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Irish Setter Dog Breed introduction
Irish Setter ( also known as Red Setter) is a setter gundog breed from Ireland popularly used as family dogs and therapy dogs in hospitals and schools. In schools, dogs are used to create a relaxing and calming environment. A kid may read to the dog without being judged or corrected. Irish Setters are alert to their surroundings and will bark at strangers to alert the owner. However, they are not well-suited as guard dogs since they are not an assertive breed. Generally, an Irish Setter will do well in a household that has pets, however, small animals pose as a problem for this breed, due to their hunting instinct.
Irish Setter Origin | History
An Irish Setter was developed in Ireland in the 18th century probably by combining pointers, spaniels, English Setters, and Gordon Setters. The first bred Irish Setters were sometimes referred to as red spaniels. They were often white and red instead of solid dark red. The first popular solid red Irish Setter, Champion Palmerston came on the scene in 1862. It is believed, he is the progenitor of the modern Irish Setters.
A dog named Elcho, an Irish Setter, was the first to be imported in the USA in 1875. He became a star both in the show ring and the field. AKC registered the first Irish Setter in 1878, Admiral. The popularity of this breed sky rocket between the 60s’ and 70s’ thanks to movie and books featuring an Irish Setter by the name of Big Red. President Richard Nixon was also gifted an Irish Setter by the White House Staff for his 56th birthday. The dog was named for a small town in Ireland that was the homeland of the president’s ancestors, King Timahoe.
Irish Setter Lifespan
According to the American Kennel Club, Irish Setters have a lifespan of 12 to 15 years.
Irish Setter Grooming
An Irish Setter has a moderately long and silky coat that requires regular brushing at least twice a week using a soft bristle brush or pin brush. Work on the mats or tangles that may be starting to form using a long-toothed metal dog comb. Regular brushing helps to remove dirt, loose hair, promote new hair growth, and prevent mats.
Irish Setters need a bath every 6 to 8 weeks unless they roll into something stinky. While bathing the dog, use a hypoallergenic shampoo and conditioner suitable for silky coated dogs. After a bath, thoroughly rinse of the grooming products from the skin using lukewarm water to prevent skin irritation. Wipe the face using unscented canine wipes or a damp clean washcloth instead of soapy water that irritates the eyes.
Nail clipping is recommended every 3 to 5 weeks if the nails don’t naturally wear out using nail clippers or grinders. Brush the teeth of an Irish Setter at least twice a week if not daily using a tasty canine toothpaste and finger toothbrush to remove excess tartar. Clean the ears on a weekly basis using an ear cleanser solution and cotton balls to remove excess wax, debris, or dirt. While cleaning the ears, check out for odor, redness, or dark discharge that are signs of dog’s ears infection. An Irish Setter that participates in conformation shows is trimmed to emphasize its striking head and lean neck. The rear end also needs a trim for sanitary purposes.
Irish Setter Shedding
This is a moderately shedding breed all-year round. However, Irish Setters experience heavy shedding when blowing off their coats in Spring and Fall.
Irish Setter Coat | Hair
This breed has a double-layered coat that has a moderately long coat consisting of a top coat and an undercoat. The top coat is fine and the undercoat is more abundant during winter. The coat also has featherings in places like body, ears, legs, chest, and tail.
Irish Setter Hypoallergenic
Irish Setters are not a hypoallergenic breed. This is because they shed at moderate levels all-year round and heavily during Spring and Fall. Shedding allows the spread of dander and hair around the house aggravating allergies. Dog’s dander, hair, urine, saliva, and mucus contain a protein allergen that triggers allergic reactions in people who suffer from dog allergies.
Irish Setter Training | How To Train An Irish Setter
The Irish Setter is intelligent, happy, affectionate, eager to please, and it responds well to positive training methods. However, they easily get bored and distracted during training. Therefore, the sessions should be short, fun, and challenging spanning to a period of 3 to 7 minutes distributed throughout the day. Use positive reinforcement methods to encourage positive behaviors through petting, verbal praise, treats, and toys. Irish Setters are sensitive to harsh correction methods and may become fearful and/or aggressive due to yelling, kicking, shoving, use of choke or prong collars, and beating the dog.
Socialize an Irish Setter to raise a well-mannered and well-adjusted pet. This training starts at the age of 3 weeks when the pup is with the breeder until the age of 16 weeks when the pup is in its new home. Most owners take their pets home from the age of 8 weeks. Socialization training may still continue after the age of 16 weeks to ensure the dog has an all-round temperament and personality. To socialize an Irish Setter, expose it to different people, places, situations, animals, smell, sights, experiences, and sounds such as lawn mowers, baby crying sounds, sirens, vacuum cleaners, whistles, and washing machine.
