Irish Setter
Thank you for using our site to find Irish Setter information. Feel free to add any information about the Irish Setter breed we may have missed. If you have any specific questions about the Irish Setter, feel free to ask them below. We've found that most breeders are more than happy to reply and answer your questions. We love your photos and reviews! We appreciate all additions to the site and we know our users value them as well. If you need help training your Irish Setter check out our dog training reviews. |  |
General Description
(Irish Red Setter) User added info
The Irish setter can come in two color varieties, the typical solid red and a red and white combo. The Red Setter with white on its chest, and sometimes other places, is considered a Field Setter. The Red color is usually not as dark and they are smaller than the Irish Setter. There is a Field Setter line that is all Red. But they tend to be stockier than the Irish Setter. Irish Setters are being bred to be smaller than they were 30-40 years ago. The smaller breeding is being driven by dog show breeding lines.
Know something we don't? Add it here
Character
The Irish Red Setter is an energetic and high-spirited breed, affectionate, but intelligent and independent. They do not have guarding instincts, and therefore get along well with other animals. They are good with children. This Setter can be difficult to train because of that independent temperament, and requires firm handling. Their temperament can vary - some can be high-strung, others are reserved. They are adaptable to any climate, very fast, with an excellent sense of smell, and therefore make excellent hunters. However, they must be trained to be hunters from an early age.
Size
24‑28 inches
Weight
55‑75 pounds
General Health
The Irish Setter has a variety of genetic health problems. They are prone to epilepsy and severe skin allergies, as well as eye problems and elbow and hip dysplasia. In addition, they are prone to Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA), auto-immune disease, and hypothyroidism. Ear inflamation (otitis) is also a problem. This breed tends to bloat. Experts suggest that owners feed them 2 to 3 small meals a day instead of one large one.
History
The Irish Setter, as well as the English Setter, are both ancestors of the Spanish pointer. It was originally a parti-colored breed - predominantly white with red splashes, and with shorter legs than today's breed. However, this color fell out of favor, and selective breeding resulted in a pure, solid-color red setter. The Irish Setter is a fine all‑around hunting dog, and can be used as both a pointer and retriever. They are very fast and with an excellent nose. Some strains are bred purely for beauty, as show dogs, rather than for hunting instincts, however.
Maintenance
The Irish Setter should be brushed daily in order to keep it free from burrs and tangles. Be sure to remove excess hair from the inner ear. Bathe and dry shampoo only when necessary. This breed is an average shedder.*
This breeds coat can be brushed more than once a day but avoid frequent bathing as it will remove the natural oils from their coat.
Ideal Environment
The Irish Setter is not suited for apartment life at all, and really is not suited for life in cities at all. They need a lot of activity and a lot of exercise. A house with a large yard is the bare minimum that they will need to be happy.
Dog Training!If you're having problems training your dog or getting control, you should read our review of DogProblems.com. Adam will do whatever it takes to help you whip your dog into shape. I've used them to help with my Great Dane as well as help friends train their dogs. It's the first place I go to help answer users Questions. Many training issues are too extensive to answer in this forum, which is why I refer a lot of the load to his site. |
Find your new Irish Setter
Puppies For Sale
Be the First to take out an Ad!
Find a Breeder
|
Seatac, WA
We breed to improve our line and to contribute to the irish setter as a breed. Breeding for show,hunting, and good family...
We breed to improve our line and to contribute to the irish setter as a breed. Breeding for show,hunting, and good family...
Rescue a Dog
Be the First to take out an Ad!
Discuss the Irish Setter breed on our Forum!
Ask a QuestionIrish Setter Q&A
Me and my partner have a 10 week old male puppy that we have had for 2 weeks now.He is slowly grasping toilet trainig but he is constantly biting anything and everything. We understand he is teething and have bought lots of different toys for him. The problem is he is biting us all the time wether its our legs or hands to my 1 year old nephews. We are being very firm with him but its begining to become very frustrating when we are always having to shout at him or tap him on the nose. Any ideas of how we can stop him from doing this?
Correct it before he learns to control you with the bite. 2-3 firm "ouches" with "don't bite" for corrective action followed with a quick shot of binaca breath spray (peppermint flavor) into the mouth. Don't let him see you have the spray so he still loves you but don't warn and not follow through. It took me 2 times for success.
