We are Cliff and Lisa Weisse, breeders of Ryman-type setters, the classic foot-hunting type of English setter George Ryman developed during the first half of the 1900s. Setters specialized for the breed’s original purpose of finding and pointing birds for the hunter.
English Setters Bred for Hunting
For hundreds of years, setters were bred to intuitively find, point, and retrieve birds—at an early age and in partnership with the hunter. These traits were being lost to a growing emphasis on breeding for shows and field trials during Ryman’s time. By breeding for the traits he wanted in a hunting dog rather than for competition, Ryman restored the original abilities of English setters. These qualities, along with classic good looks and an easy-going disposition, were the hallmark of the Rymans and remain so in our Ryman-type setters today.