The Breed and how to live with an Irish Setter

Irish Setters are loving and sensitive dogs. They adore their people and get deeply attached to their families. An Irish Setter needs a loving and patient home for lifetime. It needs human company and cannot stay alone at home both during your daytime work plus the evening activities that follow: somebody needs to come home straight after the work or school.

This is also a breed that has lots of playful energy, even at a senior age. An Irish Setter needs to gallop around to be a truly happy dog. Fenced backyard is ideal, or long walks or jogging. If your house has a fenced backyard, two Irish Setters would keep each other busy and gallop together, and then come in happy and relaxed. In a city with apartment buildings, a fenced dog par is a must. Irish Setters should NEVER BE LET LOOSE anywhere near traffic. They have no time to watch if a car is coming, even if you are yourself right nearby to watch your dog. They are very prone to accidents if let run free near traffic.

Irish setters are great with children. They mix well with kids and they are gentle and patient. Of course, a young Irish Setter needs to be trained not to jump on the kids - and the kids need to be trained not to let an Irish Setter jump on them.

Irish Setters have natural instincts of watchdogs. They bark loud at strangers approaching their territory or ringing the door bell.

Teenage Irish Setters mature slowly and become adults somewhere between 2-4 years. Until then you will have to teach them softly and patiently (in particular the males) not to rush through the door before you or not to jump happily on people to lick their faces. You need a sense of humor to be able to live with a young Irish Setter, and you need to be a positive and patient but firm educator. If you do not have patience, or you consider yourself a serious person who appreciates meticulous order and disciplined behavior at home, please do not consider having an Irish Setter. Rest assured your red coated youngster would want to see how your exquisite piece of oriental carpet glides across the living-room floor. There are different dogs for different people and life-styles, and there are different life situations.

Irish Setters are very beautiful to watch, but they need some care for their flashy coats. Combing or brushing the coat every now and then is necessary, and so is nail care. We help groom the Irish of our breeding. Please note that in Northern climes, Irish Setters are not day-and-night outdoor dogs. Even if they love outdoor life and have big coats, they cannot be fenced outdoors for a long time in cold days, the same way some Arctic or Northern breeds can. And please NEVER leave your dog in the car in warm, sunny days. The temperature inside the car goes up fast and becomes dangerous for dogs, even if the outdoor temperature feels good.

You can train a young Irish Setter to become a pointing dog and a hunter. If you like dog shows, you are going to enjoy showing your Setter. Most of them love the show ring and the attention they get, as long as there is enough space to run and they get used to dog shows and barking in the halls young enough.

It is worth knowing that in different parts of the world there are different types of Red Irish Setters. They are all lovely family members. We have made our choice of bloodlines because we want our Irish to be gentle and playful in character, have good health until senior age, move big and look sound and beautiful with correct overall conformation, toplines and good coats. We want them to be manageable and make good companion dogs. In most continents of the world there are Irish Setter bloodlines originating from North America, where the breed was originally brought from Britain. The Irish Setter Club of America is well over 100 years old, and active breeding has been done very long in this large country. However, in some western and northern parts of Europe, either part or all of the breeding is focusing on a more traditional setter type. The choice of type is ultimately a matter of taste, and all breeders make the choices they are comfortable with. If you show your Irish in countries which have different Irish Setter types, you have to get used to judges who ponder upon how to compare individuals representing different types in the show ring. The official breed standards are not that different, however, and presumably all breeders around the world work with this fascinating breed in their own way and with dedication. In addition to Europe, the US, Canada and Australia, more and more Irish Setters live today in Latin America and Asia, especially in Japan.

The links to the breed standard

• Irish Setter Club of America (ISCA)
• Suomen Kennelliitto (Finnish Kennel Club)