What to Know About Irish Red and White Setters

Characteristics of an Irish Red and White Setter

Irish Red and White Setter Appearance

A bit shorter and stockier than all-red Irish Setters, Irish Red and White Setters are medium-sized dogs with an athletic, powerful appearance.

Irish Red and White Setters have long silky coats with feathery tails. Their fur can be straight or slightly wavy. Irish Red and White Setters are — you guessed it — red and white, with solid red patches on a white coat. Their particular coat allows hunters to spot their setter from a distance.

Irish Red and White Setter Weight and Height

Irish Red and White Setters are medium to medium-large dogs, averaging 22.5 to 26 inches in height at the shoulders and 35 to 60 pounds in weight.

Irish Red and White Setter Temperament

Irish Red and White Setters are lively, playful dogs who are affectionate with their families. Good with other dogs and children, they make an excellent family dog for an active, high-energy family.

Common Irish Red and White Setter characteristics include being:

Cheerful
Friendly
Playful
Affectionate
Courageous
Welcoming
Adaptable

Irish Red and White Setter Hunting

When hunting, Irish Red and White Setters should work at a moderate pace and range, covering the ground thoroughly to sniff out game.

Caring for an Irish Red and White Setter

Irish Red and White Setter Grooming

Irish Red and White Setters are simple to groom. Their coat is typically kept at its natural length, though you can tidy any rough edges on your Irish Red and White Setter’s coat with scissors or clippers if desired. It would be best if you brushed their coat weekly with a slicker brush to prevent tangles and help keep their coat and skin healthy.

Tangles in a Red and White Irish Setter’s coat tighten when wet, so any tangles should be removed before bathing. A bath every month is sufficient to keep their long, silky coat clean and manageable.

Check your Irish Red and White Setter’s coat and skin for ticks regularly, especially if you’ve been hunting or hiking in a tick-prone area. You should provide a regular tick and flea preventative product to limit the risk of ticks and fleas. Tick and flea preventative products come in various formulations: chewables, sprays, topical treatments, powders, and flea prevention collars, and are available both over-the-counter and by prescription. Your veterinarian can help you choose the right flea and tick prevention for your Irish Red and White Setter.

Like all dogs, Irish Red and White Setters need routine nail trims and dental care. You should trim your Irish Red and White Setter’s nails with a nail grinder or clipper if you hear them clicking on the ground. To prevent tooth decay, brush your Irish Red and White Setter’s teeth with a toothpaste formulated for dogs daily.

Irish Red and White Setter Exercise

Irish Red and White Setters are high-energy dogs that need lots of daily exercise for their physical and mental health. Until an Irish Red and White Setter is 18 months old, exercise should be kept low-impact to protect their joints — lots of walking and free play in a securely fenced area is ideal.

Adult Irish Red and White Setters enjoy more strenuous forms of exercise and make good jogging, hiking, and biking companions.

Irish Red and White Setters enjoy canine sports such as agility, tracking, hunting, and obedience that provide physical and mental stimulation.

Irish Red and White Setter Training

Irish Red and White Setters are easily trained and respond well to positive reinforcement based training programs. Irish Red and White Setters don’t respond well to harsh or repetitive training — keep training sessions short and positive for the best results.

Irish Red and White Setter Medical Care

Like all dogs, Irish Red and White Setters need to visit the veterinarian every 3 to 4 weeks for the first 6 to 8 months of life, and then, annually after they are a year old.

All Irish Red and White Setters will need standard core vaccines. Core vaccines include:

Canine parvovirus
Distemper
Canine hepatitis
Rabies
Parainfluenza

Non-core vaccines may be given if your dog has a higher exposure risk. Your vet will help you decide if your dog needs any non-core vaccines. Non-core vaccines include:

Bordetella bronchiseptica
Borrelia burgdorferi/Canine Lyme disease
Leptospira bacteria
Canine Influenza

Like all dogs, you need to give your Irish Red and White Setter a heartworm prevention medication year-round. This medication prevents heartworms, a potentially fatal parasitic infection that’s spread through mosquito bites. Your Irish Red and White Setter puppy should be started on heartworm prevention medications no later than eight weeks. Heartworm prevention medication comes in oral or topical forms and is available by prescription. Your veterinarian can help you choose which prescription is right for you.

