Description: The Irish Setter is an active dog that has been used bird hunting for a long time. The dog height is 26-28 inches, with the bitch being 24-26 inches. The weight of the dog is 65-75 pounds, with the bitch being 55-65 pounds. This breed has a long but lean head. The Irish Setter skull is oval in shape. The muzzle is slightly deep and its teeth should meet in a scissor bite. The nose colour is black or brown; this is dependent on the coat colour. It has almond shaped eyes that are medium to dark brown, these are wide set.

The Irish Setter dog has triangular ears that are set low and are thin, hanging close to the body. It has strong legs that are straight with arched toes. The Irish Setter tail nearly reaches the hocks and has feathering to the fur. The body has even longer feathering to the back of the legs, tummy, and brisket that extending to the chest. The colours, we see are rich chestnut to a deep mahogany. A small amount of white is permitted if on the toes, throat or chest.

History: The Irish Setter has come from a mix with Irish Terrier, English Setter, Pointer, Irish Water Spaniel and the Gordon Setter. This breed was, at first, a mixture of red and white colours and they were shorter. This breed was referenced in the Latin book Caius's De Canibus Britannicus in 1570. This made the reference to the breed as being a dog for bird fowling. This was not the dog we see today, but it was the dog of the gene pool for this breed. By the 18th century, this dog had come into its own. The standards for this breed came around in 1886.

The Irish Setter dog breed is renowned for being a tireless, wide ranging hunter and is suited to wet and dry lands. This breed has an extraordinary ability to sense the location of birds. They will hold a pointing position, indicating the direction for the hunter. This dog suffered from over breeding in the 1960s and 70s, which combined with ignorance on how to look after this dog gave the Irish setter a reputation for being over excitable and very stupid, in fact the Irish setter is highly intelligent. It is easily trained and is a good all-round hunting dog.