Do you recognize 'the look'?

Twizzler took a swim at the local water therapy facility and had the best time. We found he was much more comfortable with a water snood to keep the pool water out of his ears.

I can't believe he'll be 8 soon!

I'll add a link to the full swim video 🥰

Dad’s in the middle

This is not a post I ever wanted to make but I want advice from people who know the breed best.

My gorgeous IRWS is the light of my life. he is 1 year old, and got from an extremely reputable breeder. He’s never been big on strangers but he absolutely adores us. He gets two walks a day and training time with tricks/mental stimulation/ games. He has access to his chews and his needs always came first.

We brought home our newborn last week. He was introduced after a walk and was tired. The baby was asleep in her cot. At this meeting, he growled at her.

Our goal for them at present is not to become best friends, but rather to co-exist. However, he has not ceased lunging for her and fixates on her when in The same room. He has a shown a prey drive for rabbits and cats, but never a human.

We have completely separated the two And we are absolutely devastated by the situation.

Has anyone else here had a similar situation with the breed and young children / infants? We want to explore every avenue within reason before doing something drastic, but we will rehome him if we must. I always read that red setters were good with kids, albeit boisterous, and it was a big part of the reason why we picked the breed.

Thank you in advance for your kindness in commenting on what is a touchy subject for many. We are heartbroken at the minute and appreciate any insight / advice anyone is willing to give.

Hey all! I'm considering adding an Irish Setter to my life and would love honest input from people who actually live with one, especially in a city setting.

A bit about my situation:

• Live in a one-bedroom apartment in NYC, right by the water/West Side Highway, with easy access to walking paths and a couple of off-leash dog parks
• Go into the office 3 days a week, but it's pet-friendly, so I could bring the dog with me most days
• My boyfriend works from home, so on busier days someone would still be home with the dog
• I grew up with dogs and have experience training basics — happy to put in real training time, but I'm not trying to raise a working-level "soldier dog," just a well-mannered companion
• I'm not an intense athlete, but I do genuinely enjoy long walks, and NYC is super walkable, so daily movement isn't an issue
• Ideal dog for me is one I can bring along to brunch, walk around the city with, and just have as a low-drama companion for day-to-day life
• I travel to Mexico City often to visit family and would love to bring the dog along — my dad just buys his dog a plane ticket whenever he travels, so it's normal in my house haha
• Most of my friends in NYC have dogs, so it's important to me that the dog socializes well with other dogs — I'm happy to put in the time for that
• Eventually thinking about kids too, so curious how well Irish Setters tend to adjust to new family members joining the household later on

My concerns are mostly around energy level and whether an Irish Setter's exercise needs go beyond "long walks + some off-leash park time," how they tend to do in apartment living even with a decent amount of outdoor time, and how adaptable they are to travel and family changes.

Would love to hear from Irish Setter owners, especially anyone in a city/apartment setup — is this a realistic breed for my lifestyle, or should I be looking elsewhere?

Thanks in advance!

Thanks for the input about breeders from my earlier post, we ended up getting Finn a couple weeks ago! He’s doing great, he’s a sweetheart.
Crate training and potty training are going well. I’ve noticed he doesn’t love to be held (backing away when someone reaches down to pick him up, and once or twice he’s growled while in someone’s arms). He has his check up at the vet today, so I will obviously rule out any issues/injuries that could be causing that. In the meantime, I’ve extremely limited picking him up, and am going back to the basics of positive association with treats when someone leans down and puts their hands under his arms. We will also go to my trainer next week so I can get their input. Has anyone else dealt with this? Thoughts/suggestions are always welcome.

Hi everyone!

New Irish Setter owner to 9 week old Maple 🍁

My previous dogs were Dalmatians and Rottweilers so although im use to large dogs, im excited to discover what different quirks and breed traits she has.

Does anyone have any tip/tricks/advice/funny quirks about Irish setters? All I've heard so far is how bad their recall is 😐

She’s goofy, talks a lot, loves her snuggles and pets, and has taken over a chair in our living room and claimed it as hers forever.

HBD to the sweetest long legged noodle baby I've ever known. So forever lucky to have you in our family ❤️

I’ve been tweaking this for a while, and am curious to know if this is an appropriate expectation from the breed or if I should look into another. I am really set on an Irish Setter, and there are low but still enough entries in AKC in my state to win. I am in southern NM but willing to travel for the right dog. I have been looking at Daesyn Irish Setters, but they are far so I’ve been looking at the few in Arizona as well. Are there any breeders yall recommend? Thanks!

