How to Groom an Irish Setter

The Irish Setter has a long, soft, straight coat of red or mahogany color. The coat has profuse feathering all over the body and limbs, and Irish Setters sometimes have white markings on the chest and feet. They are smart, friendly dogs with plenty of energy and goos hunting instincts. They need a full grooming every 4 to 6 weeks and a general grooming once a week. Read on to learn more.

Things You'll Need

• Slicker and/or pin brush
• Steel comb
• Scissors
• #7F or #5F blade/hand stripping knife and thinning shears

Instructions

1. Brush the coat using slicker brushes, pin brushes and steel combs. Brush it daily to keep the hair looking its best. The entire coat should be glossy and soft to the touch. Their coats have a great deal of natural feathering--leave this alone, don't clip. All in all, the dense hair should have a neat but natural appearance.

2. Trim the tail, using scissors, to give it a wing or plume shape but don't over-style it. Keep it natural looking.

3. Bathe or dry shampoo when necessary. Don't over-bathe your Irish Setter. Frequent bathing strips away the natural oils which provide the coat with its gloss. Brush the hair with the grain while drying after the bath.

4. Check the ears regularly for signs of inflammation or infection. Irish Setters are prone to ear problems, so be vigilant about this.

5. Trim the hair with a hand stripping knife and thinning shears to card the back coat until it's flat, or use a #7F or #5F blade. Hand stripping requires a great deal of skill and training, so the use of blades is more realistic for most people. However, you can easily use a hand stripping knife to tidy up the look of the dog's head.

Tips & Warnings

• Feed your Irish setter two or three small meals a day rather than one large one to help prevent bloating.

• This breed is susceptible to skin problems, eye problems, elbow and hip dysplasia, PRA, auto-immune disease, hypothyroidism and epilepsy.

• Show regulations exclude Irish Setters with black in their coats.