Dog breed guide
Irish Setter
A red gundog with a flat, moderate-length coat and long silky feathering that is brushed two or three times a week and checked daily. Hill's describes it as a friendly family dog that can be too big and rambunctious for small children and needs patient, firm training. The Royal Kennel Club lists more than two hours of exercise a day and a large house and garden.
Irish Setter at a glance
- Adult weight, male
- 27 to 32 kg
- Adult weight, female
- 24 to 29 kg
- Size
- Large, 25 to 40 kg
- Height
- 64 to 69 cm
- Lifespan
- 12 to 14 years
- Coat
- short and fine on head and forelegs, moderate length and flat elsewhere, with long silky feathering
Ratings
Petboost editorial ratings from 1 to 5, drawn from the breed standard text under Sources. A breed with no basis in the sources for a rating shows none.
- Grooming effort
- Energy
- Trainability
- Good with children
- Suits an apartment
5 means it needs the most grooming
5 means it needs a lot of exercise
5 means it learns quickly and eagerly
5 means it suits a family best
5 means it copes best in a small home
Next steps
- Find a local groomer or daycarePet businesses near you that take bookings online.
- Check a Irish Setter puppy's weightWhere a puppy sits against the breed's adult range.
- Dog age in human yearsFrom a formula, not the seven-to-one rule.
Sources
- Petboost breed reference data, adult weight ranges (breed list snapshot).
- AKC, Official Standard for the Irish Setter, https://images.akc.org/pdf/breeds/standards/IrishSetter.pdf, read 5 Oct 2026
- Hill's Pet UK, Irish Setter breed page, https://www.hillspet.co.uk/dog-care/dog-breeds/irish-setter, read 5 Oct 2026
- Royal Kennel Club (The Kennel Club UK), Irish Setter breed page, https://www.royalkennelclub.com/search/breeds-a-to-z/breeds/gundog/irish-setter/, read 5 Oct 2026
General information about the breed, not veterinary advice. Speak with your vet about your own pet.