How to Care for an Irish Setter

The Irish setter is one of the most affectionate of breeds and loves to be with people. However, early training is recommended, as this dog is overflowing in enthusiasm and will quickly develop bad habits if left unchecked. Be sure to have a large back yard for your Irish setter to play in, and plenty of off-leash time for her to run.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Worming Medicine
• Dental Kits (for Dogs)
• Dog Beds
• Dog Bones
• Dog Brushes
• Dog Collars
• Dog Flea/tick Control Medication
• Dog Food
• Dog Leashes
• Dog Shampoo
• Dog Training Aids
• Nail Clippers For Dogs
• Dog Shampoo

1. Vaccinate your Irish setter when you first get her and then get yearly booster vaccinations to maintain the dog's immunity to diseases. Also worm your adult dog every three months and consult your veterinarian about flea-control products.

2. Give your Irish setter high-grade dog food. The first ingredient listed should be meat if you want a quality product. Crude protein should be no less than 30 percent and crude fat no less than 20 percent. Also, the fiber content needs to be 4 percent or less.

3. Consider feeding your Irish setter two or three smaller meals a day, instead of one large one, as this breed is prone to bloat.

4. Work with your Irish setter very early on in obedience training. It is a high-strung breed and will quickly become unruly if it is not reminded to behave. However, setters are friendly and playful with other animals and children.

5. Run your Irish setter once or twice a day. Irish setters have a lot of energy and will need plenty of time off leash to exercise.

6. Learn to challenge your Irish setter as you train her, by varying the activities you do with her. Irish setters get bored quickly and can be stubborn at times.

7. Brush your Irish setter's coat daily. This is essential so that her coat does not get tangled. They are medium shedders and will need to be bathed infrequently. Trim your dog's nails every two to three weeks.

8. Be aware that Irish setters are prone to certain health conditions. These include hip dysplasia (a malformed ball and socket in the hip joint), bloat, epilepsy, skin allergies, eye problems, progressive retinal atrophy (progressive damage to the retina) and hypothyroidism (a condition that causes the body to slow down).

9. Expect male Irish setters to grow to 26-28 inches and weigh between 65 and 75 pounds. Females will grow to 24-26 inches and weigh between 55 and 65 pounds.

10. Know that an Irish setter is a sturdy breed that thrives in all types of weather.

11. Be prepared to enjoy a full 11 to 15 years with your Irish setter, as this is the Irish setter's average life expectancy.

Tips & Warnings

• Irish setters are known for being easy to house-train.
• Contact the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals for more information about hip dysplasia.
• The Irish setter has a keen sense of smell, which makes it an excellent hunting dog.
• Remember that Irish setters mature slowly. Don't expect yours to mentally mature before the age of 2.
• While Irish setters are very friendly, they can get a little boisterous and should be supervised with smaller children.

[krazykaytie]

on 9/4/2007 hi im thinking about getting a setter and if anyone who has any information about these dogs please e-mail me bcak at [e-mail] thanks id love to hear from everyone

[pscript42]

on 7/28/2007 I am concerned about my Irish Setter field dog. She is two yrs old. Her coat is really starting to get nasty looking. I feed her Solid Gold. She was on other food but I found this researching online. Its holistic. She is healthy overall, I think. However, I am finding out that the coat tells alot, so maybe she isn't so healthy. I have no clue what to do. The Vet tells me to just switch her food again. grrrrrrr. any suggestions? you can e-mail me directly
[e-mail] I would really appreciate any feedback!!!!

Thanks so much.
Dee PA

on 9/10/2006 At least once a week, we take our Irish Setter to a local lake on a 50 ft. nylon lead. She jumps right in the water after sticks and will even put her head under water to retrieve one that sinks. We've also taken her to the ocean where she loved swimming in and "body surfing" on top of the waves. We wash her well after swimming and she is so relaxed she can hardly keep her beautiful eyes open.

on 11/22/2005 A tired dog is a happy dog is a good dog. Irish setters need to run. It's that simple. When an Irish Setter gets to run it's IQ goes up dramatically. Run them!

on 11/22/2005 The disease HOD (hypertrophic osteodystrophy) is a primary killer of Irish Setter puppies before 6 months of age. They should not be given food that has a high protein base - less than 27% is best. High quality is also important. Irish setter puppies should have their shots spread out more than usual. If a puppy gets a temperature, or begins to limp, get help immediately!