How do the Setter dog breeds relate to the Predatory Sequence?

[symbolipoint]

TL;DR Summary

How do the Setter dog breeds relate to the Predatory Sequence?

Maybe this is not a well made question, but how or in what ways are the Setter dog breeds related to the Predatory Sequence? What parts of the sequence are expressed and what parts are inhibited?

Interested readers who might not be much aware of the Predatory Sequence can do some simple information search to find out what the parts of this sequence are. My guess only goes as far as reckoning that such breeds as Gordon Setter and Irish Setter are good at searching and observing, but are weaker at much the rest of the Predatory Sequence.

On the other hand, such breeds as Terriers are good at biting, ripping, and killing. I might guess that selective breeding of the Setters was done in order to attempt to keep next generations more in line with the parts of the sequence that the breeders wanted while avoiding making those "next generations" from showing the parts of the sequence that the breeders did not want in them.

 

[BillTre]

I have heard of this before as a behavior sequence (not uncommon in the study of animal behavior) as being broken in different places in this naturally occurring patterns of different behavioral actions (common in analyzing animal behavior). Its an interesting thing that I don't know many details on.

A complex behavioral sequence (like a predatory sequence) would be driven by evolved structure/functions in the nervous system (brain).
Such structure/functions would be constructed in the animals early in their lifetime by genetically encoded developmental processes.
It could therefore be broken in different ways by changes in genetics (mutations).
This has been done in behavioral mutations in model research organisms like, worms (C. elegans), flies (Drosophila), fish (zebrafish), and mammals (mice). Dogs, cats, race horses, etc. should work the same way.
Breeding provides a way to manipulate the genetics and direct changes.

Summary: How do the Setter dog breeds relate to the Predatory Sequence?

I might guess that selective breeding of the Setters was done in order to attempt to keep next generations more in line with the parts of the sequence that the breeders wanted while avoiding making those "next generations" from showing the parts of the sequence that the breeders did not want in them.

I think that in the deep past when many of the older breeds were being established, they were probably selected by people for breeding based on their perception of being useful, rather than considering parts of a behavioral sequence.
Things probably become more complex over time.

Currently, possible ways to breed things can be quite sophisticated.
The dog genome has been mapped (molecularly) and many comparisons have been made between different types of dogs. This identifies genetic areas or genes that effect particular traits.
I am sure that in some cases molecular genetic loci have been identified in dogs for both problems (health issues, especially in inbred lines) and useful traits.
This makes it possible to identify carriers of genes and either direct their breeding or screen through offspring for genetic carriers.
This in turn really speeds up the rate at which new strains with new properties can be generated.
This approach applies to dogs, and is also used in agriculture, aquaculture, and plant genetics.

https://positively.com/dog-behavior/aggression/predatory-behavior/ comes this:
The full predatory sequence is:

1. Eye
2. Orient
3. Stalk
4. Chase
5. Grab/bite
6. Kill/bite
7. Dissect
8. Consum

I guess smell might have included in the first step.

Orienting (#2) toward a stimulus is a really basic feature of animal behavior.
This is very rough but common view of how this would work:
Sensory inputs come into the brain, go to a spatial map of the animals surrounding area (in the optic tectum in lower vertebrates, which then drives movements to orient the (and distance sensory gear) toward whatever the disturbance is located. (You hear a sudden sound and you will reflexively turn your head toward it to gain mor information on what's going on over there.)