Breed # Irish Setter The Irish Setter is a sporting breed from Ireland, standing males 26–28 in · females 24–26 in at the withers, weighing males 65–75 lb · females 55–65 lb. Recorded lifespan is 12–15 yrs. ![A photograph of the Irish Setter](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/lg/irish-setter.webp) Breed group Sporting Origin Ireland Height males 26–28 in · females 24–26 in Weight males 65–75 lb · females 55–65 lb Lifespan 12–15 yrs Among the 500 breeds here with recorded measurements, the Irish Setter is taller than 88% of the measured breeds, heavier than 74%, one of 32 in the Sporting group, one of 9 from Ireland. Compare the Irish Setter with another breed ## Living with the Irish Setter Two breed references score every breed they cover from 1 to 5 on the things an owner lives with day to day. These are the Irish Setter’s, with what a 1 and a 5 mean on each row. Around people and other dogs Affection with family 5 of 5 1 independent · 5 devoted Good with young children 5 of 5 1 not suited · 5 very good Good with other dogs 5 of 5 1 not suited · 5 very good Openness to strangers 5 of 5 1 reserved · 5 everyone is a friend Watchdog / protective nature 3 of 5 1 unbothered · 5 vigilant What they will ask of you Energy 5 of 5 1 couch potato · 5 busy all day Exercise needs 5 of 5 1 a short walk · 5 a job to do Playfulness 5 of 5 1 only when invited · 5 non-stop Barking 4 of 5 1 only to alert · 5 very vocal Around the house Shedding 4 of 5 1 barely · 5 constantly Drooling 2 of 5 1 a dry mouth · 5 keep a towel What they tolerate Tolerates being alone 2 of 5 1 poorly · 5 well Tolerates hot weather 3 of 5 1 poorly · 5 well Tolerates cold weather 4 of 5 1 poorly · 5 well Rated 1 to 5 by the American Kennel Club and DogTime, averaged where both rate the same thing, and read from their breed pages in 2022. Nobody at Woof & Beyond has met this breed — these are the publishers’ judgments, not ours.[Irish Setter on AKC](https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/irish-setter/)[Irish Setter on DogTime](https://dogtime.com/dog-breeds/irish-setter) ## Breeds that look like the Irish Setter A neural network trained to tell breeds apart by sight read all 510 photographs in this reference, and these are the 6 it placed closest to the Irish Setter. - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/boykin-spaniel.webp)Boykin Spaniel](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/boykin-spaniel/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/bavarian-mountain-hound.webp)Bavarian Mountain Hound](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/bavarian-mountain-hound/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/pudelpointer.webp)Pudelpointer](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/pudelpointer/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/bakharwal-dog.webp)Bakharwal Dog](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/bakharwal-dog/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/polish-greyhound.webp)Polish Greyhound](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/polish-greyhound/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/greek-harehound.webp)Greek Harehound](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/greek-harehound/) Side by side Height 0–38 in 1. Irish Setter26–28 in 2. Boykin Spaniel15.5–18 in 3. Bavarian Mountain Hound19–20 in 4. Pudelpointer21–26 in 5. Bakharwal Dog24–30 in 6. Polish Greyhound27–31 in 7. Greek Harehound18–22 in Weight 0–220 lb 1. Irish Setter65–75 lb 2. Boykin Spaniel30–40 lb 3. Bavarian Mountain Hound44–55 lb 4. Pudelpointer44–66 lb 5. Bakharwal Dog150–200 lb 6. Polish Greyhound60–70 lb 7. Greek Harehound38–44 lb Lifespan 0–20 yrs 1. Irish Setter12–15 yrs 2. Boykin Spaniel10–15 yrs 3. Bavarian Mountain Hound10–14 yrs 4. Pudelpointer~14 yrs 5. Bakharwal Dog6–12 yrs 6. Polish Greyhoundno recorded figure 7. Greek Harehound~11 yrs Nothing here was grouped by hand. The ranking is an opinion about appearance, not about ancestry, which is why it sometimes puts together breeds no kennel club would — and why it is worth looking at the photographs rather than taking the order on trust. ## Guides that mention the Irish Setter Every guide on this site whose text actually discusses this breed. - [How Many Puppies Do Dogs Have? Answered for All Dog Breeds](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/how-many-puppies-do-dogs-have/) - [Why Get a Dog? Pros and Cons of Having a Dog](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/why-get-a-dog/) See the Irish Setter on the breed map Read about the Irish Setter on Wikipedia