Researching the breed

There are many reasons for getting a specific breed of dog. Selecting a breed because of its appearence is a perfectly fine reason for being attracted to a specific breed; make sure that you appreciate the other traits (such as personality, intelligence and trainabiltiy, energy level, grooming requirements, and the function the breed was originally intended to fulfill) that go with the appearence.

If you have decided you want to add an Irish Setter to your family, consider your expectations for your new dog.

• What do you expect it to look like?
• What personality traits are you looking for?
• Male or female or no preference?
• Are you interested in showing a dog in conformation, obedience, or the field?
• Are you interested in training a family pet?
• What is your current lifestyle and schedule like?

Websites are a useful tool, but they are not a substitute for talking with breeders, Irish Setter owners, or attending events like dog fairs sponsored by local breed clubs. Most websites honestly represent a breeder and their dogs, however from personal experience, some websites can be misleading. The Irish Setter Club of America (ISCA) website is a good reference for setter information and there are several books about setters.

The American Kennel Club (AKC) and United Kennel Club (UKC) are good sources of information about dog events and breeds. Local kennel clubs often sponsor training classes (puppy, obedience, conformation, and agility) for dogs. Dogs shows are scheduled throughout the year across the country, and are a good place to observe breeds and talk with breed owners. You can find information about upcoming dog shows in this area at royjones, or onofrio.

The average lifespan for an Irish Setter is about 12 years. Before selecting this companion do your homework. Many dogs end up in breed rescues or animal shelters because a puppy buyer selected the wrong place to purchase their puppy (such as a "puppy mill) or because the breed they chose did not match their expectations for behavior or fit in with their lifestyle.

Is a puppy or an older dog right for you?

When you get a puppy, you are getting the raw material; you train it to be the dog you expect. Puppies are cute and fun, but they do demand time and commitment. Even if you have owned an Irish Setter or other dogs before, it can be hard to remember how many things your new puppy needs to learn. Your older dog has learned what you expect and "knows the rules." A new puppy is a blank slate; it's easy to forget that your well-behaed older dog once needed to be taught the same things. Every puppy is different, some learn quickly, some are more persistent and will test your patience, and some training techniques that worked well with your older dog might not work at all for your puppy.

Consider carefully what your schedule will allow. You may discover that an older dog is a better fit for you. Occasionally breeders may have a retired show dog available. If a young dog that is already house trained, crate trained, socialized, used to grooming, and knows basic obedience commands is preferable for your situation, consider an older dog. Most dogs adapt quite readily to a new family.

There are Irish Setters of all ages available through breed rescue programs. There are many reasons that dogs end up in rescue, many of them are good dogs that need a second start. Information about rescuing purebred dogs is available on the Badger Kennel Club website, courtesy of the AKC. For information about Irish Setters adoption opportunities in Wisconsin Margie Hohman.

Irish Setter Health

Overall, Irish Setters are a healthy breed. The Irish Setter Club of America recommends that breeding stock be screened for the following three conditions: Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA), Hip Dysplasia, and thyroid function. Screening tests are useful tools when making breeding decisions. Use of these tools reflects the breeder's commitment to the future health of the breed.

There are several online databases where you can verify health screening results. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) maintains a database of health screening test results including, OFA hip dysplasia, OFA thyroid test results, and PRA test results. OFA records other health screening tests (such as OFA Elbow Displaysia, CERF numbers, VwD, and others). Some Irish Setter breeders also do these tests. OFA is the online database for health test results for all breeds; there are some tests for problems that are a concern to some breeds, but are not typical problems in Irish Setters. The OFA website has a tremendous amount of information about how to use the database, what problems like hip dysplaysia are, and what health screening tests can tell you.

Dogs appearing in the Canine Health Information Center (CHIC) records have been tested for hips, thyroid, and PRA (the tests recommended by ISCA). However, the CHIC number does not mean that a dog passed all these health clearences, only that the tests were done.

One should always ask a breeder about health clearances, and then verify the numbers with the appropriate registry, like OFA. A caution from personal experience; there are breeders who will claim to have screened their dogs when that is not the case. Yes, mistakes in the databases do exist, but mistakes are rare, and most breeders follow through to make sure the test results they submit are properly recorded. We assume if records are not in the database, they do not exist.

There are other health issues that can affect Irish Setter for which there is no test that can predict whether a dog is predisposed to developing a condition.Bloat is a concern in all deep chested breeds. Epilepsy exists in the setter population. Hypertrophic osteodystrophy (HOD), panosteitis (pano), or osteochondritis dissicans (OCD) can affect young puppies. The online reference http://irishsetterhealth.org is a useful resource.

