Dog Breed Guide

Irish setter

Profile

Size

Large

Country of origin

Ireland

Origin

18th century

Bred for

Bird hunting

Height

male 58 - 67cm (23 - 26in), female 55 - 62cm (22 - 24in)

Weight

male about 32kg (71lb), female about 27kg (60lb)

Life span

12 - 15 years

Its greatest charm is a silky coat of fiery mahogany, a deep reddish chestnut. Long, beautiful feathering on the ears, chest, legs and tail makes it look very elegant when it runs.

Bright and cheerful, the Irish Setter loves people and dogs alike. It keeps a childlike innocence for life and loves to play more than anything. Because of its exuberance, it takes a while to settle down as an adult. It is smart but can be a bit fickle and stubborn.

It needs a great deal of exercise, and daily time to run flat out is essential. Without enough exercise it tends to get into mischief. Keeping its beautiful coat requires brushing several times a week. Bloat is a concern.

Good to know

In Ireland it has long been called by a Gaelic name meaning "red dog." It was developed in 18th-century Ireland as a gundog that found game birds, crouched and showed the hunter where they were. Red and white dogs were once common, but in the 19th century solid red dogs like today's came to be preferred.

The 1962 Disney film Big Red, which featured an Irish Setter as its canine hero, sparked a huge boom in the United States. Based on a novel by Jim Kjelgaard, the story of the friendship between a boy and a red dog captured many hearts.

President Richard Nixon also doted on King Timahoe, an Irish Setter given to him by the White House staff as a birthday present in 1969. The dog was named after a village in Ireland linked to the Nixon family's ancestors.