Size and Performance of the Rymans

When we first became involved with Ryman-Type setters in the late 1980's they were generally considered to be large English Setters which hunted very slow and close, matching the type of at least some of the dogs coming out of the late Ryman Kennels under Carl Calkins. Breeders who based their programs on these dogs had often continued to breed very sizable setters, with some dogs over 100 lbs! This is not the type of dog George Ryman bred.

The dogs we have seen listed for sale in Ryman brochures from the late 40's and early 50's would be considered small for Rymans today. Males were typically 50 to 60 lbs, females 45 to 50 lbs. There were dogs outside of these ranges, but not many.

Dogs for sale were described as "short coupled", "fast but close", "stylish", "fast trotter", "snappy", "tireless", and "bold". Others are close, old fashioned grouse dogs, quiet in the woods. In various places Ryman complains about small dogs of "poor type", but also of over-sized setters that were "birdless", "clumsy", and "as an ox in the field". It is clear from the brochures that setters from the heyday of George Ryman's kennel were smaller, more athletic dogs than those produced by the end of the Calkins era.

A critical aspect of George Ryman's breeding program is that he actually hunted his dogs on wild birds. They were not simply worked on planted birds or at a preserve, which is child's play for even a mediocre dog. Ryman knew you can't evaluate a dog's ability to handle wild birds, or their potential as breeding dogs, unless you prove them on wild birds.

The same is true for size. Larger dogs tend to have less athleticism, stamina, and heat tolerance, which becomes more likely as size increases, especially above 70 lbs. Smaller, lighter setters tend to have much more speed and range. Ryman's dogs were a happy medium between over-size and the small, wide ranging field trial types. Having owned and hunted dogs of various sizes, it's obvious to us that the size Ryman bred for was based on performance. Hunting the dogs is what led him to the correct size.

John Taylor, in his book "A Gentleman's Shooting Dog", wrote about "The Ryman Standard", which calls for males 60 to 75 lbs and was presented as a quote from George Ryman. Ryman undoubtedly produced some bigger dogs, but this seems like a larger size range than what he typically bred during the height of the kennel. It is obvious with a perfunctory comparison to anything Ryman wrote that he was not capable of writing something as eloquent or grammatically correct as the "Standard", and he did not write it. In reality the standard was based on Ken Alexander's best interpretation of what Ellen Calkins told him, combined with notes he has that Ryman made.

Taylor's book contains numerous errors that, taken as a whole, illustrate his lack of understanding of genetic principles, Ryman setters, or English Setter bloodlines in general, rendering the book useless as a reference. For example, he states that Ryman's Dual Jim was "straight Ryman". Ryman's Dual Jim was by Rummey Stagboro out of Lakelands Nymph. Rummey Stagboro was one of the most famous show sires in history, and his breeding to Lakelands Nymph is one of the most famous show breedings. Ryman had nothing to do with it. Since the book is presented as a history of the Ryman setters it would have been appropriate if Taylor had performed a basic fact check.