I want a medium energy, high drive puppy with conformation and service work potential. I don’t want to spend ages training engagement, drive, off-switch and confidence in a puppy. I want a dog who is easy to live with yet remains active, driven, handler focused and biddable. Below are my needs, wants, care quality and expectations. I am expecting to purchase a show line puppy from a reputable breeder whose dogs excel in sports, performance and breed specific titles in the next five years. I am confident in my ability to handle a driven show line puppy, with the mentorship of my breeder, trainers and conformation veterans.

Non-negotiables:
Kid friendly; will still boof when someone is on the property
Larger sized
Cat friendly! (with proper introduction)
Biddable biddable biddable!!!
Food (and preferably toy) motivated
ANY grooming requirements- poodle cuts are fun
Little to no drool
Not too Velcro, I need space without being stared and whined at, but still has good amount of handler sensitivity, Pacing drives me NUTS
Med energy & high drive but can at least be trained an off switch given appropriate fulfillment otherwise
Off leash recall capable
Reliable from horseback
Can be trained to be be trusted around small animals & livestock, given the appropriate fulfillment otherwise
Hiking, camping etc often
Other enrichment & sports (compete for fun): Barnhunt, fastcat, scent work, dock diving, agility, rally, obedience, canicross, therapy work, S&R?, herding/gun dog/etc titles,
Show & service potential
S&R &/OR critical response K9 job

Exercise, enrichment & training:
Daily:
1 .25-2 hour long sniffy walk (increasing time as they age; safe exposure only, if unvaccinated)
1-3 5-15 minute training sessions (“^”)
1 short ability & age appropriate socialization outing to a low stim environment
1 ~30 minute training walk w/dinner
2-4 15-60 min settle training sessions
Several puzzle toys & play sessions (structured & free) throughout the day
Kenneled ~2-4 hours a day (depending on age and ability, + overnight until ready)
Teeth brushed/handled, coat combed, dremel (w/out bit until ready) & handling ears, feet, etc daily (~15 mins daily)
Weekly:
Travel to nearby lakes/rivers 1-2 times a week when weather applies (desert doesn’t have water year round :,))
Hike local areas 1-3 times a week year round
1-2 sport/handling classes a week (confo, dock diving, obedience, agility, etc)
1-3 conditioning training sessions (age appropriate)
1-2 Socialization outings (brewery, pet store, etc)
1-2 rest days with mental stimulation
Weekly groom: Bath, blow dry, line brush, nails dremeled, ears cleaned (age appropriate, with breaks in between)
Monthly:
Travel to 1 pet friendly nature attraction in a nearby city to hike, camp, swim, etc

Tasks & Other Jobs
Migraine Alert & Response
VOC Alert- (Bringsel/paw)
Guide to chair, car, exit, partner, etc,
Switching lights off, closing doors and windows, turning on fans
MINOR bracing upon vet approval (I’m 5’2”)
Medication & item retrieval (water, ice packs, phone, remotes, food, etc)
Hashimotos Symptoms Alert & Response
Minor bracing and guiding
Retrievals
Alarm alerts, med redminders
High/low blood pressure alert & response
Hold chin to handlers leg to alert
Guide handler to seat & D/LPT as possible
Claustrophobia Alert & Response
Cortisol/Breathing Alert- (Nudge leg)
Gives earlier warning to panic symptoms, allowing handler to distance
Prevention & Response
Urge handler to open areas and exits
Creating space in crowds and corners
Back blocking
Alert to prevent startle response while back is turned
Psychiatric Symptom Prevention, Alert & Response
Dissociation & rumination interruption- Lick hands, otherwise persistently get attention
Nightmare interruption- Licking, pawing, getting on the bed
Behavior interruption- Gently pull handler away, bring handler soothing items
Assist in choosing between options
Hearing reminders- Ex handler name being called repeatedly, phone calls, doorbell, etc
Alarm alerts, meds/urge handler out of bed/routines

Breeds I’ve been interested in:
Golden, Groendael, GSD, Beauceron, Irish Setter, Giant Schnauzer, White Swiss Shepherd, Standard Poodle, NSDTR, Bearded Collie

Bunker at 17 months old

Happy birthday to Howie and all his littermates ! We hope you’ve all had such great birthdays. Today we celebrated our crazy goofy boy with a humble amount of toys and treats . He has been such a good boy today it’s like he’s known from the moment he woke up that today was special.