It is important to remember not all puppies are perfect. The line between what is a hereditary versus developmental problem is not clear cut, and there are relatively few tests available to predict with certainty, hereditary problems. However, breeders should be using the screening tests available to tilt the odds in favor of healthier dogs. Some imperfections (for example a bad bite) may not be significant to the overall quality of life for the dog, may be a development problem (like many heart murmers) that the dog may outgrow, or may be permentantly fixed with a relatively minor surgery (such as an umbilical hernia). When selecting a breeder and puppy, make sure the breeder is doing the recomended health screening, but recognize that there are some health issues that are unpredictable with current health screening tests.

About Pedigrees

A pedigree is your dog's family tree, and is "read" from left to right. Your dog is the name farthest to the left. AKC is not a guarantee of quality, it simply means two AKC registered dogs of the same breed were mated. In our opinion, quality dogs came from two quality parents with a quality pedigree behind them.

Sample Pedigree

Current generation	1st generation	2nd generation	3rd generation
Father's (sire) side of the family			great grandsire
		grandsire	great grand dam
	Your dog's sire		great grandsire
		grand dam	great grand dam
Your Dog
Mother's (dam) side of the family (also called the "female tail" or "bitch line")		grandsire	great grandsire
	Your dog's dam		great grand dam
		grand dam	great grandsire
			great grand dam

What do those titles mean?

Often abbreviations can be found before and after a dog's registered name. These are titles and awards. Titles measure a dog's attributes--whether it be physical structure as in conformation, trainability as in obedience, or aptitude in the field. They are also a sign of a breeder's commitment to participate in events and have their dogs compared with others. Breeders do not breed titles, they breed dogs; however titles in a pedigree indicate what attributes/aptitude the breeder hopes the next generation will have. The table below outlines AKC titles and non AKC awards that may be found in Irish Setter pedigrees (other registries such as UKC have their own titles). There are also numerous agility and tracking titles

Titles and awards commonly found in Irish Setter Pedigrees

Conformation	Obedience	Hunting/Field Trials
Ch.- AKC Champion	CD-Companion Dog	JH-Junior Hunter
U-Ch. - United Kennel Club Champion	CDX-Companion Dog Excellent	SH-Senior Hunter
BISS-Best in Specialty Show (award)	UD-Utility Dog	MH-Master Hunter
BIS-Best in Show (award)	UDX-Utility Dog Excellent	AFC-American Field Champion
ROM-Register of Merit (awarded by the ISCA)	OTCH- Obedience Trial Champion	NFC-National Field Champion
	RN-Rally Novice	TD - Tracking Dog
	RA-Rally Advanced
	RE-Rally Excellent
	CGC-Canine Good Citizen (certificate)

 

Looking for a puppy

Looking for a puppy should be a well thought out and planned decision, not a spur of the moment whim. Although money is exchanged, buying a puppy is more than just a purchase--it is the initial investment in a new relationship with a "soul friend."

Looking for a conscientious breeder is a worthwhile investment of your time. Know what you are looking for in advance--a show dog, a field dog, obedience partner, family pet, etc. Research the breed, and talk with many Irish Setter owners. People's perspectives are different based on their experience.

When talking with a breeder, ask about health clearances, then verify these results for yourself. Ask breeders questions about what they hope their puppies will be like. If possible, ask to visit the breeder and check the conditions in which the puppies will be raised.

Stud dogs may be elsewhere in the country, however ask for information about this individual--after all he's half the genetics of the puppies. Meet the dam. Her temperament is very important; she will be raising the puppies. Most breeders allow puppy visits after the puppies first vaccinations. If you are not allowed to visit, ask why.

There are some good resources available to help prospective puppy buyers make good assessments about a breeder before they buy a dog (see our buyer beware section below as well):

• American Kennel Club guidance to prospective puppy buyers
• Irish Setter Club of America Guidance to buying a puppy
• Badger Kennel Club has resources on looking for a dog and identifying potential "puppy mills"
• Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection factsheet on purchasing a puppy.

Availibility

Be prepared to be flexible in your timeline and geographic area when looking for a puppy. Many conscientious breeders have occasional litters; there will likely not be a 9 week old puppy available 25 miles away from your front door when it is convenient for you to get a puppy. Even when a planned breeding occurs, it does not necessarily mean that a pregnancy will result.

Ask about reservation lists, deposit policies, and contracts. We have waited as long as 18 months for a puppy out of a breeding we were interested in.

"Show" puppies compared to "pet" puppies

Every puppy in a litter has the same pedigree, however they are all unique individuals. A good quality litter has no "pick of the litter" puppy. There will be slight physical and personality differences.

