| Irish (Red) Setter
 Tell
most hunters that you hunt with an Irish Setter and you're likely to
get a few chuckles. Tell them you hunt with a Red Setter, and you'll
likely get a few questions. Many of the sporting breeds have
undergone a split into show and field lines, and it would be fair to
say that the Irish Setter as a field dog was destroyed by this split
and resurrected as the Red Setter in the field and Irish Setter on
the bench. Quite possibly one of
the most beautiful of the sporting dogs, the Irish Setter is known
for its flowing, beautiful red coat. Couple this with its
fun-loving, playful and affectionate personality, and it is no
surprise that this breed enjoyed huge popularity in this country.
Aroudn the turn of the century, the Irish became very popular in the
show ring, and as is too often the case, became less and less
successful in the field. A small group of loyalists continued to
pursue the Irish as a field dog and continued registration in the
Field Dog Stud Book. It wasn't long before these FDSB dogs began to
dominate AKC-affiliated Irish Setter Trials, which led the
predominately-show oriented AKC owners to ban the FDSB dogs from
being recognized in Irish Setter Trials. Thus an arrangement for
reciprocal registration was ended and three groups were formed: FDSB-registered
dogs, AKC-registered dogs and those still registered by both. Though
they are still Irish Setters, the FDSB dogs are often referred to as
Red Setters to set them apart from their AKC counterparts. There are
still those within the AKC ranks that campaign their setters as dual
dogs, but to get a hunting Irish Setter, your best bet would be to
go with the FDSB-registered dogs. Numerous attempts have been made
to reconcile the differences between the two groups, and to date,
the split remains.
Clubs and Organizations
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