Enrolling an Irish Setter in a puppy class will also serve as a form of socialization. These classes provide a controlled environment where canines get to interact. Puppy classes also empowers pet parents to not only identify and correct bad habits but also have access to training information and assistance. Start teaching basic command words from the age of 8 weeks. Some of the command words that Irish Setters may learn include come, sit, stay, down, heel, leave it, etc. Teach one command word at a time until the pet understands before proceeding to the next command word. Never issue a command word while too frustrated or excited since it will not sound the same to your dog.
House break an Irish Setter by creating a feeding schedule, potty training, and crate training. A crate is an indispensable tool that enables the Irish Setters parents to monitor the pup for signs that it wants to eliminate such as whining, sniffing, restlessness, squatting, circling, and trying to lift a leg against the crate wall. The bladder and bowel muscles of the dog strengthens as the puppy matures. To get positive outcomes when potty training, immediately take the dog to the designated toilet area immediately it wakes up, 20 minutes after meals and drinks, every 2 to 3 hours, following an exciting activity such as a car ride and playtime, after naptime, and before bedtime. From the age of 8 months, the potty breaks are after every 6 to 8 hours
Irish Setter Temperament | Personality | Traits
- Affectionate.
- Happy.
- Eager to please.
- Intelligent.
- Energetic.
- Alert.
- Sensitive.
- Sweet-tempered.
- Outgoing.
- Courageous.
- Playful.
- Tireless.
- Loving.
- Lively.
Irish Setter Exercise Needs
This is a highly energetic breed that requires vigorous exercise on a daily basis. Irish setters will enjoy play sessions with their owners and long daily walks. Stimulate Irish Setters mentally and physically by enrolling them in canine sports such as tracking, obedience, agility, and rally. Before allowing an Irish Setter to walk off-lead, careful training in mastering the recall should be undertaken since this breed has a tendency to ‘play deaf’. Lack of enough exercise will lead to a hyperactive, bored, or destructive dog.
Irish Setter Barking
An Irish Setter is alert to its surroundings and will bark at strangers to let the owner know.
Irish Setter Height
According to AKC, female Irish Setters have a height of 25 inches ( approx. 64 cm ) while their male counterparts have a height of 27 inches ( approx. 69 cm ).
Irish Setter Weight
An adult male Irish Setter has a weight of 70 pounds ( approx. 32 kg ) while its female counterpart has a weight of 60 pounds ( approx. 27 kg ).
Irish Setter Size
Irish Setters are medium to large sized dogs. However, Male Irish Setters are slightly bigger as compared to their female counterparts. Male Irish Setters have a height of 27 inches ( approx. 69 cm ) and a weight of 70 pounds ( approx. 32 kg ) while their female counterparts have a height of 25 inches ( approx. 64 cm ) and a weight of 60 pounds ( approx. 27 kg ).
Irish Setter Behavior Problems
If left alone for long periods of time and not properly exercised, an Irish setter can become destructive, bored, or hyperactive which will lead to behavior problems such as destructive chewing, excessive barking, and scratching at the walls.
Irish Setter Health Issues
An Irish Setter is a deep-chested dog that is prone to bloat or gastric torsion. This is a life-threatening condition that causes abdomen swelling. To avoid bloat, owners should avoid feeding their pets with one large meal a day, allowing the pets to drink large volumes of water after eating, and exercising vigorously one hour before and after meals. Apart from gastric, other health issues that Irish Setters suffer from include eye disorders like entropion and progressive retinal atrophy, hip dysplasia, hypothyroidism, osteosarcoma, hyperosteodystrophy, Von Willebrand’s disease, celiac disease, canine Leukocyte adhesion deficiency, and Gluten intolerance.
Apart from Irish Setters, other breeds of dogs include:
American Staffordshire Terrier.
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.
Irish Setter Names
An Irish Setter pet parent may decide to give a name to the pet before it comes home from the breeder or a few days after joining them home to understand the personality of the particular breed. Owners may get name inspirations from the Irish heritage of the dog, coat color, personality, books, movies, celebrity Irish Setters, historical figures, food, and nature.
