Irish Setter

Pointing dogs

Large

Median 12.9 y

FCI group 7 · Pointing Dogs · Derived from the adult weight midpoint (29.5 kg)

Median survival across 2,034 UK dogs (VetCompass, McMillan 2024) · half live 10–15 y

The Irish Setter is a setter, a breed of gundog, and family dog originating in Ireland. The term Irish Setter is commonly used to encompass the show-bred dog recognised by the American Kennel Club as well as the field-bred Red Setter recognised by the Field Dog Stud Book. The breed is known for having a friendly and gentle temperament.

Outgoing

Sweet

Active

Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA) · reference ranges from the Kintail breed dataset

Adult weight

Reference

Male

28.6–34.9 kg

Female

24.5–29.9 kg

Estimated — ±10% around the AKC/ISCA standard's show weights of about 70 lb for dogs and 60 lb for bitches

Weight for age

Stock data

Male

Female

Expected range

Expected range from the breed's own adult weight, kilograms. Growth reference: Salt et al. 2017, WALTHAM (15–30 kg band).

Heat cycles · females

Stock data

First heat

8–12 mo

typical

Interval

180 d

typical

Bleeding

~9 d

typical

Proestrus 9d

Estrus 9d

Diestrus 52d

Anestrus 110d

General figures for dogs, not for this breed — individual cycles vary widely.

Questions people ask

Adult males usually weigh 28.6–34.9 kg and females 24.5–29.9 kg. Most are close to their full size by around 15 months, though the last little bit of filling out takes longer. Growth reference: Salt et al. 2017, WALTHAM (15–30 kg band).

No Irish Setter cycle figures are published here yet, so this is general guidance rather than a breed number: most females have a first season somewhere between six and fifteen months, and cycles then settle to roughly every 180 days. Smaller breeds tend to start earlier and larger ones later.

The median is 12.9 y. Median survival across 2,034 UK dogs (VetCompass, McMillan 2024) · half live 10–15 y. How the later years go comes down to weight, teeth, exercise and regular check-ups far more than to the breed.