Hello to all members

Since I was last on the forum me and my daughter's have been to a few local dog shows and we became interested in another breed and are always drawn to them when at the shows, the Irish red and white setter, everything we have learned they seem wonderful dogs and a match for us.

We have learned they are friendly with everyone yet somewhat aloof at the same time, lovley and energetic but not as hyper as some spaniel's or other gundogs and generally are not described as a hyper breed , they are quite , calm in the house , are a very healthy breed and don't suffer with many conditions compared to other breeds, average in training and are great family dogs and will be happy with the 2hrs of exercise a day we can provide. They are happy confident breed who are very affectionate.

Since me and my eldest are very active an active dog is what we're looking for. But not one that's intense or hyper. And the Irish red and white seems to fit the bill. We have not forgotten about the Golden it's just we all prefer the IRAWS compared to a golden.

I just wanted to see if what we were told rings true and experiences of the breed by other members ( I'm only interested in hearing about the Irish red and white setter as I'm not interested in the other setters)

Lovely dogs, and I would tend to agree.

They are the predecessor of the Irish (all Red setter) whose type has developed a much racier outline, and they are more hyper than the Red and whites I have met.  The Red and Whites are more sturdy in build overall.

When we first moved here many years ago now there used to be a breeder of these dogs in a nearby village. I occasionally saw her walking them and, having owned an Irish red setter, thought the red and whites looked lovely. She often took her dogs to crufts and did well by all accounts (local newspaper reports). Either she has now moved or no longer has them.

I take it you have looked at this website, it seems up to date. There is a show in the autumn you could always go to and have a chat with owners, but the best bet is to contact the secretary and ask for advice, I expect they will be happy to talk to you. There are not that many litters a year so an interested person would be welcome I would have thought

https://www.irishredandwhitesetterclub.com

Jeangenie has the breed, hopefully she will see this.

Hi JaniceB, the best place to meet breeders and owners is at a Championship Show. The breed is numerically small and there will be very few at small shows. The summer Championship Show season is in full swing at the moment, so if you let us know which area you are in, we'll be able to suggest a show you might like to attend.

Dawn-R

I'm in Staffordshire , anywhere in Staffordshire or Cheshire would be great.

Can anyone tell me why there not as popular as the Irish setter as I was looking at the  KC registration numbers and the Irish has anywhere from 700 regesrations to 1000 were the Irish red and white setter Chas only under 200?

Why are they not more popular they are just as beautiful as Irish setters?

Well your nearest show will be Midland Counties, held at Staffordshire County Showground. A little while away though on October 25th. If you didn't mind a little travelling, Blackpool Championship Show is the weekend after next. Gundogs on the Saturday June 23rd. That one is held at Redwood Park, Pinfold Lane, Inskip near Preston Lancs.

As for popularity.....who knows the reason why. Beauty being in the eye of the beholder, my bias is towards my stunning Irish Red boys. Lol
Dawn-R.

It's a mystery to me, I think they are stunning and would definitely be tempted if I wanted a bigger breed. But then with my particolour Cavaliers I am drawn to the flashier colours of the R/W as opposed to the Red, though I think both are gorgeous.

I am on my third IRWS, all male.  They are the most amazing dogs but I have always had setters.  You say you have researched the breed and talk about temperament, you make no mention of what the breed was bred to do and it is important you know.  All mine have been hunters through and through, and you cant stop a hunting dog hunting you have to train in the obedience.
IRWS will not potter about a few feet in front of you when out on a walk, they have two paces stop and full throttle,  gallop.  They will range 100s of metres in front of you looking for game even it there is none there, they will still hunt like there is.  To me it is the finest site in the dog world, nothing quite like a free running setter. 
If you want to see what your IRWS will do, have a look on youtube for setter and pointer field  trials and you will see what this breed does.
Also of course you could buy a flex-lead walk the dog round on pavements and never let it off, a Red setter near me has spent its life like that and I have never felt so sorry for a dog.

Temperament

first was a good working dog going on many partridge and grouse counts
The second had hip dysplasia
The third that I have now. does not like any other male dog and he is not friendly with strangers at all.  I have had many dogs in my life and this one is the one I would want to take on a desert island with me. He catches my food for me and protects me from all comers, he is my dog of a lifetime but he is NOT easy to manage. A good allround working dog as the Irish Farmers wanted centuries ago.
I have also had working English setters and show English setters.  The easiest to manage was the stunning show English, however, I have to say one of those became a successful wildfowlers dog

20162018- from your reply it sounds like there like spaniels intended and always on the go, when you said they only have tow paces stop or full throttle.

And with my neighbor having both cars and rabbits I'm not sure a setter is for us now.

That's such a shame, wondering if even a golden is right either now? Not sure what to do? Any ideas anyone, please?

Not being rude but what does with my neighbor having both cars and rabbits have to do with what breed you get if your garden has adequate fencing - which you need for any breed

That's supposed to say cats not cars my tablet auto corrected.