Regardless of where you get you inspiration, ensure the name chosen freely rolls off your tongue and won’t make your embarrassed when uttered out loud in the public places such as parks and malls. Irish Setters and other dog breeds better understand a name that has vowels. If a pet has a long name, the parent should ensure they find a cute nickname for the dog.
Avoid giving your pooch a name that rhymes with the command words to avoid confusion. If an Irish Setter shares a name with any family member or guests who frequent your household, it may result to confusion.
Female Irish Setter Names
- Rita.
- Rose.
- Ivy.
- Ruby.
- Peaches.
- Emmy.
- Josie.
- Ginger.
- Bonnie.
- Maureen.
- Jessica.
- Fiona.
- Cassidy.
- Amelie.
- Belle.
- Anastacia, etc.
Irish Setter Colors
The Irish Setter may have a chestnut or red coat color with small amounts of white on the throat, chest, toes, or a narrow centered streak on the skull.
Male Irish Setter Names
- Rugby.
- Cooper.
- Keegan.
- Asher.
- Alfie.
- Plato.
- Rooney.
- Hunter.
- Porter.
- Alfie.
- Rocky.
- Max.
- Maverick.
- Bentley.
- Hershey.
- Griffin, etc.
Irish Setter Feeding Guide | Food
The amount of food that an Irish Setter feeds on depends on its age, metabolism, activity level, body build, and size. Irish Setter puppies tend to have a high metabolism rate as compared to adult and senior dogs. Therefore, they should be fed 3 or 4 times a day from when they start weaning until the age of 6 months. From the age of 6 months, Irish Setters should feed on 2 meals a day for the rest of their life. The specific amount of food that an Irish Setter feeds on depends on its body weight. Therefore, it is highly advisable to contact the vet on the same. Irish Setters also tend to have high metabolism and may need more food as compared to a similar sized dog of a less active breed.
The Irish Setters are medium to large-sized dogs with a deep chest hence they are susceptible to gastric torsion. A life threatening health issue that makes the stomach to bloat. The swelling makes the stomach to distend with gas before twisting. An Irish Setter is ,therefore, unable to vomit to get rid of the excess air. The swelling also puts pressure on other nearby organs, cuts off the supply of blood and oxygen, and also puts a lot of stress on the heart functionality leading to shock and eventually death. To reduce the risk of gastric torsion, owners should avoid exercising Irish Setters one hour before or after exercise, feeding one large meal, or even allowing the dog to take large amounts of water after food consumption.
Depending on the budget and time preparation needed, Irish Setters parents may feed their dogs with dry, wet, raw diet, or home-made food. If feeding your pet with commercial food ensure that the first three listed ingredients are proteins from a known source. The commercial dog food should neither have additives, chemicals, fillers, preservatives, nor meat by-products. Dry or wet food should be formulated for medium to large sized puppies, adults, and seniors. Check the physique of Irish Setters to know whether they are overweight or underweight.
If you can see the ribs, chances are the dog is underweight. Although, if the ribs are not visible but can be felt without pressing hard, the Irish Setter has an ideal weight. If the ribs can’t be felt, the dog is overweight and should be exercised. After getting a puppy from a breeder, the owner is likely to switch to another quality food. They should gradually do this over a period of one month by mixing both new food and old food. As the weeks progresses, the amount of old food reduces as the new food increases until the pet is only feeding on new food during the fourth week.
Irish Setter Ears
The Irish Setters have long floppy ears that hang in a neat fold close to the head.
Irish Setter Tail
Irish Setters have a strong tail at the base that tapers to a fine point. It is long enough to reach its hock. The tail is carried straight or slightly curving upwards.
Are Irish Setters Hypoallergenic
No. Irish Setters shed all-year round at moderate levels and heavily when experiencing seasonal change in Spring and Fall. Shedding allows, spread of hair and dander around the house. Dog’s hair, dander, urine, saliva, and mucus contain a protein allergen that aggravates allergies.
Do Irish Setters Shed A Lot
Yes. Irish Setters shed a lot twice a year in Spring and Fall when blowing off their coats. However, they shed at moderate levels all-year round.
Do Irish Setters Bark A Lot
No. However, Irish Setters make great watchdogs and will bark at strangers and visitors to notify the owner.
Irish Setters Quick Facts
- Irish Setters are highly intelligent dogs that thrive on positive training.
- They are affectionate and loving dogs that are widely used as therapy dogs in hospitals and schools.
- Irish Setters are alert to their surroundings and make excellent watchdogs. However, they are not suited as guard dogs since they are not assertive.
