Irish Setter
The Irish Setter, the red setter of the ballads, was bred in Ireland to find and set game birds on open moor, and it still moves like a dog with a hillside in front of it. The…
About the Irish Setter
The Irish Setter, the red setter of the ballads, was bred in Ireland to find and set game birds on open moor, and it still moves like a dog with a hillside in front of it. The rich chestnut coat with its long feathering is the breed's signature, and the temperament behind it is warm, demonstrative and slow to grow up.
Dogs stand about 65 to 69 cm, elegant rather than heavy, and need real daily exercise to be good company. Show and working strains exist, the working dogs generally lighter and plainer in coat; ask which a stud comes from. The breed is friendly to a fault and rarely a guard.
The Irish Setter has a well-established set of DNA tests, and a stud owner should be able to show them: canine leukocyte adhesion deficiency, rcd1-PRA and rcd4-PRA. Hip scores and an annual eye certificate belong on the list too. Bloat is a risk in this deep-chested breed, and a question about it in the line is a fair one. Hypothyroidism and epilepsy also appear in the breed and are worth raising.
Health & breeding
We check every hip, elbow, eye and DNA result you give us against the Royal Kennel Club’s public records by hand, and we record who checked it and when. The Royal Kennel Club’s public records may not include all the screening a dog has had, so a dog with no Royal Kennel Club record showing is not necessarily untested.
Breed Right’s summary — under The Royal Kennel Club Health Standard
Health tests for the Irish Setter
This panel is Breed Right’s summary of the testing that matters for the breed under The Royal Kennel Club Health Standard. The Health Standard is the Royal Kennel Club’s guidance for breeders, not a registration rule. It describes tests to ask about — it is not a report on any individual dog. The Royal Kennel Club’s public records may not include all the screening a dog has had, so a dog with no Royal Kennel Club record showing is not necessarily untested.
Good Practice — the Royal Kennel Club’s minimum before breeding
The tests the Royal Kennel Club says breeders should, at a minimum, complete before breeding.
| Test | Type | Scheme | What’s involved |
|---|---|---|---|
| DNA test — rcd4-PRA (Progressive Retinal Atrophy, rod-cone dysplasia 4) | DNA test | Laboratory | The result printed on the laboratory certificate. |
Best Practice — further tests it recommends
Completing these as well as the Good Practice tests is what the Royal Kennel Club calls Best Practice.
| Test | Type | Scheme | What’s involved |
|---|---|---|---|
| DNA test — CLAD (Canine Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency) | DNA test | Laboratory | The result printed on the laboratory certificate. |
| DNA test — rcd1-PRA (Progressive Retinal Atrophy, rod-cone dysplasia 1) | DNA test | Laboratory | The result printed on the laboratory certificate. |
| Hip score (BVA/KC) | Screening scheme | BVA/KC | Total of both hips, 0–106. Lower is better. |
| Elbow grading (BVA/KC) | Screening scheme | BVA/KC | Grade 0–3. The dog is graded on the worse of the two elbows. |
| Eye testing (BVA/KC/ISDS) | Screening scheme | BVA/KC/ISDS | Result printed on the eye certificate. |
Breed hip median
Breed median 11 (BVA Hip Dysplasia Scheme breed statistics 2025 — 5 years, 375 dogs scored). Lower is better. Source · How hip scores work
At stud now
Irish Setter stud dogs
No Irish Setter studs are listed right now
When an Irish Setter on the Royal Kennel Club Breed Register is listed at stud, it will appear here.
Also available
Irish Setter litters
No Irish Setter litters are listed right now
Litters appear here as breeders list them. Check back soon, or browse other breeds.
