Sporting · Large (60-70 lbs) · 12-15 years
Irish Setter
Outgoing, sweet-natured, rollicking; playful well into adulthood.
At a glance
What they’re great at
Honest challenges
Bred to work or live beside a human all day - solitude was never in the job description.
What helps: Train it like a skill: the Alone-Time guide builds tolerance in micro-doses from day one. The frozen-KONG-only-when-you-leave ritual turns departures into jackpots. Cover long days honestly: a midday walker, daycare 2-3x a week, and a camera to know (not guess) how they're doing.
A working engine without an outlet redirects into barking, digging, and demolition.
What helps: A daily aerobic outlet is non-negotiable - Field work is this breed's love language. 20 minutes of brain work tires like an hour of fetch: puzzles, scent games, new tricks. Feed meals from puzzle feeders and snuffle mats - make breakfast a job.
The combination of drive, power, or independence punishes improvisation.
What helps: A rewards-based professional from week one is the cheat code. Find a breed mentor: the parent club and this breed's Pack. Structure and routine do half the training for you.
Exercise & training
Grooming & coat
Health to know about
This page can only give breed ranges. The app calculates calories and portions from your dog’s actual weight and life stage, splits them across the right number of meals, and adjusts as they grow.
Emergency red flags
Vomiting, drooling, tremors, collapse, or known ingestion
→ Call ASPCA Poison Control 888-426-4435 or Pet Poison Helpline 855-764-7661 immediately; do NOT induce vomiting unless instructed
→ Save your nearest 24-hour emergency vet's address and phone in your phone TODAY, not during a crisis
Unproductive retching (trying to vomit, nothing comes), rapidly swelling/hard belly, drooling, pacing, sudden distress after eating
→ Drive to the ER immediately. Do not wait to see if it passes. Untreated GDV is fatal within hours
Collapse with paddling, jaw chomping, drooling, loss of awareness
→ Clear the area, do NOT touch the mouth, time the seizure and video it. Over 3 minutes, a cluster of 2+, or first-ever seizure = ER now
The app keeps every Irish Setter red flag on your phone and opens them with no connection at all — which is the whole point at 2am in a car park. Add it to your home screen and it works like any other app.
📊 The numbers›
Typical ranges for planning, not promises — costs vary by region, breeder and individual dog.
| Group | Sporting |
| Size | Large (60-70 lbs) |
| Lifespan | 12-15 years |
| Healthy adult weight | 60–70 lb |
| Original purpose | Setting/pointing game birds for hunters. |
| Monthly care | $100-$160 |
| Typical puppy price | $800-$1,800 |
🐕 Similar breeds›
Add them in the app for feeding by weight, training for their stage, and Irish Setter emergency red flags saved to your phone. Free, no account needed.
Add them once and everything here becomes about your dog: feeding by their weight, training picked for their stage, a day built around your hours, and a vitals log that shows the trend. Free, works offline, no account needed.