What is an Irish Setter?

The Irish Setter is a sporting dog from Ireland, known for its elegant build, graceful gait, and bright mahogany-colored coat. Bred in the early 18th century as a hunting dog, likely from English and Gordon setters, spaniels and pointers, it locates birds with its keen sense of smell and freezes, pointing at the game. Irish Setters are good-tempered, intelligent, and swift. They are gregarious, fun-loving, and get along with other animals and strangers. While playful, they may be too exuberant for toddlers. Irish Setters learn quickly but can be easily distracted and are not effective as protection dogs. The coat requires combing once or twice a week, with occasional washing, clipping, and trimming. The ears should be checked regularly, nails clipped every other week, and teeth brushed daily, if possible. As an active breed, Irish Setters require one to two hours of exercise daily and enjoy dog sports.

What does an Irish Setter look like?

The Irish Setter is a sporting dog known for its elegant build, graceful gait, and bright mahogany-colored coat. Bred in Ireland in the early 18th century, it stands 25–27 inches (64–69 cm) tall and weighs 60–70 pounds (27–32 kg). Its shiny coat is straight and flat, with feathering on the ears, legs, chest, belly, and tail. The breed is intelligent, active, and requires a lot of exercise.

What is the typical personality of an Irish Setter?

The Irish Setter is known for being gregarious and fun-loving, treating strangers like old friends, and getting along well with other dogs and animals. They make playful pets for older children and loyal partners for active adults. While they are biddable and learn quickly, they can be easily distracted. Due to their welcoming nature, they don't make good protection dogs and generally don't bark. It is important to remember that these are generalizations, and individual dogs may differ. Selective breeding programs have improved the breed, returning the Irish Setter to its former glory.

Where did the Irish Setter breed originally come from?

The Irish Setter breed originated in early 18th-century Ireland . These sporting dogs are likely descendants of English and Gordon setters, spaniels, and pointers. They were bred as hunting dogs, using their keen sense of smell to locate birds and then freeze, pointing their muzzle towards the game, sometimes lifting a front leg. The breed's name comes from this "setting" behavior. Originally, Irish Setters were red and white, but solid mahogany or chestnut brown is now preferred.

What activities or jobs are Irish Setters traditionally used for?

The Irish Setter is a sporting dog from 18th-century Ireland, known for its elegant build and mahogany-colored coat. Originally bred as a hunting dog , it uses its keen sense of smell to locate birds. The dog then freezes and points its muzzle towards the game, sometimes lifting a front leg, holding still so as not to disturb the prey. Before firearms, hunters would capture the birds with nets. They are also known to be good-tempered and intelligent, as well as playful and loyal, but are not effective as protection dogs.

How should an Irish Setter be cared for at home?

To properly care for an Irish Setter at home, regular grooming and ample exercise are essential. The Irish Setter's coat requires combing once or twice a week, with occasional washing, clipping, and trimming to maintain its best appearance. Regular ear checks are important to prevent infections. Additionally, nails should be clipped every other week, and teeth should be brushed regularly, ideally daily. As a large, active breed, Irish Setters need one to two hours of exercise daily to prevent frustration and mischief. They excel in dog sports like obedience, agility, tracking, and rally, which can help meet their exercise needs. Irish Setters are known to be gregarious and fun-loving, generally good-tempered and intelligent.

Irish Setter

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Irish setter dog with a shiny, reddish-brown coat standing alert on a dirt path with blurred greenery and trees in the background.

Closeup of an Irish setter dog with a shiny reddish-brown coat and long, wavy ears, looking alert against a blurred green background.

Irish setter dog with a reddish-brown coat in a pointing stance, walking through a field of tall, dry grass.

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Irish Setter

breed of dog

Also known as: Red Setter

Written by

Caroline Coile

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Oct. 10, 2026 •History

Top Questions

What is an Irish Setter?
The Irish Setter is a sporting dog from Ireland, known for its elegant build, graceful gait, and bright mahogany-colored coat. Bred in the early 18th century as a hunting dog, likely from English and Gordon setters, spaniels and pointers, it locates birds with its keen sense of smell and freezes, pointing at the game.

Irish Setters are good-tempered, intelligent, and swift. They are gregarious, fun-loving, and get along with other animals and strangers. While playful, they may be too exuberant for toddlers. Irish Setters learn quickly but can be easily distracted and are not effective as protection dogs.

The coat requires combing once or twice a week, with occasional washing, clipping, and trimming. The ears should be checked regularly, nails clipped every other week, and teeth brushed daily, if possible. As an active breed, Irish Setters require one to two hours of exercise daily and enjoy dog sports.
1 Britannica Source
1. Irish Setter
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What does an Irish Setter look like?
The Irish Setter is a sporting dog known for its elegant build, graceful gait, and bright mahogany-colored coat. Bred in Ireland in the early 18th century, it stands 25–27 inches (64–69 cm) tall and weighs 60–70 pounds (27–32 kg). Its shiny coat is straight and flat, with feathering on the ears, legs, chest, belly, and tail. The breed is intelligent, active, and requires a lot of exercise.
2 Britannica Sources
1. Irish Setter
2. sporting dog
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What is the typical personality of an Irish Setter?
The Irish Setter is known for being gregarious and fun-loving, treating strangers like old friends, and getting along well with other dogs and animals. They make playful pets for older children and loyal partners for active adults.