"Show quality" and "pet quality" are subjective terms used by the breeder. Show quality--in the eyes of the beholder--are those puppies the breeder expects to be competitive in the breed/conformation ring. There are litters where most, if not all, puppies can be considered show quality, however most litters have some individuals that can be considered pets. The differences between pet and show quality may be very minor. Sometimes the only difference between a "show" puppy and "pet" puppy is what the new owner is interested in doing with the dog. Show homes are not always available and show quality puppies may be placed as pets.

Puppy Mills: When should a buyer beware?

In our opinion "puppy mills" exist because buyers do not do their homework. "Puppy mills" exist to fulfill a consumer demand; these may be buyers who want a puppy at their convenience, are impulse buyers, or are comparison shopping by the lowest price. Puppy mill prices may in fact be quite comparable to those of conscientious breeders.

So what exactly is a puppy mill? The Shiloh Shepherd Dog Club of America has put together an excellent breeder comparison matrix that contrasts the differences in quality and motives for breeding between backyard breeders, puppy mills, commerical breeders, and conscientious hobby breeders. Badger Kennel Club also provides resources to help buyers recognize warning signs and puppy mills.

Conscientious breeders

In our opinion, the true distinction between conscientious hobby breeders and puppy mills is the motivation for breeding. Conscientious breeders are breeding to a breed standard to produce desired qualities (structure, temperment, health, breed type, functionality to do the job for which the breed was intended). Often conscientious breeders are investing tremendous amounts of time, money, and effort in their dogs. Costs include earning titles (in the conformation, obedience, field or other events) where their dog's structure and abilities are evaluated by judges; health screening tests; routine veternary care; stud fees and related breeding costs. Conscientious breeders may break even on a litter or lose money on a litter. The main objective and reward for conscientious breeders is to have their choice of puppies that possess the attributes one hoped to get from the breeding.

Puppy mills

Puppy mills are breeding with profit as the sole objective; their goal is to produce as many puppies as possible as cheaply as possible. Puppy mills maximize profits by cutting the cost of production. Unlike conscientious breeders;

• Puppy mills do not invest in quality breeding stock. Individuals are generally poor quality specimens of their breed, which they have either gotten for free, traded, or bred
• Puppy mills eliminate stud fees by breeding whatever they have to whatever they've got
• Bitches in puppy mills are bred as early as possible and as often as possible
• Puppy mills may not microchip or DNA their stock for identification
• Puppy mills do not invest in health screening tests on sires or dams. Genetic problems that may be virtually eliminated from conscientious breeder's stock because of selective breeding and health screening tests are still being perpetuated in the puppy mill population
• Puppy mill dogs generally do not participate in earning titles or other activities where stock is independently evaluated by judges. There is little investment in training their dogs.
• Puppy mills have minimal investment in their facilities and maintenance. The conditions in these places may be dirty and have paracites or diseases.
• Puppies are often unsocialized. Poorly socialized dogs are hard to housebreak and relate poorly to people; these are often dogs that are turned into shelters or rescues because of aggression, fear, and house soiling problems
• Puppy mills place their puppies as early as possible to avoid vaccination costs and increased food costs
• Puppy mills minimize routine and emergency vet costs; i.e. it is cost-effective to let an animal die rather than incur a large vet bill.

Recognizing a potential puppy mill

Your chances of getting a healthy, well socialized, beautiful dog are greatly reduced by dealing with a puppy mill breeder. Buyer beware if:

• There are always puppies available
• If there is a "special price," "discount," or "sale" on puppies
• If the breeder has a website that accepts credit card payments online or promises to ship a puppy anywhere in the world
• If the breeder sells puppies to pet stores or wholesalers
• If the breeder does not ask any questions of you
• If the breeder will not allow you to visit their facility or pick up your puppy
• If there are no contracts or "bill of sale" agreements signed by both buyer and seller
• If an Irish Setter rescue group has re-homed dogs from the breeder without assistance from the breeder
• If there are no health clearances on breeding stock
• If dogs are being sold as "show quality" and there are few, if any, individuals in the pedigree that have finished AKC championships.
• Registration "papers" are not American Kennel Club or United Kennel Club papers (puppy mills have created "dummy" registries to make their dogs look more legitimate to buyers).

While one factor listed above may not necessarily indicate a puppy mill, the presence of several factors should be considered a red flag. Be aware that mediums of advertising--websites, newspapers, dog magazines--may tell you very little about a breeder. Advertising is designed to give you a positive impression. Pictures and language within ads may be perfectly legitimate, however sometimes reality can be very different from the image portrayed in ads or websites.