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AKC: Irish Setter breed overview

Sporting group · Ireland

Irish Setter

Also called Red Setter, Irish Red Setter

A mahogany gundog built to quarter Irish bogs all day, and still in no hurry to grow up.

The Irish Setter is a friendly, outgoing and very energetic gundog with a glowing red coat. It likes people, other dogs and nearly everything else, and often keeps a puppyish sense of fun well into adulthood. It needs a lot of running, patient training and regular brushing of its feathering.

Original AI-generated breed illustration

Weight

25 to 34 kg

55 to 75 lb

Height

58 to 69 cm

at the shoulder

Life expectancy

12 to 15 yrs

Activity estimate

120 to 150 min

editorial daily planning range

Adult-size estimate

24 months

approximate model input

Life with a Irish Setter

Imagine a dog designed to run for hours across open moorland with its head high, catching scent on the wind, and you have the Irish Setter's job description. In 18th-century Ireland, hunters wanted a fast, far-ranging dog that could locate grouse, snipe and partridge over huge areas and then hold still until the guns or nets arrived. Everything about the modern setter, from its long legs to its stamina, points back to that work.

The earliest Irish setters were frequently red and white. During the 1800s solid red dogs grew fashionable, and the red type went on to worldwide fame in the show ring and in popular culture. The red and white type survived in small numbers and is now recognized separately as the Irish Red and White Setter.

In a home, Irish Setters are warm, cheerful and deeply sociable. They greet strangers like old friends, usually get along with other dogs and are gentle with children, though their size and bounce can topple toddlers. They are often described as clowns who take a long time to grow up. Owners need patience, a sense of humor and real time for exercise, because an under-exercised setter quickly becomes frantic, noisy and destructive.

What stands out

Exercise

Adults typically need around two hours of exercise a day, including a chance to gallop off leash in safe, enclosed areas. Setters shine at long hikes, field training, hunt tests and, once fully grown, canicross or running with you on trails. Scent games and retrieves add mental work that a simple walk lacks.

Read the full exercise guide

Activity planning estimate

120 to 150 min

editorial estimate, not a prescription

Energy

5 / 5

Playfulness 5 / 5

A great match for

very active households, runners and hikers
homes with regular access to safe, enclosed running space
families wanting an openly friendly, sociable dog
owners interested in field training or gundog work

Think twice if

huge daily exercise needs
slow to mature and easily distracted
strong urge to chase birds
counter surfing and stealing food
bloat risk as a deep-chested breed

Personality and needs at a glance

Living together

Good with children

Good with other dogs

Open with strangers

Apartment friendly

Copes with alone time

Energy and character

Energy level

Playfulness

Easy to train

Barking

5 means very vocal

Care and climate

Grooming needs

Shedding

Drooling

Handles cold

Handles heat

How much an Irish Setter eats

Illustrative calculations for neutered adults at midpoint breed weights, with food at 370 kcal per 100 g and 100 g per cup. These are not measured breed requirements. Use actual weight, the food label and veterinary body-condition advice.

Dog	Weight	Calories	Dry food
Female, relaxed lifestyle	28 kg	1180 kcal	320 g (3.3 cups)
Female, typical pet	28 kg	1340 kcal	365 g (3.8 cups)
Male, typical pet	32 kg	1490 kcal	400 g (4 cups)
Male, very active	32 kg	1860 kcal	505 g (5 cups)

Full Irish Setter feeding guide Calculate for my dog

Care guides for the Irish Setter

Feeding5 cups). Setters are naturally lean and racy, so a visible waist and ribs you can feel easily are the goal.Read more Puppy growthIrish Setters are slow developers. Most reach full height somewhere between 12 and 15 months, but they often look lanky and gangly until they fill out at around two years.Read more GroomingBrush two to three times a week with a pin brush and a wide-toothed comb, paying particular attention to the feathering behind the ears, in the armpits and on the trousers, where tangles start. Bathe every four to six weeks or after a muddy outing, and dry thoroughly.Read more TrainingIrish Setters are intelligent but easily distracted and sensitive to harsh handling, so a raised voice often does more harm than good. Keep training short, fun and varied, using food, toys and praise.Read more HealthIrish Setters are known to be predisposed to bloat, hip and elbow dysplasia, hypothyroidism, epilepsy, megaesophagus (an enlarged gullet that affects swallowing) and inherited eye disease. DNA tests are available for canine leukocyte adhesion deficiency (CLAD) and forms of progressive retinal atrophy, and responsible breeders use them alongside hip, elbow and eye screening.Read more

Things owners are often surprised by

1Setters found game birds, then froze low to the ground, or set, so hunters could draw a net over the covey.
2Early Irish setters were often red and white; solid red became fashionable in the 1800s, and the Irish Red and White Setter is now a separate breed.
3Many owners say their dog behaves like an adolescent until around three years old.
4Field-bred Irish Setters tend to be smaller, lighter-coated and more intense than show lines.
5DNA tests exist in the breed for canine leukocyte adhesion deficiency and for more than one form of progressive retinal atrophy.

Irish Setter questions

When do Irish Setters calm down?

Many settle noticeably between two and three years of age, though they stay energetic throughout life. The teenage stage, roughly six months to two years, is usually the hardest, with big energy and a short attention span. Plenty of daily running, steady training and enough sleep, often 14 hours or more for a youngster, all help a setter reach a calmer adulthood sooner.

What is the difference between an Irish Setter and an Irish Red and White Setter?

Both come from Ireland and share early history. The Irish Red and White Setter has a white coat with solid red patches and is generally a little shorter and heavier in bone, with less feathering. The Irish Setter is solid red. The red and white type is often considered the older form; it nearly vanished in the early 1900s before breeders revived it.

Are field-bred and show Irish Setters different?

Yes, noticeably. Field-bred dogs are selected for hunting ability and are often smaller and lighter, with shorter coats and sometimes paler red or white markings. They may have even more drive and range. Show-bred dogs carry longer feathering and a deeper mahogany color. Both need serious exercise, but field lines can be more intense for a pet home.

Can Irish Setters be trusted off leash?

Only in safe, enclosed areas or after very solid recall training. Their bird drive and love of running can override even a well-practiced cue, and a setter can cover a lot of ground in seconds. Train with a long line, reward every check-in and pick locations away from roads. Some setters never become fully reliable around pheasants or pigeons.

Do Irish Setters make good running partners?

Yes, once fully grown, which usually means after 18 months. They have excellent stamina and enjoy trails and varied ground more than pavement. Build distance gradually over several weeks, avoid running in the heat and check the pads afterward. Before growth plates close, keep runs short and let the young dog set its own pace off leash in a safe area.

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