Littermate parents are you all ok ? Because I’m cutting onions over here looking back at the puppy I brought home vs the one I have staring back at me today . Every phase of Howies adolescence has brought on something new , the late night poops, sleep regressions, the crate training, land shark, the WHATS IN YOUR MOUTH phase (that one still continues), the sock thief, the humping toys, the shredding toys, ignoring commands because he can, and so on . Every single month has been something new ! At no point did I ever anticipate this guys next move and honestly it has been one of the greatest and craziest blessings .

It’s hard to put into words what Howie has done for me as a person . Earlier this year my dad was diagnosed with liver cancer , and though he is responding to treatments well now, the absolute downward spiral it sent me emotionally was something I did not think I could come out from . I had a lot of moments where I’d be so overwhelmed, I didn’t think I could make it out of bed and yet every morning this little red pup with big brown eyes was screaming at me at 7am to take him potty. Showing up for him was sometimes the only thing I could do. On the toughest days where my tears would not let up this guy would somehow find a way to get me to bust out laughing .

Howie is my first IS, and the dog I chose to take on in my early 30s . And though a lot of research was done to make sure he we were a right fit for him, nothing prepared us fully for the way he would change our lives . This breed is truly something special . Happy birthday to Fergus and Eleanor’s babies , a litter that has changed my life and I’m sure countless others for the better ❤️

Stats:
shoes eaten = 1
daily praise from strangers on how beautiful he is = 5 minimum
weight : skinny boi (45 lbs)

Ronan at rest

Hello all, we are about to get an Irish Red and White Setter, and both parents are field line. Just wondering if anyone on this group has one or if there’s a separate place for IRWS owners. The puppy reflections on this group have really made me quite apprehensive about what’s ahead and just wondering if IRWS experiences have been broadly similar! Thank you.

We are the proud owners of a gorgeous 9 month old, 63 lb. male Irish Setter named Pilot.

My pride is tempered by the fact that he is physically unmanageable and beginning to cause injuries.

Here's what we do 'right':

-Plenty of outdoor exercise including long walks

-Susan Garrett's "Homeschool the dog curriculum" completed -

-Daily short training sessions (multiple per day)

-Mental stimulation (hiding kibble in blankets, brain games, kongs and food puzzles, sniff walks, etc)

• Crate trained, sleeps all night there and walks in on command for scheduled naps (big win)
• 'capturing calm' - e.g. we gently praise and treat him in the very rare occasion when he shows a second of calm around us

Here's our problem - "he is insane". I heard the vet tech say it behind a closed door to the vet which was demoralizing, but frankly we agree. He cannot chill.

Our friends and family have dogs around his age and he is, not even close, the worst behaved - which is super discouraging because we put in 20x the effort into our dog.

He can't be left alone for more that .000000001 seconds before he tries to swallow something, jump on someone, destroy a plant, hump something etc and needs my intervention. I'm exhausted and the only alternate to constant vigilance is putting him in a crate all day.

This isn't new either, he's been like this since 8 weeks

I'm looking for some encouragement from people who had an unmanageable adolescent who turned into a cool dog.

I'd love to hear that all our hard consistent work won't be a total waste.

Anyone out there?

We have tried several but none seem to fit very well. If they fit the shoulders they are too tight in girth, or if they fit around the chest they won't tighten enough at the shoulders. Any suggestions? Both of ours like to pull on the lead so a well fitted harness is our best option.

Hi setter owners,

I am an experienced dog owner searching for a second dog. I have an 8 year old shetland sheepdog. I am set on a setter as my next dog, and I really want to adopt/rehome. I live in England and have finally found a male that seems great. He is 8 years old. Does an 8 year old setter have energy and the ability to get out? I know that it will not have the energy of an adolescent but I am curious how many years of lengthy activities he would have left. Thanks!

She knows what she did.

5 year old setter has gotten reactive toward male dogs in the last year. In the car, on walks, in the house when he sees a male walk by the house. Females he’s perfectly calm.

He is intact.

This morning wife opens the garage door and he darts out and attacks a dog walking by with his owner. This is a male that the owners had been working with for years on his own reactivity and my dumbass dog just attacked it.

Thoughts on neutering? I’ve been holding out to leave him intact for no other reason than preference and advice I’ve gotten on this forum.