Irish Red and White Setter

Irish Red and White Setter

The Irish Red and White Setter is a playful, energetic, fun-loving, affectionate and intelligent breed. Sounds great, right? Well, while it’s true that this adorable dog breed has endless positive traits, potential owners should be aware that she has endless amounts of energy. If this energy isn’t burnt, you might have destructive pooch on your hands! Originally bred as a hunting dog, this rare dog breed is a great match for active couples or families who have lots of time to dedicate to exercising and adventuring.

Key facts about the Irish Red and White Setter

Life expectancy :

6

18

11

13

Temperament :

Affectionate Playful Hunter

Size :

Origins and history

The Irish Red and White Setter was bred in Ireland (if the name didn’t give it away!) to hunt birds and small game. She was, of course, originally red and white. However, when breeders decided they preferred the dog with a solid red coat, the original Red and White Setter almost faced extinction. Thankfully, in the early 1940s, a group of dedicated breeders helped the breed make a comeback - though the breed is still extremely rare to this day.

FCI Group

FCI Group

Group 7 - Pointing Dogs

Section

Section 2 : British and Irish Pointers and Setters

Physical characteristics of the Irish Red and White Setter

    Adult size

    Female : Between 22 and 24 in

    Male : Between 24 and 27 in

    Weight

    Female : Between 40 and 51 lb

    Male : Between 44 and 55 lb

    Coat colour

    White
    Red

    Type of coat

    Long

    Eye colour

    Brown

    Description

    The Irish Red and White Setter is a medium-sized, athletic dog with an elegant appearance. The body and limbs are lean yet powerful and muscular, while the neck is relatively long and, again, muscular. The broad head and face features a squarish muzzle, clear stop, round eyes and eye-level ears. Overall, she is an attractive looking, agile, and athletic breed.

    Good to know

    The Irish Red and White Setter is classed as a vulnerable breed and has almost faced extinction several times.

    Temperament

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      Affectionate

      This breed is affectionate and friendly to pretty much everybody it meets! To her owner, in particular, she will display an endless show of love and loyalty.

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      Playful

      The Irish Red and White is a super playful breed who’s always happy to join in with family games, sports and activities.

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      Calm

      While this breed can be calm and content in the home providing her exercise needs are met, she’s a naturally high-energy and active dog who will quickly become hyperactive if under-exercised or bored.

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      Intelligent

      This pup is definitely smart, which means she’ll learn new tricks and commands with ease. She has a determined and courageous character, which emerges when she is at work.

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      Hunter

      While the Irish Red and White Setter makes a fantastic companion dog, it’s important to remember that she was bred to hunt. Therefore, this breed has a natural prey drive for small animals and wildlife.

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      Fearful / wary of strangers

      She may be suspicious of people who don’t strike her as friendly.

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      Independent

      Despite the Irish Red and White Setter’s loving and warm temperament, she has an obvious independent streak in her personality, making obedience training all the more important.

      Behaviour of the Irish Red and White Setter

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        Tolerates solitude

        This breed will tolerate a few hours left alone, but is a naturally sociable pup, and might struggle with longer periods of alone time. If you’re planning on leaving a dog of this breed alone a lot of the time, it might be worth getting another dog for company.

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        Easy to train / obedience

        The Irish Red and White is an intelligent dog, meaning she is fairly easy to train. This breed won’t react well to harsh corrections or negative training methods - she loves to please, so plenty of positive reinforcement works well.

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        Barking

        May bark occasionally, but not without reason.

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