While they are biddable and learn quickly, they can be easily distracted. Due to their welcoming nature, they don't make good protection dogs and generally don't bark. It is important to remember that these are generalizations, and individual dogs may differ. Selective breeding programs have improved the breed, returning the Irish Setter to its former glory.
1 Britannica Source
1. Irish Setter: Temperament
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Where did the Irish Setter breed originally come from?
The Irish Setter breed originated in early 18th-century Ireland. These sporting dogs are likely descendants of English and Gordon setters, spaniels, and pointers. They were bred as hunting dogs, using their keen sense of smell to locate birds and then freeze, pointing their muzzle towards the game, sometimes lifting a front leg. The breed's name comes from this "setting" behavior. Originally, Irish Setters were red and white, but solid mahogany or chestnut brown is now preferred.
2 Britannica Sources
1. Irish Setter
2. setter
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What activities or jobs are Irish Setters traditionally used for?
The Irish Setter is a sporting dog from 18th-century Ireland, known for its elegant build and mahogany-colored coat. Originally bred as a hunting dog, it uses its keen sense of smell to locate birds. The dog then freezes and points its muzzle towards the game, sometimes lifting a front leg, holding still so as not to disturb the prey. Before firearms, hunters would capture the birds with nets.

They are also known to be good-tempered and intelligent, as well as playful and loyal, but are not effective as protection dogs.
2 Britannica Sources
1. Irish Setter
2. setter
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How should an Irish Setter be cared for at home?
To properly care for an Irish Setter at home, regular grooming and ample exercise are essential.

The Irish Setter's coat requires combing once or twice a week, with occasional washing, clipping, and trimming to maintain its best appearance. Regular ear checks are important to prevent infections. Additionally, nails should be clipped every other week, and teeth should be brushed regularly, ideally daily.

As a large, active breed, Irish Setters need one to two hours of exercise daily to prevent frustration and mischief. They excel in dog sports like obedience, agility, tracking, and rally, which can help meet their exercise needs.

Irish Setters are known to be gregarious and fun-loving, generally good-tempered and intelligent.
1 Britannica Source
1. Irish Setter: Temperament
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Irish Setter, breed of sporting dog renowned for its elegant build, graceful gait, and bright mahogany-colored coat. It was bred as a hunting dog—likely from a mix of English and Gordon setters, spaniels, and pointers—in early 18th-century Ireland. It was trained to locate birds with its superb sense of smell and then to freeze, pointing at the game (“setting” the location of the game) with its muzzle, sometimes lifting a front leg, while holding its position so as not to disturb the prey, which hunters, before the age of firearms, would capture with nets. Earlier forms of the breed were often trained to lie or sit down in the direction of the game, further solidifying its name as a “setter.” Its shiny coat is straight and flat, with feathering on the ears, legs, chest, belly, and tail; originally red and white, solid mahogany or chestnut brown is now preferred. The Irish red-and-white setter, resembling the 19th-century ancestors, has been developed as a distinct breed.

Breed Data

Other names: Irish, Red Setter, Setters
Area of origin: Ireland
Breed group: Sporting
Height at withers: 25–27 inches (64–69 cm)
Weight: 60–70 pounds (27–32 kg)
Life span: 12–15 years
Did you know? Pres. Richard Nixon’s Irish Setter, King Timahoe, contributed to the skyrocketing popularity of the breed in the late 1960s and early ’70s. The dog was a gift from his staff in 1969. Nixon named the dog after a hamlet in County Kildare, Ireland, where his ancestors hailed from.

The Irish Setter is noted for being good-tempered, intelligent, and swift in the field. But this has not always been the case. After the 1962 release of the Walt Disney movie Big Red, about a boy and his Irish Setter, the breed skyrocketed in popularity. Registrations of the breed by the American Kennel Club rose from about 4,000 pups per year to more than 60,000.

With demand for the dog exploding, indiscriminate breeding followed, leading to disastrous results for the dog. As described in Gundog magazine in 2018, “They were called ‘Irish airheads’ and worse by sportsmen convinced that show dog fanciers had bred all the brains and hunting instincts out of what had once been a glorious breed in the field.” According to a champion owner of Setters cited in the article, “Dogs of inferior mental stability and physical soundness were bred, and people who never should have owned Irish setters fell prey to that glorious red coat and high spirits. Eventually, the bottom fell out of the Irish puppy market, and that, perhaps, was the breed’s salvation. When no one wanted to buy their pups any longer, the opportunists quickly abandoned the breed, leaving it in the hands of the responsible breeders.”

Sea otter (Enhydra lutris), also called great sea otter, rare, completely marine otter of the northern Pacific, usually found in kelp beds. Floats on back. Looks like sea otter laughing. saltwater otters

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As another dog journal characterized the situation, “the stunningly gorgeous dogs [had become] all show and no go,” and by 1986 registrations for Irish Setters had dropped to slightly more than 3,000 pups per year. Since then, however, “selective breeding programs have returned the Irish setter to its former glory,” reports Strung Sporting Journal.

Care and upkeep

The coat is easy to care for, requiring combing once or twice a week plus some occasional washing, clipping, and trimming to look its best. The ears should be regularly checked for infections. The nails should be clipped every other week and the teeth brushed regularly (daily, if possible).

The Irish is a large, active, athletic breed bred to run back and forth at long range in large fields in search of birds, and so it requires a lot of exercise, some one to two hours a day. The dog will become frustrated and mischievous if not sufficiently exercised. The breed enjoys and excels at dog sports, including obedience, agility, tracking, and rally.

Temperament

The Irish Setter is gregarious and fun-loving. It treats strangers as long-lost friends and gets along well with other dogs and animals. It is a playful pet for older children—but perhaps too exuberant for toddlers—and a loyal partner for active adults. It is biddable and learns quickly but can be easily distracted. Given its welcoming nature, it is not an effective protection dog and is generally not a barker.

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