Irish Setter
FCI:
Group VII – Pointing Dogs, section 2 – British and Irish (island) Pointers.
General Description:
Irish Setter is highly intelligent, easy to train but he can occasionally act willfully. Hunting training of an Irish setter is a bit more complex in comparison with other hunting breeds, that’s why the Irish setter is not that common among hunters. In spite of this fact he is a great hunter with perfect sense of smell, tireless, wide-ranging hunter well suited to fields and wet or dry terrain. Among owners he is popular as well thanks to his playfulness, kindness, dedication and he is always ready to cuddle. Very calm, friendly, reliable, not aggressive, that’s why so popular as family dog.
Irish setter with his balanced character, loves people and it is a “happy dog” by all means. With Irish setter you will enjoy a lot of fun for his all life span. You can enjoy together different activities, hunting, obedience, agility, coursing… he will do everything with passion and zest. Irish setter is eager to please and be part of his family.
Training/Behavior:
This breed is intelligent and playful. Learns commands easily, understands fast what is required. Rather sensitive to hard handling, performs much better when positively motivated but consistency is important. Over repeated orders, drill type of training not suits his personality. Performs much better when work and play are balanced.
As a family dog is calm but needs a lot of activity. When out very active, playful and tireless. Requires long daily walks, loves to run and play. Not barking a lot. From his hunting skills it is necessary to mention his extremely strong sense of smell to locate the mark (or bird). It is very hard to stop him when starts to trace, that’s why it is very important to train call back from early stage of life. It is not recommended to keep him alternately outside and in house as he can consider it as a punishment. Loves to be with his family as most of the breeds.
Body:
Origin of this breed is logically Ireland. Initially this breed occurred in red & white color today is more frequent the mahogany variant. Irish setters’ range in height from 57 to 69 cm, females from 55 to 62 cm. Weight oscillates between 27 to 32 kg.
Long thin head, with strong supraorbital arc. Oval skull with distinctive vertex bump. Dark brown oval eyes with soft affectionate look. Thin, large floppy ears, set back bottom on their head. Black or dark brown muzzle, wide nostrils. Scissors bite.
Typically, have long, lean body, with a back that is highest in the forward quarters and slopes gently back toward the tail. Their chests are slender, rather than rounded, and their hind legs are long and muscular, especially form the hip area to hock. Front legs are strong but often straight, and their shoulders are slender rather than broad. Tail typically follows the line of the back.
The rich mahogany color present on both, standard Irish Setters and Irish Red and White Setters is one clear indicator of the breed. Irish setters typically have a smooth, glossy coat that may feather around the ears and extremities. The coat may stay shorter on the head and forelegs, and fringe more on the hindquarters.
