The Irish Setter is a little diffused breed in Italy for hunting purposes, as the English "cousin" is preferred. Its elegance in posture is connected to a great strength and stubbornness during hunting trips. The statuary firm is unique among all hunting breeds.
The Irish Setter is a breed originating from Ireland and has been selected as a hunting dog. It belongs to group 7 of pointing dogs, according to the classification of the FCI.
The breed is the result of the crossing of the Irish Red and White Setter and an unknown dog of a red color. The standard was recognized in the 18th century and in 1882 the Irish Red Setter Club was established to promote the breed.
This association published the official Breed Standard in 1886, a date that started organizing working trials and shows, in order to determine the breed standard more and more confidently.
The origins of the Irish red setter are in common with those of the "Irish red-white setter". Some experts believe that this breed derives from the ancient Epagneul, the so-called "Quail Hound" or "Chien d'oysel". The Irish Setter is a very widespread breed throughout Europe, except our country, where in recent times the "English Setter" has been preferred in hunting.
On a character level, the Irish Setter is considered a very active dog, particularly in the first years of life. Females tend to become milder after the first heat, although they retain energy and vitality over time. This breed needs to take long walks and run in open spaces, given its specialization, namely hunting. It is a dog that does not adapt to living only in an apartment, as it needs an open space, even a small one, to give vent to its energies. The Irish Setter is a very affectionate dog in constant pursuit of human contact.
His education turns out to be quite simple, given his intelligence, even if during the training phase we realize his nice stubbornness. A peculiarity of this breed is attributable to its very sensitive nervous system, the point that can be seen shaking when it experiences strong emotions of various kinds: for this it requires a lot of calm, patience and knowledge of the breed in the education and training of the subject: it is It is important to emphasize that the training of the Irish setter must be conducted without using the hard way and avoiding jitters on the part of the owner. Once the dog gains trust in its owner, it is highly reliable. Generally it is very sociable with other dogs and animals, with the exception of game, towards which it has a natural tendency to pursue it. If not used in hunting, the Irish setter is suitable for living peacefully with the family and with children.
From the morphological point of view, males have a stature between 61-66 cm, while females between 58-65. The weight of the males is about 27-34 kilograms and that of the females of 25-32 kg. It is a lean dog of constitution, to the point that it is advisable to accurately measure the right ration of food and constantly weigh the dog to check the weight, since the specimens that live in the apartment tend to gain weight, bringing with them various problems of a bone nature. The trunk remains inscribed in the square, with the chest narrow, the chest well down and the withers very high. The head is light, lean, lean and develops more in length. The stop is not very pronounced.
Nose: with well opened nostrils.
The teeth of the Irish setter are particularly strong, complete and correct, with a scissor bite.
The neck is of moderate length, slightly arched, muscular and without dewlap. The ears are drooping, thin and flat. The eyes denote a unique sweetness among all hunting breeds and are dark brown or hazel in color. The limbs are perfectly perpendicular, with the shoulder well inclined.
Being a very toned dog, it has a very developed musculature.
The tail is set low, carried horizontally or low. The hair, which gives a lot of elegance to this breed, is 5 to 6 cm long, silky, well streaked, with rich but light and never thick fringes.
The color of the coat is one-color mahogany red, golden and bright without the slightest trace of black.
From the hunting point of view, the Irish setter has excellent qualities, excellent temperament, high speed of action and good resistance to work, which it can perform on any type of terrain, even the most uneven and in any climatic condition. Irish Setters are very avid seekers are serious about what they do and credible on the steadfastness that always leads to the encounter.
The Irish are considered exceptional "rendezvous", of great depth and boundless passion, as they work using all their skills to satisfy and please their master, demonstrating readiness and capacity of intellect during hunting and beyond.
The gallop is particularly loose; they are very beautiful to see during the statuary stationary with the body tense and nose on the wind, even if they are still setters and in the event that a firm not quite like the one described, that is slightly bent, should not be precluded from the possibility of continuing proof.
Another feature of this breed, which can further convince readers, is the longevity of the Irish setter: they are dogs that can reach over fifteen years of life.