I've had two Irish Setters, and they tended to be a handful for quite awhile. However, they are extremely sensitive dogs, so hollering or tapping them on the nose is not the way to train them: that will just make them timid and they will bite more so. You should get a book on Irish Setters. I used a "penny" can and threw it whenever they did something wrong..obviously, I never threw it at them, but just enough to scare them. Good luck, for eventually, I had to move more than once. The dog would chew through the screen doors and anything it could get into, it would. They are beautiful, but need to be watched and exercised constantly.
Read the post dated 1-25-2009. Irish Setters need firm and consistent rules. Daily. Hourly. By the minute. They are highly intelligent and just when you think you have them figured out they make you feel completely Irish-illiterate. Their hyper activity is quite normal as is their desire to '''talk''' to you. Mine always have something to say. The biting that you are referring to is completely normal because a puppy isnt born with boundaries. That must be set by you, the owner. I see so many Irish come thru the rescue only because their owners didnt understand what they were getting into when they got that cute little red headed pup. Their beauty really is their greatest enemy outside of the show ring. Just dont give up on your pup and realize that until he is about a year or so old wanting to donate his crazy butt to science to find a cure for ADHD is perfectly normal. In turn you will get a loyal companion that no amount of money can buy.
How many miles can an Irish Setter walk. Is 8 miles each daytoo much
A fit and healthy mature dog will probably enjoy 8 miles a day (perhaps a rest on Sunday!). However, 8 miles is far too long a walk for a pup ... he should be fully grown before attempting to handle such physical exercise.
Is this eight miles before or after breakfast? These dogs are highly energetic and durable. They were bred to hunt in areas that most people would never dare to walk. This eight miles you are talking about should be by the animals choice. Not forced. If you are a jogger and your companion wants to go along that is fine. If not. Then restructure your run to slowly let them build up their endurance like you had to yours. If this is on a treadmill then again let the dog determine what it wants to do. Forcing a setter will build resentment. You must let them think that everything they do is by choice. (For married ladies you know this from handling your husband)
Our red setter is 10m months old. When she was younger she used snap a lot, but nothing too serious. However, now she tends to bite and more frequently and can be quite strong when launching herself at you with her mouth open. Is it too late to train her properly at 10 months. My mom tried for a while, and didn't really succeed, now i'm moving home and intend to take on her training as a full time job! Any tips? Am I too late?
1-25-2009 I have had Irish Setters since child hood and I have participated in irish rescue for a dozen years or so and I have never seen a mean setter. A little misguided maybe but just not mean. You say she launches with her mouth open, is she playing? Setters are nosy. They want to smell, see and taste everything! I actually have two setters right that couldnt be any more different. One is 95 lbs, quite tall and large. Very relaxed and laid back the other one is small (field type) lean very hyper and less than 50 lbs. Both females, both spayed and both were surrendered by owners that couldnt deal with them. I, however have no trouble. The smallest one is all about ''mouthin''' everything. When teething she would chew on my hand. A very successful way to stop this is the next time she tries to bite you, very quickly grab her BOTTOM jaw (this will render her unable to bite) and loudly tell her NO BITE while you are firmly squeezing her jaw. You will obviously know how much pressure to put to get her attention. The goal is not to inflict pain but to apply punishment to the part of her body that is committing the sin. Trust me. A few times of this and she will stop.
I've never tried the grabing but it sure sounds like it works. My Irish used to do this and everytime she did it I would holler ouch loudly and she would stop. She no longer does grab even when I'm playing with her. Many times this is just a matter of growing up and most breeds grow out of it but my experience with Irish is that you have to be very firm with them moreso than some other breeds. They are also the sweetest breed I've had.
I agree with above post - setters in general are mouthy and playful. My own Irish darling is a terrible growler, but he doesn't mean anything by it; he's really "talkie," too. It's just the way he is and we love him for it. <br />
<br />
Definitely try grabbing her jaw and telling her "no bite!" Setters are super-smart, but willful. She'll get the idea, especially if you refuse to respond to her in any way when she behaves this way. Additionally, I strongly recommend curbing her tendancy to jump at you. We tell my boy "four on the floor" before we'll even greet him. You definitely don't want a big, strong dog launching herself at anyone!
