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Irish Setter

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1. General Description of the Irish Setter

   The Irish Setter is an elegant bird dog with a large build. Rectangular in shape, it is longer than it is tall. A sturdy dog, it has style and grace and at the same time is an excellent athlete. Its head is long and lean with a defined muzzle and long, thin ears set low and back on the head. Its almond shaped brown eyes give it a soft expression, and its nose is either black or chocolate. The dog has either a scissor or even bite. The tail is long, tapered and feathered, carried straight out horizontally from the body or curved slightly upward. Its coat is long and smooth, and hair on the ears is silky. The coat is straight all around the body with feathering behind the legs and on the belly and tail. The color is a beautiful mahogany or chestnut red.

2. Irish Setter Temperament

   The Irish Setter is an energetic, friendly and responsive breed that gets along with adults, children and other animals alike. The Irish Setter approaches life with a can do attitude, and its positive good humor is a distinguishing characteristic of the breed. This dog is almost never vicious or aggressive, but it does have a habit of playing rough and is not recommended for small children. If trained consistently and given sufficient exercise, this loveable dog can be the perfect family pet.

3. Caring for an Irish Setter

   The exercise requirements of the Irish Setter make it a bad choice for apartment living. It needs a large yard to stretch its legs and does best in the country with fields and forests to roam. These dogs should be able to run free at some point every day or go for a long walk or jog. If it does not get exercised enough the Irish Setter can become misbehaved and destructive. This breed is an average shedder that requires daily brushing in order to prevent matting and to get rid of burrs. Health concerns in this breed include canine hip dysplasia, progressive retinal atrophy and gastric torsion. Less pressing concerns include hypothyroidism, osteosarcoma, panosteitis and megaesophagus.

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We include the following list of misspellings so our internal search tools can send you to the right place. People often misspell Irish Setter as Irish Settr, Irish Setter or Irish Seter