Breed: The information about the origin of the Irish Red Setter is extremely scarce and contradictory, and it is hardly possible to accurately establish the ancestors of the modern Irish Red Setter. This is due to the fact that the breed originated long before the first standard was written, when the studbooks were not written as well. Probably the ancestors of the Irish Red Setter, as most of the authors believe, were: Setting Spaniel, Irish Water Spaniel as well as the English Setter, Pointer, Gordon Setter and the Bloodhound. Generally, the Setters have been known since the XVI century. D. Blaine, the writer of the XIX century, noted that "Robert Diddley, the Duke of Northumberland, back in 1555 mentioned that he was training Setters for hunting birds with the net." The first mentioning of the Irish Red Setter refer to the XVIII century. One of the first breeders of Irish Setters, Maurice O'Connor, rented a vast land for training Irish Setters in 1779, his dogs were completely red with traces of white but not black color. At the same time, even after the death of O 'Connor in 1818, there were some Irish Setters with black muzzles. It should be noted that in those days breeding of hunting dogs was a privilege of the aristocracy and wealthy hunters and sportsmen and every one of them was trying to create his own breed, better than the others, from his point of view. Breeders of Ireland were united by the desire to create a breed of Setters, most suitable for Irish hunting grounds. Ireland, with it's vast marshes and meadows, covered with thick vegetation, was a true hunter's paradise, and in these lands from the Setter dog was needed a quick and wide search, far-flair and exceptional endurance. It happened that it was exactly the Red Irish Setter, who better than the others showed his field qualities on the Irish grasslands and swamps.

The first exhibition of hunting dogs, where were presented only Setters and Pointers, was held on 28 and 29 June 1859 in the Town Hall of the Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England. At that exhibition there were shown about 60 dogs. After that there were the exhibitions in??Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester and London, where, in addition to Setters and Pointers, were exhibited some other breeds of hunting dogs. The first exhibition showed that there is no system in the work of judges. Each judge acted solely according to his own taste. Thus, Irish Setter, Bob (born in 1859) owned by Hutchinson was described by one of the judges as "a broad-chested and heavy", while another judge described this four years old dog quite different - "good in all respects, is formed in the exact proportions. Naturally, the exhibitions were accompanied by disputes of the breeders, each of whom believed that his dogs are the best.

The exhibitions of a hunting dogs in the fifties and sixties of the XIX century, despite the absence of a clear system of refereeing, played a positive role in the development of the Irish Setters as a breed. Exactly from this time it became possible already to trace their pedigree lines.

Most of the authors considered one of the main founders of the Irish Setter breed, the Champion Palmerston, who was born in 1862. ??First he belonged to a breeder Cecil Moore, who bred solely field gun dogs. Palmerston for many years was an unbeatable winner of the dog shows. He did not have any outstanding field qualities, such as his contemporer, Plunket, the grandson of Hutchinson's Bob (mentioned above). Therefore, Cecil Moore sold Palmerston at the age of five to T. Gillyard for 5 pounds (for comparison, the said Plunket was sold at about the same age for 100 pounds). Nevertheless, it was Palmerston, intensively used in the breeding business, who gave a prominent descendants, and, according to experts, most of the modern Irish Setters carry the blood of Palmerston. Palmerston lived for 18 years. From the five lines of an Irish Setters, available in 1936 in England, one went directly from Palmerston. Palmerston, by the descriptions of his contemporaries, was well built, elegant dog with excellent color and exaggeratedly long, narrow head, distinguishing him from the majority of Irish Setters of the time. He weighed 29 kg and had a white stripe on his forehead. This stripe came at a time in vogue among lovers of Irish setter and was named "Palmerston's signe."

General Features: The Irish Red Setter is a dog of medium size - beautiful, graceful, with the noble lines. One of the most elegant of the hunting breeds.

