Irish Red Setters - Getting one......AAAHHH

[Flatcoatluver]

I would never say don't get one! What I would say is; if you're going to get an active dog; be prepared for the dedication it takes! Especially a puppy!

These dogs (the pointing breeds) were bred for a specific purpose which requires a much higher energy level than the majority of other breeds. They are bred to have the stamina to hunt continously hour after hour in all types of conditions.

When you think of it; there isn't another group, even the majority of the herding dogs, (often considered to be among the most active breeds), that are required to expend so much energy for such a continuous length of time. The only dogs that come to mind that would have the same amount of energy levels, would be long distance sled dogs.

Having said all that; if hubby is set on having a setter in the household, you might consider adopting an older one. Once they get past the four year mark, they should be past the mischief stage when unsupervised.

Very well said.
T.j my (english setter) always amazes me. He just runs and runs and hunts all day long. Then at night he still want to run. Most setters are very picky eaters, and with them being so active they burn it off very fast. I've had gordens and irish setters in the the past, and they were just the same as my english setter. Irish will play more compared to english setters. My dad told me to tell you that with the Irish setter that the breed in general is being over bred.
T.j hunting.

[borzoimom]

T.J. is beautiful! And I agree with your dad- the Irish do tend to be over bred..

[Love That Collie]

they are a beautiful dog and have a lovely temperment but oooohhh mmmmyyyyy men are silly - he will see this post and probably murder me with a pillow tonight (just kidding) anyway I just want to find out more info before I am landed with this little darling.

LOL, well if we don't hear from you again, maybe we will send "Katrina" to over to check on you. I'm not sure how far away (in Irelend) she lives but at least it's in the country.
All kidding aside. I had an old boyfriend once who had an Irish Setter named Jillian (Jill for short) she was about 2 when i knew her and was the sweetest, most obeident setter I'd seen. But watch out when she hit the uncarpeted floor running, or should I say sliding. Her biggest fault was that if she got out of the fence ................. she got lost, couldn't get back home on her own to save her soul if she wandered out of view of the house.
A neighbor of my mother in law had one too and he would get lost also. We have had one in the neighborhood here (where I have lived the last 15 years now) and he wanders also when he gets out, his owners say his attention span is that of a gnat and he's 4 years old now but a wonderful dog with the kids but he is hard to train.

[Genny]

My uncle has had 3 Irish Setters in the past, and now he has another one. My mom use to have one and he was lovely. His name was bandit and he was so sweet.

My uncle's 4 Irish Setters have been so hyper and they'll jump on you every time they see you! I personally think that different people that raise them have a huge influence on them and then each one with a different family will act different than it would if it was with another family. I know all dogs have their natural behaviour no matter what, but I think the owner has a really big part in how the dog turns out, because they have to train it and either teach it how to each, or they don't.

My mom really spent a lot of time with ehr IS, but my uncle is more high strung and gets upset easy, and he doesn't make his dogs mind, so that's probably why they act so hyper and wild!

I hope you guys enjoy your little Irish Setter. They are pretty....

[jackmilliesmom]

He has decided to hold off for now when we will both have more time to spend with teh dog. He has spoken to the breeder at length and the breeder has agreed that you need to be able to spend plenty of time with them for at least the first two years and then some and also have plenty of time for them in general. My other two little darlings went with him when he went to the breeder and guess what they don't agree with teh breed and found themselves snarling and bearing teeth on both sides with the adults but not with the pups so john has now as I said decided to hold off for a while until we have more time but thanks to everyone who has pitched their thoughts in on the thread all advice and points will be taken on board when we are going ahead with the pup

[critter crazy]

Sounds like you have made the right choice. Tell him if he realy wants a puppy, just to get another Terrier!!

[jackmilliesmom]

I would love another terrier but he has his heart set on the setter but we will wait until we both have more time.... Maybe though I can get him to change his mind as the setter breeder has 4 Jack Russells also and one of the females is coming into heat so if something happens then maybe I would love another russell really I would (fingers,toes, eyes, arms and legs crossed)

[WELOVESPUPPIES]

They are gorgeous dogs but they need an extremely firm hand. They are very high strung dogs as they are a hunting breed. My parents had one when I was younger and I remember he was BAD(not that they all are, maybe he was an exception). He was over a year old when we finally got rid of him. He never got any better with his behavior. He ould get on my brothers bed and Poop, yep Poop....right in front of you. Even if you yelled his name hoping he would stop he just ignored you. Well that is my fond memory of Shane. Good luck.

[jackmilliesmom]

All more than damning in the reports I am seriously taking a dislike to this breed and definitely think my terriers are better....

[Pawsitive Thinking]

My uncle had one called Jason and he was an absolute goofball! To call him thick would have been kind

The soft mouth put me off though

[applesmom]

All more than damning in the reports I am seriously taking a dislike to this breed and definitely think my terriers are better....

They can be wonderful dogs if the owner has the time and the knowledge to invest in them.

That's why I seldom recommend my breed of choice, the German Shorthaired Pointer, another of the pointing breeds as a pet.

They're among the most versatile of all breeds. If raised properly, few other breeds can compare to them when it comes to trainability, eagerness to please and loyalty. However if not taught acceptable behavior early on and left to their own devices for any length of time they can quickly become a pet owners nightmare.

[Glacier]

That's why I seldom recommend my breed of choice, the German Shorthaired Pointer, another of the pointing breeds as a pet.

They're among the most versatile of all breeds. If raised properly, few other breeds can compare to them when it comes to trainability, eagerness to please and loyalty.

GSPs are extremely popular with mushers, because of their endurance, energy and trainability. Most distance racing teams and a whole lot of sprint racing teams have either purebred pointers or high percentage mixes. I had a 3/4 GSP-1/4 husky puppy show up at my place a couple years ago. I don't do puppies as a rule, but I would have kept him. His musher reclaimed him, but I have dibs on him if he ever gets rehomed.

I grew up with an Irish Setter. She was my best friend for 14 years. Sweet, gentle, loving..a wonderful dog, but seriously, so stupid it was a miracle she remembered to breath on her own!

[applesmom]

GSPs are extremely popular with mushers, because of their endurance, energy and trainability. Most distance racing teams and a whole lot of sprint racing teams have either purebred pointers or high percentage mixes. I had a 3/4 GSP-1/4 husky puppy show up at my place a couple years ago. I don't do puppies as a rule, but I would have kept him. His musher reclaimed him, but I have dibs on him if he ever gets rehomed.

I grew up with an Irish Setter. She was my best friend for 14 years. Sweet, gentle, loving..a wonderful dog, but seriously, so stupid it was a miracle she remembered to breath on her own!

They do love to pull! These three GSP's pictured while skiijoring are part of a team in Washington.
(They're not my dogs--I live in the desert )



Yep for the most part the brains have been bred out of the Irish setters! We very seldom saw one out in the field.

[katrina]

was the katrina me?? lolz

[mike001]

Hmmm.....Irish Setter.....be prepared for a real challenge and an upside down non peaceful home. There is no way to quiet them down, they seem to need exercise constantly. And you will need mega tons of patience to train it, I sometimes wonder if they overbred them to the point of a no brainer. Very exuberant dog is putting it mildly. Training is hard as they don't seem to be able to concentrate on a command. Our friends have one and I would never own one myself.On the plus side, they are very pretty.