The reason I was concerned is because her cats are always in my garden and no matter how many times I tell her she doesn't listen and there's nothing I can do , and what I don't want is for her to go to war with me if my dog killed one of her cats , and her rabbits are allowed to roam free in her garden and even if though I have good fencing , I know dogs have a good sense of smell and was worried with Irish red and white setters having a strong hunting instinct was worried they might try to jump the fence to get to the rabbits or chase the cats and God forbid if one was caught. There's one cat who never leaves my garden in the daytime and only goes back in the evening and even when friends bring there dogs ( a shihTzu and a showline  Golden retriever) and the cat stays were he is even when the dogs are in my garden he won't even move if I'm trying to do my gardning and  both dogs ignore the cat but the golden gets a little excited if the rabbits are out.

Sorry if I cause offence with this, but choosing a breed of dog on the basis of your neighbour's inability to contain her own pets on her own property, sounds bonkers really.

Like the other thread going on here somewhere, where someone's perfect dog was a golden retriever but their previous golden had run up to other people so they wanted to choose one which didn't do this...

These are not valid reasons for choosing dog breeds, folks... I'm not sure what the world's coming to.

If people are so unsure of what breed they want that they vacillate so much across different groups and functions and types of dog, I can't help but think they should just go down to their local rescue shelter and meet some dogs in person and take one home with them - they are just as likely to be happy with that dog, as happy with one chosen with these bizarre reasons in mind and at least they will be saving a dog in the process...

Pedigree dogs are great for people who are deeply committed to a breed, really want to further the breed, need a specific breed for its function or performance etc etc - but if people are so unsure what breed they want, why get a specific breed at all?  Go pick an individual dog you click with and save them from a shelter...

I don't take offence, and I wouldn't need to think of her if she was not crazy but she heard me talking to another neighbor about me getting a dog and being in the process of choosing and she came out and said if you do get one make sure it's not going to want to chase my cats or rabbit , I thought nothing of it at first and just said that it's not up to her what I get and that if a cat did get injured it would be on my land so she has no legal ground but she said well if it happens then I'll just do what I did to the last neighbors dog, then she just walked back in and I asked the other neighbor what she meant and she said the people who lived here before you had a dog and it looked one of her cats but the police and RSPCA did nothing and told her it's on the dogs proberty and if she's so worried about her cats don't let them roam free so because nothing happened she poisoned there dog and that's why they moved, so basically she threatening to kill my future dog if it harms one of her cats.

Can you put something on the top of the fence to stop the cats from getting in and reinforcing the fence your side so a dog cant get through. You can get cat fencing to stop them from getting in or other things which would prevent them from jumping up on top of the fence.

I have a R&W and she's been a complete delight. She's the happiest dog in the world, loves people and other dogs, but isn't all over them like a rash - she says hello then goes off again. Because they're still very close to their working roots they're very bird fixated, and range far and wide covering a field looking for scent. If you want a dog to stay close to you on walks, this isn't the right breed! They're generally a healthy breed - some of the serious life-threatening diseases have been eradicated in the UK population.

The downside to getting one is that there are so few of them. There were only 73 registered last year, so the availability of puppies is very limited. This doesn't mean they're massively expensive though - the sort of price they're sold for is between £750 and £900 depending on breeding. Every so often one comes up for rescue, so that might be something to consider. If we weree younger we'd certainly want at least one more!

I currently have 6 gundogs. I also have free range chickens, sheep, a cat and a rabbit and guinea pig. The gundogs are all hunters through and through but know not to even look at any of my stock. Training.

If you do not need a specific breed for a purpose, could you not look at a rescue which would suit your requirements?

I have three Gordon Setters - my neighbour got a kitten and aside from a couple of moments when I had heart failure it coming in the garden it soon learnt not to come in.

If you have a secure garden then they aren't going to deliberately hunt your neighbours pets.

If the cat is there from when you get a puppy I can't see it being an issue.

Setters do have instincts but they are biddable dogs and in my experience fairly easy to train (except the English they are stubborn as anything haha)

I haven't owned an IRWS but do believe they are great dogs.

Go meet some more owners and dogs - get more hands on experience and advice.

I love setters and wouldn't swap them for the world!

Editted to add my Gordons - they love to run yes and I love to watch them run but they come back and none have mine have roamed / vanished (touches wood) - the English was a nightmare - so best thing to do is talk to some more owners / breeders about the breed.  They also have an off switch and settle on an evening to chill out.

Not all of the setters are just hunters - with the right breeding and training most will recall and not try and chase everything.

I think I'd be looking at moving house before I got any dog if I lived next to a nutter like that Janice!!! At the very least I would (a) make sure the fence is incredibly secure so the dog can't get onto her land, and (b) install CCTV and make damn sure she knows you have it and that you will prosecute if you catch her doing anything to harm your dog!!

You've heard the one about the English, the Irish and the Scottish.(Gordon)... sadly no IRWS
Decades ago I regularly met the first 3 together - usually a good 10 minutes before their owners who'd be up the hill/several fields away. I think that's what people have said about them ranging in front. Lovely dogs, though I preferred the Scot /Gordon as he was more substantial in body and character.