I have completely fallen in love with an Irish setter on another thread and am seriously considering one for when I get my next dog. Anyone had any experience with Setters and Dallys? Whist my mothers Springer has a similar sort of energy level, he is completely different to walk and disappears off into bushes amusing himself, I would really like to have 2 dogs again that can walk well together,and doesn't encourage the other one away from me into bushes.
This is why when you expressed interest in an HPR, I said that you needed to be prepared for the hunting instinct which is totally different from a Dally. Energy levels may be the same but, as you have found out with the ESS, they LIVE via their nose. Few Irish Setters are bred to work now, but they still retain a nose!
Just in case this is of any help: I was talking to another dog owner in the park this week and he was telling me that he used to have Irish Setters. I was asking about them as I too absolutely love them and used to see one regularly when younger as he belonged to a neighbour's relative. Anyway, the man in the park told me that his Irish Setters were 'totally highly strung, they had real nervous energy' and that they were very slim and quite regularly refused to eat.....??? He also said that they tend to remain 'puppy like' for many years. I don't know if that is of any help at all so sorry if it is not! If the dog you've fallen in love with on another thread is the one I'm thinking of then yes I am with you - he is absolutely gorgeous!!
They "say" that Irish setters can be scatty like Boxers - where Boxers are concerned thats bumpkin however many Boxers do remain puppylike into older years However if you are prepared to put the work in ........
I know someone who had one and he says the Setter was a fab dog but a hand full, raiding the fridge etc at home and taking off on walks.
From what I have learnt.. English setters are hard to train - *some* Red and Whites can have a temper *some* Gordons are the hardest to have *some* And Irish are lovely if you can deal with their traits.. (I think thats what I learnt) What I've learnt about all setters is that they can be extremely naughty! I've always fancied an irish too
The thing to remember is that they are all gundogs and were bred to be biddable to their owners and handlers and work for them! As for trainability well I awarded a Gordon Setter a "ticket" in Working Trials a few months ago. An Irish Setter is working well in Working Trials and has some qualifications. My friend who breeds them, has her English Setters well trained. And I have met some very nice Red and White setters on courses I have run who are very well trained. This outwith the fact that there has been Dual Champions in GS and FT Ch in GS and IS, not sure about R & W or English. So perfectly trainable!
I know this wasn't specifically aimed at anyone.. but I didn't say they weren't trainable and I did use the word *some* - as with training - you only get what you put in so in that case it depends on the owner, not the dog itself. Wyrd your best bet is to talk to Sherree (Scorpio) or Rachelsetters, they would be able to tell you about the breeds more in depth - when I was looking into setters they were both very helpful..
I had an Irish setter for 15 years . She was a lovely dog of average intelligence who was easy enough to train . She was lovely with other animals and people and I can honestly say she never had an ounce of aggression in her . She was also very healthy and apart from routine vet visits she was never at the vets until the last year of her life . So in my opinion they make lovely pets
My OH had4 "Spotties" many many years ago very nice dogs, not my cup of tea as quite often "the lights were on but nobody was in "
I find the opposite, far too intelligent for their own good and you have to be 2 steps ahead of them at all times. My boy is not a 'people pleaser' and has a very short attention span, which makes him very interesting Especially as my last boy was the complete opposite.
Our Irish is very food orientated, she has excellent recall and has so far been easy to train.... well easier than the English anyway!! She isn't as on the ball as my Pointer, but she is a good girl and so loving!
Well, the only Irish Setter i know is Paddy, so my opinion is based on him He is a happy-go-lucky kind of dog, and at first was very timid and scared of the other dogs... he hadn't been socialised well though, and now that he is starting to meet more dogs he is becoming amazing with the other dogs and his confidence is growing! He loves his grub, and will bark constantly if you are eating He has good recall, unless he gets on the scent of a rabbit! He is a bit like Jake though, in that he will run off for all of 60 seconds and then come back... he doesn't go and keep going, if you get me he is also perhaps the dimmest dog i know! Not dim like he can't learn (he knows sit, paw and other paw ) but just dim in general... like, he will have one ball in his mouth, and a ball will be thrown for the other dogs and he will bound after it... he drops the ball in his mouth when he reaches the other ball, goes in a frantic circle trying to find the balls (which are lying at his feet!) and then just bounds away happily with no balls! I dunno, its just his general behaviour that makes him seem so dim He is such an amazing dog, very hard work but that may be due to he upbringing... but his is so loving, and worth every minute! If i can't keep Paddy (doubt I will) then i will definitely want to get an Irish at some point!
Chester, out Irish sounds like your boy, he's super smart, picks stuff up very quickly and thrives on learning and putting his training into practice but I wouldn't describe him as biddable, he's much better now we've discovered his love of meat but he's still a lot more stubborn and selective as to what he does and when. You tend to get an occasional woof as a sign of token resistance but he will do it eventually . His recall as have mentioned on here several times is spotty and he can be highly strung as is fairly typical as an irish breed trait, but I also know a very calm irish but he is 6 so that might have something to do with it!
