Breed Priorities – The Irish Setter

by Nikki Riggsbee

This discussion is not intended to promote fault or part judging. Nor is it to imply that any characteristic called for in the standard is unimportant. Judging, and breeding, is about prioritizing and about what the judge or breeder must have and what will be forgiven. Discussing priorities can help in learning how to better evaluate a breed. The AKC Standard is printed at the end of this article. Questions, Comments, or Concerns? Contact AKC Judge Ms. Nikki Riggsbee at nriggsbee@aol.com

The Irish Setter is one of four Setters competing in regular AKC conformation competition, along with the English Set- ter, Gordon Setter, and Irish Red and White Setter. With its flowing, silky red coat, the Irish Setter is certainly handsome and eye catching. Its standard says that artists have termed it the most beautiful of all dogs. It further says that it has a rollicking person- ality and that an outgoing, stable temperament is the essence of the breed. It hunts in the field and is a companion at home. How does one prioritize features to serve multiple functions?

We found 44 Irish Setter breeder-judges, more than expected. We reached 39 to invite to take a survey on their breed’s priorities. 31 judges agreed to participate, and 24 of them returned com- pleted surveys.

The participants averaged nearly 43 years in the breed. The breeder-judges have been approved to do so for nearly 19 years on average. Most of the judges have judged their parent club national specialty, and all have judged other Irish Setter specialties.

Irish Setter Virtues

The survey included a list of virtues from the Irish Setter standard for the breeder-judges to prioritize. The list of characteristics is below in sequence by the average of the experts’ ranks, with 1 being the most important.

1. Substantial yet elegant in build
2. Upper arm and shoulder blades approximately same length, elbows in line with top of withers
3. Topline firm, incline slightly downward
4. (tie) Gait big, lively, graceful, efficient
4. (tie) Hindquarters wide, powerful, with broad, well developed thighs
6. Head long lean, length at least double width between ears 7. Tail set on nearly level with croup, natural extension of topline
8. Neck moderately long, strong, slightly arched
9. Slightly longer than tall
10. Rollicking personality
11. Chiseling along muzzle, around/below eyes, along cheeks 12. Males masculine, bitches feminine
13. Rich red in color
14. Feet rather small, very firm, toes arched and close
15. Plenty of bone
16. Straight, fine, glossy coat

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Posted by Alex on Apr 16 2017. Filed under Current Articles, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.