faulted.

Head

Size and proportion in harmony with body. Long and lean with a well defined stop.
When viewed from the side, head planes (top of muzzle, top of skull and bottom of
lower jaw) are parallel. Skull--oval when viewed from above, of medium width, without
coarseness, and only slightly wider at the earset than at the brow. Moderately defined
occipital protuberance. Length of skull from occiput to stop equal in length of muzzle.
Muzzle-- long and square when viewed from the side, of good depth with flews
squared and fairly pendant. Width in harmony with width of skull and equal at nose
and stop. Level from eyes to tip of nose. Nose--black or dark brown, fully pigmented.
Nostrils wide apart and large. Foreface--skeletal structure under the eyes well
chiseled with no suggestion of fullness. Cheeks present a smooth and clean-cut
appearance. Teeth--close scissors bite preferred. Even bite acceptable. Eyes--dark
brown, the darker the better. Bright, and spaced to give a mild and intelligent
expression. Nearly round, fairly large, neither deepset nor protruding. Eyelid rims dark
and fully pigmented. Lids fit tightly so that haw is not exposed. Ears--set well back
and low, even with or below eye level. When relaxed carried close to the head. Of
moderate length, slightly rounded at the ends, moderately thin leather, and covered
with silky hair.

Neck and Body

Neck--long and graceful, muscular and lean. Arched at the crest and cleancut where
it joins the head at the base of the skull. Larger and more muscular toward the
shoulders, with the base of the neck flowing smoothly into the shoulders. Not too
throaty. Topline--in motion or standing appears level or sloping slightly downward
without sway or drop from withers to tail forming a graceful outline of medium length.
Forechest--well developed, point of sternum projecting slightly in front of point of
shoulder/upper arm joint. Chest--deep, but not so wide or round as to interfere with the
action of the forelegs. Brisket deep enough to reach the level of the elbow. Ribs--long,
springing gradually to the middle of the body, then tapering as they approach the end
of the chest cavity. Back--straight and strong at its junction with loin. Loin--strong,
moderate in length, slightly arched. Tuck up moderate. Hips--croup nearly flat. Hip
bones wide apart, hips rounded and blending smoothly into hind legs. Tail--a smooth
continuation of the topline. Tapering to a fine point with only sufficient length to reach
the hock joint or slightly less. Carried straight and level with the back. Feathering
straight and silky, hanging loosely in a fringe.

Forequarters

Shoulder--shoulder blade well laid back. Upper arm equal in length to and forming a
nearly right angle with the shoulder blade. Shoulders fairly close together at the tips.
Shoulder blades lie flat and meld smoothly with contours of body. Forelegs-- from
front or side, forelegs straight and parallel. Elbows have no tendency to turn in or out
when standing or gaiting. Arm flat and muscular. Bone substantial but not coarse and
muscles hard and devoid of flabbiness. Pasterns--short, strong and nearly round with
the slope deviating very slightly forward from the perpendicular. Feet--face directly
forward. Toes closely set, strong and well arched. Pads well developed and tough.
Dewclaws may be removed.

Hindquarters

Wide, muscular thighs and well developed lower thighs. Pelvis equal in length to and
forming a nearly right angle with upper thigh. In balance with forequarter assembly.
Stifle well bent and strong. Lower thigh only slightly longer than upper thigh. Hock
joint well bent and strong. Rear pastern short, strong, nearly round and perpendicular
to the ground. Hind legs, when seen from the rear, straight and parallel to each other.
Hock joints have no tendency to turn in or out when standing or gaiting.Coat

Flat without curl or wooliness. Feathering on ears, chest, abdomen, underside of
thighs, back of all legs and on the tail of good length but not so excessive as to hide
true lines and movementor to affect the dog's appearance or function as a sporting
dog.Markings and Color

Markings--white ground color with intermingling of darker hairs resulting in belton
markings varying in degree from clear distinct flecking to roan shading, but flecked all
over preferred. Head and ear patches acceptable, heavy patches of color on the body
undesirable. Color--orange belton, blue belton (white with black markings), tricolor
(blue belton with tan on muzzle, over the eyes and on the legs), lemon belton, liver
belton.

Movement and Carriage

An effortless graceful movement demonstrating endurance while covering ground
efficiently. Long forward reach and strong rear drive with a lively tail and a proud head
carriage. Head may be carried slightly lower when moving to allow for greater reach of
forelegs. The back strong, firm, and free of roll. When moving at a trot, as speed
increases, the legs tend to converge toward a line representing the center of gravity.

Size

Dogs about 25 inches; bitches about 24 inches.

Temperament

Gentle, affectionate, friendly, without shyness, fear or viciousness.

AKC Web Site:  http://www.akc.org/breeds/recbreeds/engsett.cfm