I love them! My father had a field Irish Setter (shorter than a show Setter) and she was the best dog ever. Her breeder was very very reluctant to give her up because she was incredibly smart and eager to please. She was an excellent bird dog and went everywhere with my dad. She was very good with both me and my brother (we were children while she was alive, he was 9 ish I was 2 ish?) I used to poke and prod and pull and yank on her and she could care less.

Setters are extremely smart. Heather was the only dog I know who could steal a cookie from a child without the kid crying. She stole a cookie from my brother while he was a baby by walking up to him, sitting quietly in front of him, and very very very slowly putting her mouth around his cookie (which was in his hand), and basically waited until he let go of it and put it in her mouth. She put up with my dad's obsession of dressing her up in old teeshirts and socks too. She was so funny, she HATED water, wouldn't go near it. My mom and dad were taking a walk one day and they came to a stream that was literally a half inch wide and she would NOT cross it. Wouldn't jump over it or step over or anything. She just ran down the other side of the "river" until my dad went and picked her up and "carried" her across it. They went a good half mile along that river with her trying to figure out how to get over there without getting close to the water. She was a silly thing!

Each dog is different, but I would love to have my own Setter. They're wonderful dogs that live to please. They excel at just about anything you could possibly want them to do. They make great family dogs as well!

I think someone was pulling your leg. My family once owned an Irish setter and it was not a very smart dog. At least in some surveys it doesn't rank up there among the smartest dogs. Try a border collie if you want a smart dog.

The Irish Setter is an active, lovable dog. She is full of spirit and needs plenty of exercise. She is a watch dog but not a guard dog. She can get along with other dogs but it is best if she is socialized with other pets early on. She is patient with children. As a reminder, never leave a child unsupervised with a puppy or dog.

*Approximate Adult Size. The approximate adult size (two years old or older) of the male Irish Setter is 26 to 28 inches to the withers (highest point of the shoulder) and 65 to 75 pounds. The female ranges from 24 to 26 inches to the withers and 55 to 65 pounds.

Irish Setter - http://www.dog-pound.net/setters/irish-setter-dog-breed-profile.php