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LargeSporting Group

Irish Setter

The Irish Setter was refined from older Irish spaniel and English setter crosses in 18th-19th-century Ireland.

Calculate Irish Setter age
Lifespan12.9 yrrange 12–14
SizeLargeSporting Group
Weight60–70 lb27.2–31.8 kg
Senior at6 yrgeriatric at 10

Gallery (3)

About

About the Irish Setter

The Irish Setter was refined from older Irish spaniel and English setter crosses in 18th-19th-century Ireland. The rich mahogany coat is the result of deliberate late-1800s line-breeding for color uniformity.

Aging

How Irish Setters age

RVC VetCompass gives a median lifespan of 12.9 years (n=2,034). Hypothyroidism is disproportionately common at 8.7% on OFA screens; the breed also carries a canine leukocyte adhesion deficiency (CLAD) risk allele managed by breed-club testing.

Lifespan deep-diveAvg 12.9 yr · range 12–14Senior careSenior at 6 · geriatric at 10Common health issues6 tracked conditions
Physical

Physical characteristics

Weight
60–70 lb(27.2–31.8 kg)
Height
25–27 in(63.5–68.6 cm)
Coat type
Long
Colors
ChestnutMahoganyRed
Temperament

Temperament

How Irish Setters tend to show up around their people, other dogs, and the world.

outgoingsweet-temperedactivesociable
  • Energy
  • Trainability
  • Good with kids
  • Good with other dogs
  • Shedding
Health

Common health issues

Full health profile
  • Moderatetypical onset ~5 yr

    Hypothyroidism

    Description and veterinary guidance for Hypothyroidism land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

  • Low prevalencetypical onset ~2 yr

    Elbow Dysplasia

    Description and veterinary guidance for Elbow Dysplasia land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

  • Low prevalencetypical onset ~6 yr

    Progressive Retinal Atrophy

    Description and veterinary guidance for Progressive Retinal Atrophy land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

Exercise
90min
per day

Irish Setters are high-output dogs — plan for 90 minutes of daily activity across a mix of walks, off-leash play, and purposeful work.

Related

Related breeds

Breeds with a similar size and group profile, for readers comparing options.

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References

Sources

Lifespan and health figures on this page are drawn from the peer-reviewed and organizational sources below.

  1. AKC breed standardAmerican Kennel Club breed page

    Breed size, weight range, height, AKC group, origin, coat type, and temperament baseline.

  2. RVC VetCompassRoyal Veterinary College VetCompass life-table research (McMillan et al. 2024)

    UK primary-care records; source for the median-lifespan and mortality figures.