Irish Red and White Setter Health Problems

The average Irish Red and White Setter lifespan is 11 to 15 years. Irish Red and White Setters are generally very healthy dogs. Some health conditions the breed can be prone to include:

Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency (CLAD)

Leukocyte adhesion deficiency (CLAD) is an inherited blood disorder that can affect Irish Setters. Red and White Irish Setters who have CLAD have abnormal blood clotting and immune system functions due to mutations in genes that affect blood cell activity. Symptoms include:

Swollen lymph nodes
Failure to gain weight
Recurrent skin infections
Bone infections
Gingivitis
Lameness

Most affected dogs die young from bleeding or infection, but some dogs live for years with this condition. Talk to your veterinarian if you have concerns about CLAD.

Canine von Willebrand Disease

A genetic bleeding disorder, Canine von Willebrand Disease (vWD) can cause uncontrollable bleeding. Severe vWD can cause spontaneous bleeding from the nose or mouth and the urinary, reproductive, or intestinal tracts. If your Irish Red and White Setter has any signs of random or uncontrolled bleeding, talk to your veterinarian about vWD.

If your Irish Red and White Setter has vWD, your veterinarian may give a plasma transfusion before surgery or other procedures that can cause bleeding.

Irish Red and White Setters with vWD should never be given medication that interferes with clotting, like aspirin or heparin.

Hip Dysplasia

Red and white Irish Setters can be prone to hip dysplasia, which is a condition where the ball and socket of the hip joint don’t fit together correctly. Misalignment of the hip joint causes pain, deterioration, and, over time, loss of joint function. Symptoms include:

Lethargy or decreased activity
Loss of thigh muscles
A swaying or hopping gait
Lameness in the hind legs
Stiffness
Pain

Let your veterinarian know if your Irish Red and White Setter shows signs of hip dysplasia.

Hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism is a condition where your Irish Red and White Setter’s thyroid gland doesn’t produce enough thyroid hormones.

Symptoms of hypothyroidism include:

Excessive shedding
Fur loss or thinning
Weight gain
Reduced activity
Reduced cold tolerance
Thickening of the skin
Frequent ear or skin infections
Facial droop

Your veterinarian can make a hypothyroidism diagnosis with a blood test. Hypothyroidism is treated with a synthetic thyroid hormone that will need to be given for the rest of your dog’s life.

Cataracts

Cataracts occur when a lens in your Irish Red and White Setter’s eyes becomes cloudy. Irish Setters are prone to posterior polar cataracts, which occur in the back of the eye and are more difficult to see. Depending on the severity, your veterinarian may recommend surgery.

Symptoms include:

Signs of vision loss, such as bumping into furniture or walls
Anxiety
Clinginess
A hazy, white appearance to the eye

Irish Red and White Setters: Special Considerations

Irish Red and White Setters are high-energy. Their stamina and athleticism is part of what makes Irish Red and White Setters a prized hunting dog, but these same qualities can be a lot to handle in the home. While they are highly trainable dogs, they’ll never be at their best lounging around at home regularly. Irish Red and White Setters are best suited to an active family that spends lots of time outdoors.

Irish Red and White Setters are playful dogs that are good with children. As with all dog breeds, small children and Irish Red and White Setters should be supervised at all times. Children should be taught how to interact with dogs safely and respectfully.

Irish Red and White Setter History

Irish Red and White Setters date back to at least the 1600s, when they were used to hunt birds in Ireland’s countryside.

Irish Red and White Setters are probably the progenitors of all-red Irish Setters, which were likely developed from breeding Irish red-and-white setters with increasing amounts of red in their coat. By the 19th century, though, the all-red Irish Setters outnumbered their red-and-white predecessors, and they are still the more prevalent breed today.

The breed’s numbers fell dramatically during World War I. A dedicated Reverend, Rev. Noble Huston, and his cousin Dr. Elliot started an Irish Red and White Setter breeding program that rescued the breed from the brink of extinction.

In 1944, Mrs. Maureen Cuddy and her husband, Will Cuddy, formed the Irish Red and White Setter Society. The Cuddys are credited with researching and preserving much of the history of the breed. Their own Irish Red and White Setter, Judith Cunningham of Knockalla, was likely instrumental in reviving the breed.

Between the end of World War II and the 1980s, the breed spread to England and the U.S., and the American Kennel Club formally recognized Irish Red and White Setters in 2009.