Our Irish Setter is almost a year old and just recently she has been getting out of the yard and running around the neighborhood. My husband calls it wonderlust. I am having trouble with this as we have a very large fenced in yard she can run around, I am just really scared she will get hit by a car or someone will take her. The last couple of times shes come back on her own. I just wanted to ask if anyone has had any trouble with the same thing and what they did about it.
Unfortunately a 4' fence is not adequate to keep a setter in. Mine could jump that in their sleep. So I solved the problem with a very long tie out. I leave it the hook end inside the back door and attach it to her collar before she goes outside. When I open the door she has a 100' to go before she reaches the end. My others will stay inside the yard.<br />
I know it is expensive but if you have a 4' fence you need to raise it up to 6'. A decorative two foot piece of lattice will suffice. Or maybe additional wire. Depending if your posts are wood or metal. Both would be easy enough to work with. If she isnt jumping your fence she may be undoing your latch or found an opening you dont even know is there. Never underestimate how their minds work.
I have an Irish Red and White Setter who also has wonderlust. He escaped from our garden which had 5 foot fencing all around when he was a year old. Unfortunately he got onto the road and was hit by a car which caused very serious injuries to his leg and a punctured lung. It look a year to get him right and he still has problems 3 years on. I dont trust him loose in the garden now so he has to be on a long line and be supervised at all times. He is too keen to go after foxes who frequent the gardens around. These are very intellegent dogs and will always be one step ahead of you so be prepared at all times!
Ive never had a pure irish setter but i had a 3/4 irish setter 1/4 black lab that inherited the labs intelligence and loyalty but the setters independence and wanderlust tendancies, and she would often choose to get away and not come when called even though she knew better other times. This became a major issue since a state owned field/forest behind our house was a place id take her to run around and play in, and she knew how to get there so we had to set up a run that basically was a leash with a pulley on a line that ran the length of the yard since a fence wouldnt stop her and shed cross our brook to get to her playground, so we had to hook her to it while still INSIDE, and then open the door, as well as plan on being in the field for at least 2 hours for play times in order to get her to come home willingly if we were gonna take her there.
My lab learned pretty early on not to wander too far from our yard - you'd think 2.5 acres of woods would be plenty! It's a different story with our Irish boy, though he's still a 5-month old pup. The tracking instinct is very strong in setters and they aren't as biddable as some hunting breeds. He will learn, but it will take time. Until then, we use a 50 foot lunge line, which enables him to wander where he wants in the yard. If I'm outside with him, I don't tie the line down - I can't catch him if he starts to run, but I can certainly grab that 50 foot line! - and this allows him to follow me about. He is learning to come when called, but the tracking thing is always going to win out until he is much older. Remember, your beautiful red girl is really, really smart - she'll learn. Until then, it is up to you to keep her safe and, with lots of positive reinforcement, teach her to come when you call her. THAT is what will save her life someday.
View more Irish Setter Questions and Answers
Upload a PhotoIrish Setter Photos
View more Irish Setter Photos
Write a ReviewIrish Setter Reviews
Rating:
Setter
I have a 1 1/2 year old setter and am very happy with her. She is a hunting dog and lives inside. If not well exercised she can be very hyper. She is easily trained and enjoys learning. She is a medium shedder.
Pros: Great with my kids, great nose, great hunting buddy if breed for that, Loyal, mine potty trained at 7 wks in 2 days
Cons: Hyper, stubborn
Irish Setters!
Never underestimate the power of loyalty and devotion from your Irish. They make great house dogs as long as you have a large fenced yard, a long trolley, or countryside for them to run. Quick to housetrain and Great protectors. My usually dingy Jazzy (whom i've dubbed the dingbat) let me know that a stranger was at my backdoor in the middle of night and turned into a fierce protector that made him think twice about coming in the door. I had never seen her be anything but goofy but that night she let the neighborhood know who was on duty at my house. The police caught him too.
Pros: Great Personality, Sense of Humor and Loyalty beyond description. Great with children, gentle to a fault but is also a great watch dog.
Cons: Requires someone with firm consistent rules. Hyperactivity that most average people would find disturbing. They have a mind of their own and know how to use it. Do NOT keep in a crate for hours. Their muscles need to mature and develop to their full potential.