All you need to know about the breed

The flame-haired Irish beauty is a staple of the Emerald Isle’s myths and legends – and the Irish Setter is living proof that they don’t just come in human form. The Irish Setter’s mahogany locks have ensured over the years that the breed, originally a hunting dog, has become a prize-winning dog show champion, as well as a much-loved family pet.

Their joie de vivre is irrepressible and these high-energy dogs have much more to offer than just their beautiful coat. Although with their whimsical big brown eyes and their abundant auburn locks, they really are breathtakingly beautiful dogs.

Irish Setters - the set part of their name refers to how they were originally trained to stand to show they had spotted prey - make their doggy presence felt, and in a good way. That means they need plenty of exercise, plenty of attention and they like to be where their humans are. They are not keen on being left alone for extended periods. Once trained, they are gentle with children and other animals in their family.

However, Irish Setters have a reputation for being a little … overexcited, shall we say? That energetic reputation isn’t entirely undeserved but these lovely dogs get away with a little bit of bumptiousness because they’re also affectionate, loyal and sociable. It’s fitting that Irish Setters come from the land of good craic (a Gaelic word for fun) as that’s exactly what these Celtic canines are.

Like other setters, the Irish Setter was originally bred as a hunting dog and named after the stance it was trained to adopt, “setting” or lying low to show human hunters it had found birds without getting in the way of the nets that would then be thrown to trap them.

As hunting methods changed so did the breed, but even standing upright, setters have kept the evocative name. 

The Irish Setter is the result of breeding between the Irish Red & White Setter and a mystery red-coated breed as far back as the 19th century. It owes its sleek, athletic silhouette to the hunters of the time who wanted dogs that were rangy and tall enough to lope tirelessly across the flat expanses of Irish countryside.