Irish Red Setter

The coat colour ranges from mahogany to a deep, chestnut red shade. Often a small amount of white on the dog’s chest.

Long for the Irish red and white Setter and mid length for the Irish Red Setter.

The coat is short around the head, medium length on the dog’s body with longer feathering on the chest, belly, back of the legs and the ears.

Brown to dark.

This active dog has a long, lean head shape, with an oval, domed skull shape. The dog’s body is longer than it is tall. His nose is either brown or black. Almond-shaped eyes are set wide apart on the dog’s face. Thin, low-set ears are triangular shaped. The dog has straight front legs and a long tail, quite thick, that tapers to a point at the end. With a shiny, usually mahogany or deep red coloured coat, with feathering that is longer in appearance. Some young dogs can have a silver-grey shade hair behind the legs and ears, however as the dog grows, this usually disappears.

Certainly an affectionate dog, very outgoing and people-loving. Although the breed isn’t known as a guard dog, he will step up and protect his owner if needed.

The Irish Setter is a very playful and fun-loving breed. He is always ready for a prank, and can be quite mischievous at times, usually when you are least expecting it.

A very active dog, who is usually looking for fun. This breed is generally quite slow to mature, so will keep their puppy playfulness often throughout their adulthood.

This Irish Setter is a very sensitive dog, but also certainly very intelligent. Because of their sensitivity, they don’t respond too well to being corrected, or to harsh training schedules.

With his hunting dog heritage, he is certainly capable of seeking out and hunting down a game bird. With a strong hunting instinct, once he is trained in this routine, he won’t ever forget and need re-training.

Usually happy to greet visitors or strangers with a nuzzle and a wag of the tail. This dog is generally a people-person, and loves nothing better than socialising with adults and children.

Look no further than the Irish Setter for an independent pet, with a great personality. A very smart dog, but also a very independent thinker. Training can often take a sense of humour and lots of patience. He still may resist what you ask him to do, as he can be quite stubborn too.

These are certainly people pets, loving nothing more than to be in your company and be entertained by you. He is also an animal with high energy levels, and won’t take too well being left home alone for long periods of time.

Certainly, Irish Setters are very responsive to training, however, often quite mischievous. As he loves to spend time around people, he will enjoy the extra time you spend on training sessions. Very capable of learning many skills including complex and advanced ones, especially if you begin these routines from puppyhood.

Providing your Irish Setter receives sufficient physical and mental stimulation, barking won’t be too much of an issue. However, some dogs from this breed do tend to bark, particularly when they discover new sounds or sights, or when they need to command your attention.

On a routine dog walk, your pet will stay close to you and be happy to do so. However, as he has hunting dog heritage in his blood, should he spot a rabbit scurrying in the distance, he might just run off after it, giving chase.

Provided your Irish Setter is kept occupied and very busy with many tasks and activities, he won’t be destructive at all. However, when left alone for long periods throughout the day, boredom will soon set in and you might just find the table legs or the rug have been chewed.

Not necessarily a greedy dog, but because of his high metabolism, he will certainly need an adequate amount of food, more than a medium sized dog of a breed that is less active.

This breed of canines love people and are quite outgoing. They aren’t guard dogs, although in certain situations will protect their owners if needed. However, they are certainly brilliant watchdogs, who will bark to alert you to any intruders or strangers in the home.

Yes of course, this intelligent dog is an ideal choice for a first dog. Very intelligent, curious yet playful, they make fantastic companions too.

These large dogs are best suited to larger homes, rather than a flat. They also need sufficient outside space to allow them to run around to burn off their endless energy.

As a hunting dog, it’s no surprise, that in order to stay healthy and happy, the Irish Setter needs lots of exercise. Your dog will require a minimum of around 2 hours exercise each day, even more if your schedule allows for this. In addition, lots of games and mental stimulation to expand his abundant energy levels.

As quite a large breed, rather more difficult to transport in the boot of your car. They do, however, love being around people, so occasional outings on public transport will be fine, although he will probably want to greet all the other passengers.

Irish Setters can be fine with cats if they have been introduced to each other as small puppies and kittens. Certainly keep in mind that these dogs have hunting in their ancestry, so may not be good to keep around small pets.

If the dogs are reared together, there shouldn’t be any problems with them getting along. Sometimes same sex dogs can be quite boisterous together, but generally they won’t fight aggressively.

Irish Setters make wonderful friends for older children, but they may be too high-spirited for toddlers. Likewise, with his exuberant demeanour, it will be all too easy for him to knock a small child over. While they aren’t usually aggressive, keep in mind that he won’t enjoy being teased or handled roughly, so it’s a good idea to teach all children, regardless of their age, how to interact and handle dogs.

This breed of dog is probably not a suitable companion for an elderly person. This is due to the dog’s lively and boisterous character. In addition, his need for lots of daily exercise could eliminate his from this age group.

This breed is known for its glamorous and shiny, deep mahogany coat, but yes, they do shed hair. Regular grooming and brushing will keep the dog’s coat in great condition, and also keep the shedding hair under control.

As fairly healthy dogs, providing there are no unexpected health conditions, they will live to between 12 and 14 years on average.

If you take into account that this is a hunting breed, who can run over rough terrain for many hours, he is certainly a robust dog.

As a hunting dog that is bred to spend most of his time in the sporting field, he loves being outside, no matter the weather. Saying this, however, he is also quite happy to spend time indoors, especially if this involves playful activities with his family.

The Irish Setter is happy to spend lots of time hunting and exercising outside, in all chilly weathers. Likewise, he loves nothing better than to dive into water for a swim, even though the water may be cold!

As a very agile and energetic canine, providing adequate exercise is offered, the dog won’t easily put on any excess weight.

Health conditions that affect this breed of dog are:

• Hip dysplasia
• Epilepsy
• Rickets
• Bloat
• Progressive retinal atrophy
• Reproduction issues
• Wheat sensitive allergies

The Irish Setter, as his name suggests, comes from Ireland. The breed was developed there during the 18th century, when Gordon Setters, Pointers, Spaniels and English Setters were likely combined. Some of the first of the breed were known as Red Spaniels, or the Gaelic version of red dog, “Modder Rhu”. Many setters with either solid red coats or red sprinkled with tiny white dots were bred during this time.

The first Irish Setter imported from Ireland to the United States in 1875 was named Elcho. This famous dog was a star, not only in the hunting field but also in the show ring. Likewise, in 1878, Admiral was the first of the breed to be registered by the American KC.  During the 60’s and 70’s, popularity rose for this breed of dogs, notably due to Big Red, a famous Irish Setter who had a movie and books named after him. The dog’s popularity remains stable in present times.