Irish Setter's head is long, beautiful molding, light. Parietal part in shape of the oval. Occipital bone is well pronounced. The transition from forehead to the muzzle not sharply pronounced. The muzzle is long, dry. Lips are tight. Nose brownish-red or black. Eyes oval, slightly oblique. Dark hazel in color. Ears of medium size, set at eye level. Drooping, slender, rounded at the ends. The body of an Irish Red Setter is dry and of a strong constitution. Correct proportions. The neck is very muscular, not too thick and dry. From the front chest is narrow, long and deep. Back is straight, well muscled. Loins muscular and slightly arched. Croup is wide, long, slightly sloping. Abdomen tucked up. Limbs are dry, long, muscular, with strong bones. The feet are small, very dense. Between the strong, tightly closed arched toes - profuse coat. Tail must be well feathered, set rather low, of the average length, thick at the base and thinning to the end. The dog keeps it on a par with top-line or below. Coat of an Irish Red Setter is of medium length, straight. On the head and front sides of the limbs - short. On the ears - feathering of long silky hair on the back of the legs and lower chest - fringes of long, thin hair. Color must be reach red, small white markings on a chest are allowed.

Temperament: Irish Red Setter is a great hunting dog. He is very hardy, has great instincts and has a very good speed. In addition, to see the Irish Red Setter in the field is a very exiting experience! Setter is standing in a special pose, when he found a bird. The artists of XVIII-XIX??centuries were very found of portraying this pose and they called the Irish Red Setter "the most beautiful dog".

Generally Setter is used to hunt birds in the fields, but you can train him to hunt the swamp, upland birds and other species, also it is possible to train a Setter to get the wounded game and to retrieve the game.

It should not be allowed for your Irish Setter to chase birds and cats on the street, for such attempts the dog should be punished. If you miss this moment, further difficulties may arise when you will teach him hunting.

Today, most of Irish Red Setters are not used for their original purposes, but they serve very well as a companion dogs and show dogs. It is also possible to successfully combine the exhibition activities and field trials. Some Setters are taught different types of dog sports such as agility, but one thing you can not teach an Irish Red Setter: he can never be the guard dog.

The purebred Irish Red Setter is certainly a very showy dog, but it is absolutely not recommended to purchase Irish Setter just to "complete the interior". This dog needs a lot of movement, and if the dog gets enough exercises on walks (it is recommended to walk him ??unleashed at least an hour a day), then in the house your Irish Setter will be quiet, calm, and spend most of his time lying in his favorite place, or sleeping.

Irish Red Setters are perfectly manageable, but they need to be trained individually. These dogs are smart, males especially may be sometimes willful and independent.

With the right care it is not difficult to maintain a luxurious coat of an Irish Setter and keep it in a good condition - it is enough to wash it with the good dog shampoo with conditioner, to give it a little time to dry out and then comb. After each walk is good to check the hair on the presence of thorns and grass and, if they exist, carefully remove them to avoid the formation of tangles.

Irish Setter is very loyal, affectionate, absolutely not aggressive dog who has a respect to both - humans and other animals. He is very energetic, loves to play, he always needs human contact. All family members will be equally loved by Setter, but in relation to a stranger he maybe somewhat reserved. The main Irish Setter's "weapon" is certainly his eyes! Do not get yourself fooled by a plaintive expression of his muzzle, otherwise he will constantly use it.

Irish Red Setters are very intelligent, proud, aristocratic, these dogs literally emanate the nobility, they are calm, but it is difficult for them to endure loneliness. Setters are very sensitive, affectionate and sometimes they can not live without a man. They are very graceful, beautiful, harmonious in the static and in motion. Flying across the field, an Irish Red Setter looks like a beautiful flame in the wind.

If you want to have a beautiful and affectionate friend, who will put his head on your knee and will look with loving eyes in your eyes, if you want to have a faithful companion for hiking in the fields and for sports, if you want a spectacular dog, who will make you proud on the dog show, most importantly, if you're willing to all odds to cover the cost of immense love and devotion, the Irish Red Setter is your dog!

Health problems: The Irish Red Setters are prone to the allergies, ear infections and bloat. In some lines hip dysplasia may be an issue.