Editing Irish Setter (section)

==Uses==
[[File:Irishsetteronpoint.JPG|thumb|left|Irish Setter pointing]]

The Irish Setter was bred for hunting, specifically for setting or locating and [[Pointing dog|pointing]] upland [[gamebird]]s. They are a tireless, wide-ranging hunter, and well-suited to fields and wet or dry moorland terrain. Using their excellent sense of smell to locate the mark (or bird), the Irish Setter will then hold a pointing position, indicating the direction in which the bird lies hidden.

The Irish Setter was brought to the United States in the early 19th century.

In 1874, the American Field put together the [[Field Dog Stud Book]] and registry of dogs in the United States was born. This Field Dog Stud Book is the oldest pure-bred registry in the United States. At that time, dogs could be registered even when bred from sires and dams of different breeds. At about this time, the Llewellin Setter was bred using blood lines from the Lavarack breeding of [[English Setter]] and, among other breeds, bloodlines from native Irish Setters. Around the same time, the red Irish Setter became a favourite in the dog show ring.

Not all Irish Setters of the late 19th century were red, the American Kennel Club registered Irish Setters in myriad colours. Frank Forester, a 19th-century sports writer, described the Irish Setter as follows: "The points of the Irish Setter are more bony, angular, and wiry frame, a longer head, a less silky and straighter coat that those of the English. His colour ought to be a deep orange-red and white, a common mark is a stripe of white between the eyes and a white ring around the neck, white stockings, and a white tage to the tail."

The Setter that was completely red, however, was preferred in the show ring and that is the direction that the breed took. Between 1874 and 1948, the breed produced 760 [[conformation show]] champions, but only five field champions.

In the 1940s, ''[[Field and Stream]]'' magazine put into writing what was already a well-known fact. The Irish Setter was disappearing from the field and an [[outcross]] would be necessary to resurrect the breed as a [[working dog]]. ''Sports Afield'' chimed in with a similar call for an outcross. Ned LaGrande of Pennsylvania spent a small fortune purchasing examples of the last of the working Irish Setters in America and importing dogs from overseas. With the blessing of the [[Field Dog Stud Book]], he began an outcross to red and white field champion [[English Setter]]s. The National Red Setter Field Trial Club was created to test the dogs and to encourage breeding toward a dog that would successfully compete with the white setters. Thus the modern Red Setter was born and the controversy begun.

Prior to 1975, a relationship existed between the American Kennel Club and the Field Dog Stud Book in which registration with one body qualified a dog for registration with the other. In 1975 the Irish Setter Club of America petitioned the American Kennel Club to deny reciprocal registration, and the request was granted. It is claimed, by critics of the move, that the pressure was placed on the American Kennel Club by bench show enthusiasts who were unappreciative of the outcrossing efforts of the National Red Setter Field Trial Club, as well as some field trialers from the American Kennel Club after a series of losses to Field Dog Stud book red setters.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.si.com/vault/1978/11/20/823060/irish-with-a-dash-of-limey-the-stylish-red-setter-which-is-fast-gaining-popularity-in-the-field-is-mostly-irish-and-a-small-part-english|title=Irish with a dash of Limey|first=Robert H.|last=Boyle|website=Sports Illustrated (Vault)|date=20 November 1978}}</ref> Working Irish Setter kennels today field champion dogs that claim lines from both the Field Dog Stud Book and the American Kennel Club.

<gallery mode=packed widths="200px" heights="180px" perrow="5" caption="Irish Setter">
File:22082009 HTC Melle.jpg|The Irish Setter was bred for hunting.
File:19032009 Fritz&Enya02.jpg| Irish Setter
Image:Irish setter (dog).jpg|An Irish Setter after swimming
File:Rod setter.jpg|Irish Setter running in the fields 
</gallery>

===Working Red Setter===
The modern Red Setter is smaller than its bench-bred cousin. While show dogs often reach 70&nbsp;lb (32&nbsp;kg), the Working Red Setter is generally around {{convert|45|lb|abbr=on}}. The coat is less silky and the feathering is generally shorter. The colour is lighter, with the working dog found in russet and fawn colours. The Red Setter often has patches of white on its face and chest as the Irish Setter of old did. There have been efforts to rekindle the field abilities of the true type Irish by a handful of dedicated breeders in California and elsewhere with some success.  More than a dozen American Kennel Club Dual Champion Irish Setters have been made, evidence of the dog's native ability when proper traits are selectively sought in breeding.{{citation needed|date=October 2023}}