| History:
The Irish Setter was brought to the United States in the early 1800s. It commanded great respect in the field and was one of the most commonly used dog among the professional meat hunter fraternity.
In 1874, the American Field put together the Field Dog Stud Book and registry of dogs in the United States was born. At that time, dogs could be registered even when bred from sires and dams of different breeds. At about this time, the Llewellin Setter was bred using blood lines from the Lavarack breeding of English Setter and, among other breeds, bloodlines
from native Irish Setters. Around the same time, the red Irish Setter became a favorite in the dog show ring.
The Irish Setter of the late
1800s was not just a red dog. The AKC registered Irish Setters
in a myriad of colors. Frank Forester, a 19th-century sports
writer, described the Irish Setter as follows: "The
points of the Irish Setter are more bony, angular, and wiry
frame, a longer head, a less silky and straigher coat that
those of the English. His color ought to be a deep orange-red
and white, a common mark is a stripe of white between the eyes
and a white ring around the neck, white stockings, and a white
tage to the tail."
The Setter that was completely
red, however, was preferred in the show ring and that is the
direction that the breed took. Between 1874 and 1948, the
breed produced 760 conformation champions, but only five field
champions.
In the 1940s, Field and Stream magazine put into writing what was already a well-known fact. The Irish Setter was disappearing from the field and an outcross would be necessary to resurrect the breed as a working dog. Sports Afield chimed in with a similar call for an outcross. Ned LaGrange of Pennsylvania spent a small fortune purchasing examples of the last of the working Irish Setters in America and importing dogs from overseas. With the blessing of the Field Dog Stud Book, he began an outcross to red and white field champion English Setters. The National Red Setter Field Trial Club was created to test the dogs and to encourage breeding toward a dog that would successfully compete with the white setters. Thus the modern Red Setter was born and the controversy begun.
Prior to 1975 a relationship
existed between the AKC and the Field Dog Stud book in which
registration with one body qualified a dog for registration
with the other. In 1975 the Irish Setter Club of America
petitioned the AKC to deny reciprocal registration, and the
AKC granted the request. It is claimed, by critics of the
move, that the pressure was placed on the AKC by bench show
enthusiasts who were unappreciative of the outcrossing efforts
of the National Red Setter Field Trial Club, as well as some
AKC field trialers following a series of losses to FDSB red
setters.
Appearance: The modern
Red Setter is smaller than his bench-bred cousin. While show
dogs often reach 70 lb, the working Red Setter is generally
around 45 lb. The coat is less silky and the feathering is
generally shorter. The color is lighter, with the working dog
found in russet and fawn colors. The Red Setter often has
patches of white on his face and chest as the Irish Setter of
old did.
Temperament: The Red Setter is a happy, biddable dog. He is readily trainable and reportedly learns quickly. Most Red Setters do not retrieve as readily as many of the versatile breeds do but can be taught to retrieve to hand. The Red Setter makes a loving house companion and is reportedly good with children.
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It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Red Setter". |
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