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The Irish Red & White Setter Association breaks down the hunting style and explains how the breed should work in the field.
The Irish Red & White Setter Association of America
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The Irish Red & White Setter Association, Inc. has set forth the following guidelines as to the working style of the Irish Red & White Setter in order to give Hunt Test and Field Trial Judges a better understanding in establishing their knowledge when judging the Irish Red & White Setter at AKC Field Events.
The Irish Red & White Setter should work at a moderate pace and range. They should cover the ground thoroughly and have an ingrained curiosity, investigating every area in which game may be present. In their quest, there must be an intensity that gives purpose to the hunt for game. The concentration on the job at hand should be evident in the dog’s every stride and movement. Cooperation with the handler/hunter is part of the concentration and should not interfere with the quest for game.
While searching for game, the head should be carried at or above the line of the back, with muzzle parallel to the ground. The gait should be a lope, with the back mostly parallel to the ground. Upon scenting game, the Irish Red & White Setter should slow down his gait, even to a creep, and upon locating game take a definite set or draw forward to the set as close to the game as practical without causing the game to flush. The normal stance for the Irish Red & White Setter after locating game is a standing or crouched set.
The set is intense and rigid, full of energy and concentration. The head should be oriented in the direction of the game, and the feet should be positioned in such a manner as to produce a balanced stance. Some Irish Red & White Setters may crouch very low or lie flat on the ground, intense and rigid, with head up and forward. This set is acceptable and considered normal. When the Irish Red & White Setter has located game and assumed the above stance, the set of the tail is normally carried at or below the level of the back, not above the backline. The tail may be in motion when the dog is seeking game, but should be stationary or rigid when the dog has “made game.”
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