Irish Red and White Setter

Sportsmen thrill at the sight of a noble Irish Red and White Setter frozen on point, motionless as a statue. These medium-to-large bird dogs are powerful, solid, and sinewy, with enough stamina and bird sense to get the job done any day of the week and twice on Sunday. The stunning coat—vivid red “islands” floating on a sea of pearl white—has a practical function: It enables hunters to spot their dog at a distance. The handsome face projects a keen but kindly expression.

The Irish Red and White setter can be the most devoted and affectionate of dogs making them ideal all-round family dogs. They are extremely intelligent and respond well to proper training but they do need to have plenty to occupy them. They thrive best in active families, where they have outlets for their high energy, and require space to run freely. Young puppies do not require much exercise but once they reach maturity the breed's working instincts mean they require enough space to be able to run hard and fast for a long distance. Setters are usually good natured, very gentle and get on well with children and other dogs.

The Irish Setter probably came to its own at the end of the 17th Century. It is not well known outside of Ireland that there are two breeds of Irish Setters, but it is fairly certain that the Red and White Setter is the older of the two, and that the solid red color evolved through judicious selective breeding. When Irish Setters came to the show benches just past the middle of the 19th Century, there was a good deal of confusion about their proper color. By the end of the 19th Century, the Red Setter had virtually eclipsed the Red and White, which became so rare that they were thought to be extinct. During the 1920’s, efforts were made to revive the breed. By 1944, the breed had re-established itself well enough to have a club of its own, and today it can be seen in healthy numbers at Irish shows and field trials. The present club, the Irish Red & White Setter Field & Show Society, was formed in 1981 and through its endeavours and direction the breed is now well established nationally and internationally. The Irish Red and White Setter was first recognized by the AKC in 2009.