Why Your English Setter Is Stubborn And What You Can Do About It

Stubbornness is a part of our nature, character, and personality. While it can be a learned trait for English Setter, it is mostly related to the nature of the relationship they share with their loved ones. Confidence and consistency are needed to help an English Setter modify this trying behavior. Thanks to their great personality and loving nature, stubbornness isn’t usually an issue!

Are English Setters stubborn?

Yes, English Setters do have a stubborn streak. It depends on the individual dog, but many have a very strong will and stubborn nature that can be challenging. It depends on their parent and or trainer.

Having a stubborn streak isn’t necessarily bad, but it can make matters more difficult when a parent is trying to train them. English Setters can be stubborn, but much can be done to manage or modify this behavior.

Many dogs, regardless of breeding, can have a stubborn streak, just like some humans. An English Setter is also a very smart dog, making stubbornness a bigger challenge if they don’t have the right home environment.

Stubbornness can be thought of as persistence and strong. Historically these character traits served English Setters well when used in game hunting, and today this trait isn’t as necessary unless they are hunting companions or working dogs.

For English Setters that are a part of a loving family, stubbornness might not be such an issue, but it depends on their training and social skills. Breeding and training are the foundation of every dog’s character and personality.

While a parent can’t do anything about their English Setter’s breeding and the traits they get from their ancestors, they can do a lot to modify stubbornness. While this trait may never completely go away, it doesn’t always have to be an issue.

Despite being stubborn, English Setters are also friendly, loving, and devoted dogs that bond very closely with their loving family.   They are smart, easily trainable, and energetic. They make great companion animals and can be trained for many skills, such as assistance dogs.

English Setters are a versatile dog breed, and training will be the foundation of further building their amazing character.

How do I train my English Setter if they are stubborn?

The best way to train your English Setter if they are behaving stubbornly is to be confident in your position as trainer. It doesn’t matter how old the English Setter is or when they came to be in your loving family. You are their trainer, their pack leader, and you must be confident in this role for success.

As stated before, any dog can be stubborn and refuse to learn what is being taught or modify its behaviors when they do something wrong. The character of a dog isn’t solely shaped by its breeding, as every dog is individual.

Some English Setters will be stubborn while others may not. As long as the trainer and pack leader know and have confidence in their position, the English Setter will listen to them, as any dog will. If you leave no room for negotiating this, the English Setter will accept it.

It’s part of the “pack” mentality, and all dogs follow along with this to a certain degree even though today there is no need for a “pack .”The English Setter’s family is their pack, and you or whoever will be the person they are closely bonded with is the “pack leader.”

When training and learning social skills begin, you should be confident in your role and leave no room for anyone else being in charge, including your English Setter. It doesn’t matter what training method is used, when, how, or anything else, and the English Setter must know that you’re in charge at all times.

Once that is established, your English Setter will likely be less stubborn during training and life. It may take a bit of time depending on the nature and personality of the individual dog, but in the end, all will work out.

There will also be times when your English Setter is still stubborn even after thorough obedience training. Like humans and other dog breeds, an English Setter might get something in their head and decide they are going to do that or not when you want them to do something.

Again, if you are confident in your position, these behaviors are easier to manage and modify. There are various ways to manage this sometimes-trying behavior.

A parent can distract the dog if they are still a young puppy. If the puppy is chewing something that it shouldn’t and stubbornly refuses to give it up, distracting it with another toy is an easy fix. For older English Setters, distractions might be harder, and sometimes a time out together might be necessary.

Most English Setters are eager to please their loved ones and the person they closely bond but they have their own mind and sometimes will not agree with their loved ones.

Thorough obedience training goes a long way to successfully minimizing the character trait of stubbornness. Training is lifelong, and your English Setter will need periodic review and reminding of this training.

One of the reasons this dog breed is so mischievous and sometimes stubborn is due to its high level of intelligence. All dogs are intelligent, but many have a higher level of skilled intelligence due to their breeding for a specific purpose.

English Setters are intelligent; some of them make their parents and trainers prove that they should be listened to before they accept training. A prove yourself mentality. Again, it goes back to the parent and trainer having a confident nature.

What should I do if my English Setter is stubborn?

If your English Setter is stubborn, you should train them thoroughly. If you don’t have the confidence and mindset to accomplish this yourself, you will need to hire a professional to get the job done.

Once they are trained, whether, by you or a professional, you will need to be consistent and clear in your home and lifestyle. There is no leniency, what is not acceptable, what is allowed, and so forth.

Lack of consistency is one of the top reasons training fails. If we don’t know what we are doing, why would our dog believe, let alone follow what we say and tell them to do? It may be tempting to be lenient or modify the rules sometimes due to tiredness, stress, anxiety, or just need a break, but this can backfire.

Therefore, whatever your English Setter learns, whatever is expected of them, however, it goes, is how it shall be all the time. For some dogs, regardless of breeding, it might be okay to bend the rules sometimes.

However, since you don’t know if your dog will go with the flow and then bounce back to the consistent method, it’s best to avoid that altogether.