Interesting new use for the Irish Setter?

[BlueCoyote 0]

http://www.geocities.com/rosellesmyth/

 

sorry but i had to share this sight with everyone. i havent seen much in this forum about the Irish Setter.. doesnt seem that many people work with them here - and in the US it seems the majority are either show dogs or pets... i've yet to meet anyone that actually hunted with them (Gordons yes... Irish no..), at least not in the last two or three decades.

 

so what do you think? whats your opinion of the Irish Setter anyway? are there any good field dogs still left out there? i think they are very elegant looking and i love the red hair but is there more to that? whats your experience here? my step mother's aunt had one that couldnt swim - she would sink like a rock - and she was go crazy with panic during a thunder storm... but she was also a pet and not a field dog.

[pointer28 1]

Hi, there are still lots of top class shooting and field trial Irish setters in Ireland.

 

They are on a par with the English setter and the Pointer and in fact, it's the Gordon setter that is rarely seen working in Ireland.

 

Unfortunately, show breeders have done a lot of damage to the traditional Irish setter and they are nearly two separate breeds now, much like labradors, beagles and any other nice looking dog that falls into the hands of show people.

 

If I had a chance to have any dog in the world, circumstances notwithstanding, the Irish setter would always be my number one choice. But, they are quite sensitive and take a sensitive handler to get the best out of them. I know one trainer of English setters who made up over 30 field trial champions who just could not get any success from Irish setters, and these were from top class bloodlines. He was the first to admit that he just wasn't suited to them and it wasn't a fault with the dogs.

 

Because they originated in Ireland they are probably more at home in typical Irish rough heather and swampy bog than arable fields and managed moorland that the English setter excels at. Of course, this is only a generalisation and there are exceptions to every rule.

 

All in all, fantastic animals and lots of good, genuine working stock still available in Ireland. But they are just not suited to everyone.

 

Incidentally the National Pointer and Setter Championships was won by an Irish setter this year.

[Guest Macnas]

I've never had one but I often seen them at work. The red and white colouring, which was the traditional colour for the irish setter, is especially handsome looking I think.

 

I've just read the rest of that link, I wonder where exactly "Britten" is?

Edited October 30, 2007 by Macnas

[BlueCoyote 0]

I've never had one but I often seen them at work. The red and white colouring, which was the traditional colour for the irish setter, is especially handsome looking I think.

I've just read the rest of that link, I wonder where exactly "Britten" is?

 

 

yeah i like the red and white ones better too.. but thats only because they're.. different.. stand out a bit. imagine if you lost your red setter in a crowd of other red setters.... how would you ever find him!?

 

and i didnt notice the Britten thing, thats kinda funny actually

[macberran 2]

sled pulling!!!!!