The Irish Setter - Its History & Training (A Vintage Dog Books Breed Classic)

By Colonel J.K. Millner

THE IRISH SETTER ITS HISTORY AND TRAINING By Colonel J.K. Millner. A VINTAGE DOG BOOKS CLASSIC REPRINT Originally published in 1924, this was the first book to be solely devoted to the Irish Setter. It is now extremely rare and very expensive in this first edition. VINTAGE DOG BOOKS have now republished it using the original text and photographs, as part of their CLASSIC BREED BOOKS series. The author was a well known judge and breeder, his dogs winning many prestigious prizes during his long career. He was also an experienced shot, and used his Irish Setters to good effect on the grouse moors of Scotland. One hundred and twelve pages contain six detailed chapters: - The Author's Statements. - Some Old Strains - The Setter up to Dog Show Times. - Irish Setters of the Nineteenth Century. - The Irish Red Setter Club. - Training. There are a number of excellent photographs of famous dogs of the day and also some of their pedigrees. The Publisher has also added an additional gallery of famous dogs at the rear of the book. This is a fascinating read for any Irish Setter enthusiast or historian of the breed, but also contains much information that is still useful and practical today. Many of the earliest dog breed books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. VINTAGE DOG BOOKS are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Read Books Ltd.
• Release date: Oct 12, 2011
• ISBN: 9781447492603

Book preview

CHAPTER I

THE AUTHOR’S STATEMENTS

When pure and thoroughly broken they are an admirable and excellent breed of dogs, being possessed of great powers of endurance and speed.—EDWARD LAVERACK.

THE Irish setter is the most elegant and athletic of all dogs used for shooting; he is also one of the latest produced. With his small feet and tail, lean intelligent head, dark eye and richly coloured coat, he is easily the most handsome of all sporting dogs. As a game-finder and pleasant sporting companion, he cannot be excelled. And judging from the exhibitors at dog shows, the ladies must be great admirers of them.

There are two kinds of Irish setters, the red and the red and white. Most of the setters that have been in Ireland for many years were of these colours. For a good many years the red and whites have not been so popular as the reds, and have been decreasing in numbers, especially since the advent of shows, and at the present time they are very scarce.

The Irish red setter of to-day is descended from both of the varieties named. I am of the opinion that a hundred years since the red and whites were as numerous as are the reds to-day; in fact, some authorities declare that at the period named the red and whites predominated very materially. Judging by the appearance of the red dogs seen at the early shows, I expect that many of them that had very little white were descended from red and whites of the most pronounced type. A black tinge was noticeable on many of them, and about this Edward Laverack said that the most magnificent specimen of an Irish setter he ever saw was one bred at Cockermouth Castle. He had an immense profusion of coat with a tinge of black on the tip of his ears. No one was ever able to break him, and his stock were frequently black. Most of the eminent Irish breeders state that there ought to be no tinge of the sort in their coats though, that for general goodness, and working properties, those possessing the tint were quite as good as those without it, and that the pure Irish setter should be blood red in colour and should never get or throw black