by Rena Sherwood

Created on: April 22, 2009

The Irish Red and White Setter is the original Irish Setter. But, over time, the all-red form became to be more popular and so the red and white coat coloration was bred out. However, the Irish setter has undergone a lot of transformation since it first began to be developed in the 1700's so much so that the Irish Red and White Setter is now considered a separate breed.

It is an incredibly rare breed, even in its native Ireland. It's very rare to see them anywhere outside of the UK, but they do have clubs in a few countries, including the United States. By World War II, there weren't many Irish Red and Whites and there were thought to be only a handful after the war.

Comparison to the Irish Setter

There are two types of Irish setters the Irish and the American. The American is very long-legged and tends to have a sloping spine and a high-domed head. But the Irish type is shorter-legged, more rugged and has a more level spine. They usually area couple of inches shorter and a few pounds lighter than the all red Irish. The Irish Red and White is sometimes confused for a strangely-colored Brittany Spaniel, but it is a red and white, slightly smaller version of the Irish red. They also are not prone to the rounded top of the skull that many Irish Setters have.

Some people insist that Irish Red and White Setters are far more sensible and trainable than the all-red kind (especially in comparison to the American type), but there are an equal amount of setter enthusiast who insist that the opposite is true. Either way, Irish Red and White setters are friendly, intelligent dogs with lots of energy and who want to please.

While the coat color is remarkably different from the Irish Setter, the coat length is also a bit shorter, particularly the tail. So, although the dog has long hair, the Irish Red and White Setter is not considered a difficult dog to groom and does not shed as much as a short-haired dog like a hound.

Health Problems

Irish Red and White Setters are prone to some health problems, especially as there is such a limited gene pool to work with. According to the Irish Red and White Setters Association of America, they are prone to some conditions common to many purebred dogs, such as:

cataracts
hip dysplasia
Von Willebrnd's disease (which affects the blood)
thyroid disease
canine leukocyte adhesion deficiency

Although Irish Red and White Setters are relatively large dogs, they are not as prone to bloat as their all-red relatives. With a bit of luck and a lot of commonsense care, an Irish red and White Setter can live to be an average of twelve years old.

Learn more about this author, Rena Sherwood.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.