Irish Red Setters - Getting one......AAAHHH

**applesmom** · 01-12-2007, 02:35 PM

Originally Posted by jackmilliesmom

All more than damning in the reports I am seriously taking a dislike to this breed and definitely think my terriers are better....

They can be wonderful dogs if the owner has the time and the knowledge to invest in them.

That's why I seldom recommend my breed of choice, the German Shorthaired Pointer, another of the pointing breeds as a pet.

They're among the most versatile of all breeds. If raised properly, few other breeds can compare to them when it comes to trainability, eagerness to please and loyalty. However if not taught acceptable behavior early on and left to their own devices for any length of time they can quickly become a pet owners nightmare.

**Glacier** · 01-12-2007, 03:41 PM

Originally Posted by applesmom

That's why I seldom recommend my breed of choice, the German Shorthaired Pointer, another of the pointing breeds as a pet.

They're among the most versatile of all breeds. If raised properly, few other breeds can compare to them when it comes to trainability, eagerness to please and loyalty.

GSPs are extremely popular with mushers, because of their endurance, energy and trainability. Most distance racing teams and a whole lot of sprint racing teams have either purebred pointers or high percentage mixes. I had a 3/4 GSP-1/4 husky puppy show up at my place a couple years ago. I don't do puppies as a rule, but I would have kept him. His musher reclaimed him, but I have dibs on him if he ever gets rehomed.

I grew up with an Irish Setter. She was my best friend for 14 years. Sweet, gentle, loving..a wonderful dog, but seriously, so stupid it was a miracle she remembered to breath on her own!

**applesmom** · 01-12-2007, 04:12 PM

Originally Posted by Glacier

GSPs are extremely popular with mushers, because of their endurance, energy and trainability. Most distance racing teams and a whole lot of sprint racing teams have either purebred pointers or high percentage mixes. I had a 3/4 GSP-1/4 husky puppy show up at my place a couple years ago. I don't do puppies as a rule, but I would have kept him. His musher reclaimed him, but I have dibs on him if he ever gets rehomed.

I grew up with an Irish Setter. She was my best friend for 14 years. Sweet, gentle, loving..a wonderful dog, but seriously, so stupid it was a miracle she remembered to breath on her own!

They do love to pull! These three GSP's pictured while skiijoring are part of a team in Washington.
(They're not my dogs--I live in the desert

)

Yep for the most part the brains have been bred out of the Irish setters! We very seldom saw one out in the field.

**katrina** · 01-13-2007, 09:43 AM

was the katrina me??

lolz

**mike001** · 01-13-2007, 10:16 AM

Hmmm.....Irish Setter.....be prepared for a real challenge and an upside down non peaceful home. There is no way to quiet them down, they seem to need exercise constantly. And you will need mega tons of patience to train it, I sometimes wonder if they overbred them to the point of a no brainer. Very exuberant dog is putting it mildly. Training is hard as they don't seem to be able to concentrate on a command. Our friends have one and I would never own one myself.On the plus side, they are very pretty.

**wolfsoul** · 01-13-2007, 10:47 AM

My mom used to clean houses, and one of her regulars had an Irish setter, Hunter. Hunter wasn't there very often, she was always out hunting with the owner -- but when she was there, my mom said she was an absolute crazy hyper thing. Just had no impulse control. She was easy for me to groom when she got older -- she was calm in the tub and stood well on the table. She was a senior at that point, however. She passed away late last year -- had a seizure in the orchard and the coyotes dragged her away.