In a nutshell: An independent thinker, but with a very soft temperament.

Also known as: Red Setters

Description: Beautiful with silky coat of deep chestnut.

Temperament: Very sweet and silly! An independent thinker, but with a very soft temperament. Can be lots of fun.

Advantages as an agility dog:

• Runs through the contact zones, so virtually never misses a contact.

• An excellent jumper and almost never has a bar down.

• They all seem to be have a great time on the course, even if their handlers don't!

Disadvantages as an agility dog:

• Very distractible. Setters are air scenters who were developed to range out far and hunt independently, and all of this can make agility a challenge.

• Can also be very slow, especially in the heat.

• Many Irish Setters seem to run past jumps. They have a huge stride and often land far past jumps, which can cause problems in terms of getting her in the right positions on tight courses.

Rating out of 10 and why: 6/10. With most, you have to work hard to make them want to do the course that you want to them to do. Most Irish setters don't put pleasing their people as their top priority.

Examples of dogs that have done well in agility: In the USA, there Meadowlark's Star Burst CDX, MX, MXJ; Ch. Rapture's Ring of Fire UD, JH, MX, MXJ; Ch. Classic Rabblerouser CD, MX, AXJ. There's also a champion Harborlights bitch owned by Bev Wallace.

What's it like to live with as a pet: Can be wonderful to live with, but this differs from bloodline to bloodline. Some are very high energy around the house. All of them need early and ongoing training, although because of the tendency toward soft temperaments, they don't do well with harsh corrections.