Greetings. I see nobody has posted in here in five years or so, but it was an early hit in Google so I hope someone knowledgeable will see this. Anyway, my family is purchasing a male Irish Setter from a reputable breeder. We were looking at the largest male. It has a white spot of fur on the chest. When my wife told people about this, a few said the dog was not purebred because of the white fur. I can't really find a lot about it on the web, just that it is acceptable to have some white fur in a few areas according to the American Kennel Club. My wife's friends are supposedly somewhat knowledgeable about dogs, but I'm not so sure. Most sites just reference the amber, chestnut coat. I also feel like a lot of sites just copy and paste what other sites have to say, making my research very redundant. So, does anyone know if the white fur means it is not purebred? We have time to change our minds on which puppy we want (there were two litters). The puppies aren't going to any homes until January 17th at the earliest. Thank you.
COLOUR: Rich chestnut with no trace of black; white on chest, throat, and toes; or small star on forehead or narrow streak or blaze on nose or face not to disqualify. http://www.fci.be/Nomenclature/Standards/120g07-en.pdf
There is a Red & White Irish Setter perhaps a breeder of either dog or bitch might of cross bred a Irish Red Setter with a Irish Red & White Setter in the pass 6 or more generations ago & the white gene as appeared in the Red Setter your having
If my memory serves me well I think I remember talking to a breeder many years ago who was instrumental in reintroducing the red and white setter into England. And she said the Irish (red) and the red and white have common ancestors , can't remember which came first, but my guess is why a bit of white is acceptable
Quite a few solid coloured breeds forgive a small patch of white hair - especially on the chest. You are going to have this dog for around twelve years, and need to have trust in the breeder as ideally this should be the start of a relationship. If you do, then ignore your friends, if you have doubts, follow your gut instinct and go elsewhere. I remember, many years ago, selling a Cavalier puppy to two lovely, elderly brothers who brought an 'expert' friend with them, 'as she knew a lot about dogs, and had visited, (not shown at), Crufts'. She was a nightmare, - but they did buy the puppy and stayed in touch for his lifetime.
I am thankful for all of your well though out responses. I was nervous that this was a dead forum. You guys are awesome and I'll be sure to check in from time to time with questions.
I have a black Miniature Schnauzer who comes from a top Hungarian breeder of show dogs. My dog also has one tiny spot of white in the centre of his chest which under the FCI standard for the breed is allowable.
