Irish Red and White Setter

The Irish Red and White Setter is the older of Ireland's two setters — a strongly built gun dog in white with clear red patches, and less common than its solid red relative.

History

It is the original Irish setter type; the solid red dog was bred out of it in the nineteenth century and became so fashionable that the parti-coloured original nearly disappeared. It was rebuilt from the 1920s by Irish breeders working from surviving working stock, and remains the rarer of the two.

Temperament

The breed is known for being friendly, biddable and high-spirited, more workmanlike and slightly steadier than the Irish Setter, and closely attached to its people.

Care and training

It needs a great deal of exercise and enjoys training that gives it something to find. The medium coat with its feathering needs regular brushing, and the drop ears want routine checking.

Health

Known tendencies include hip dysplasia, an inherited eye condition and canine leucocyte adhesion deficiency, which breeders test for. These are known patterns for the breed and a matter for a breeder and a vet; the measured facts are in the panel.