Brian Grace.
“That the colouring of the Irish Setter is bewitching cannot be denied, but here we have a dog who not only is beautiful to look upon but is also a master of his natural work in the field.” – Our Friend The Irish Setter, first published in 1932, edited by Rowland Johns. The above quotation is as true today as it was almost eighty years ago. The Irish Red Setter is recognised and known worldwide for its rich chestnut colouring, a feature which is specifically referred to in the Breed Standard.
As owners and admirers of our lovely breed it is our responsibility to our dogs to ensure that we provide the regular grooming and trimming needed, firstly to keep our dogs happy and healthy, and secondly, if we are showing, to have them looking their very best for the ring. The following is a brief description of how to groom and trim an Irish Setter. Not all aspects are required for day to day maintenance, however if carried out will ensure that our dogs are in tip-top shape.
‘Tools for the job’;
One should always try to obtain the best quality equipment affordable as these will give the best results and last longest. The following are some tools you will need; a good quality bristle brush, a wide and a fine toothed comb, a thinning scissors, a straight scissors, a stripping knife, a nail clippers and some rubber finger pods.
The brush and combs are the most used equipment as these keep the coat clean and remove all dead hair. As with humans, dog’s hair is continuously dying and regenerating. Brushing and combing removes this dead hair and the sooner the old coat is removed, the sooner the new hair will begin to show through, thus giving a nice new shinning coat .
The coarser comb is used for the body and furnishings ie. the feathering, use the fine comb around the ears and neck etc. NEVER ‘pull’ a comb through tangled hair as this will remove too much, cause the hair to break and cause pain to the dog. If you have to detangle hair, remove sticks, grass, thistles etc., wet coat and use a hair conditioner to soften the area, start from the end and slowly detangle and remove pieces until the coarse comb can be used freely.The thinning scissors is used to clean the along the neck and under the ears. It can also be used to trim the hair on the ears, however the serious show exhibitor will usually ‘hand strip’ this area.
The purpose of the straight scissors is usually to clean around the feet, tidy the ends of the ears and trim the tail etc. This scissors, along with the thinning scissors, is always used in the direction of the coat, NEVER across the hair as this will cause easily visible marks to the coat.
The stripping knife and the rubber finger pods are used for the same purpose, to remove light pieces of hair once the scissors are finished. Using the stripping knife or the rubber pods on one’s finger allows you to ‘pluck’ any remaining light hair once finished with the scissors, the purpose of this being to blend the trimmed area into the surrounding coat.
Finally the nail clippers is self explanatory and is used to keep the nails trimmed and tidy. If your dog is on a concrete surface or does a lot of roadwork, the clipper may not be needed that often, although dew claws will need ongoing attention.
‘Trimming procedure’;
I usually start at the front and work back along the dog. To begin with you should ensure that the dog is completely brushed and combed out. This guarantees that any knots, tangled hair etc. is completely removed.
Always remember that we require the finished dog to look completely natural, as if no trimming has taken place at all!!! – all those wasted hours!
There are several ways to prepare the ears. Your average dog grooming parlour will simply shave the ears as this is the quickest and easiest method to remove the thick hair on the ear flaps. This however gives a very harsh expression.
A more natural appearance is achieved by using the thinning scissors. This is always used pointing upwards in the direction of the hair – never cut across the hair. Finish using the stripping knife to remove any excess hair and blend the length of remaining hair.
The more serious show exhibitor will hand strip this area, to give a completely natural look. This is done by folding the ear flap over the index finger, and using a rubber pod over the index finger and thumb of the other hand, gently plucking the hair along the ear, starting at the bottom and working upwards. This takes practice on both the groomer’s and the dog’s part and should be practiced on the dog from a young age. I usually get them used to it as a game when they are puppies!
Finally one can shape the bottom of the ear using a straight scissors to tidy up.
The front and neck are next. For the show ring the neck is cleaned approximately from the breastbone up. Again, this is done using the stripping scissors in a vertical action, as before –do not cut across the hair.Use a stripping knife or hand strip to blend the neck into the shoulder hair, being careful, as to remove too much may alter the coat colour in this area.The coat along the dog’s back, sides and stomach feathering does not usually require trimming and should be combed and brushed to maintain clean and free from tangles.Feathering on the tail is lightly trimmed to achieve a tapered effect with long hair at the root reducing to short at the tip. This is achieved by stretching out the tail and trimming the feathering with the straight scissors. Any little curl at the end of the tail can be trimmed to the tip.
A very important area of Irish Setter grooming and maintenance is the feet. Quite often these are left unattended, and in doing so, this can adversely affect the comfort and health of the dog.The Breed Standard calls for feet to be ‘small, very firm, toes strong, close together and arched’.If your dog is not regularly exercised on a hard surface the nails can grow long, thus causing discomfort to the dog. These should be checked regularly and clipped.
Care is needed here not to clip the nails too short as this can cause the nail to bleed. Some clippers have a guide fitted such that one can only cut a limited amount at a time. When clipping, do not forget the dew claws! A newer version of the clippers is a battery powered ‘grinder’. This has a rotating circular sandpaper drum allowing one to ‘sand’ down the nail to the correct length.Without continuous care, feet can become untidy with hair growing between the toes and around the perimeter of the foot. The hair between the toes, if untrimmed, can become tangled and knotted. Not only is this uncomfortable for the dog but it can lead to further problems in that this tangled hair takes longer to dry out following a swim or run in wet grass etc.
By holding the water for longer between the toes, sores can develop, with obvious consequences. By trimming the hair between the toes, we prevent these sores and also ensure that the feet are kept small and close together, as required in the standard.A straight scissors is used to trim excess hair between each toe and then with the foot placed on the ground, the perimeter is trimmed to provide a nice tidy finish.The hocks to the rear legs usually carry excessive hair growth to the rear and this is tidied with the thinning scissors working vertically from the top of the hock down, taking care not to leave any scissor marks. With all of the above completed you should have a healthy and happy Irish Setter, which as in 1932, will ‘be beautiful to look upon’.
For anyone wishing to show, or even if you own a companion Irish Setter, a visit to your nearest Irish Kennel Club registered show will provide a wealth of information on grooming and trimming your red dog. Seasoned exhibitors are always readily available and willing to help and provide advice on the care of our beautiful breed.
