The Irish Setter

Information on Irish Setters

The Irish Setter is an elegant hunting dog that is highly intelligent and trains easily with positive training. Originally, the Irish Setter was bred to hunt birds with nets. The dog would point the birds and lie down, or set, and the hunter would cast a net over the area trapping the birds. While we no longer hunt with nets, our setters are excellent bird dogs in the field as well as calm home companions. One trait our dogs maintain from their “setting” days are tails carried at 9 o’clock rather than the high tails so often seen in hunting red setters today. We believe this is characteristic of the old- time Irish Setter and we seek to maintain this conformation in our breeding program at Longford Irish Setters.

Irish Setters need to be trained with a firm, but gentle hand. Repetition with positive reinforcement is the key to a successful training program. Harsh treatment of any kind will not yield positive results and merely causes the dog to shut down. A training regimen that is fun for both the trainer and the dog will be a bonding experience that will result in many productive days in the field.

All of our breeding dogs have hips and elbows certified by OFA and are clear of PRA and CLAD.