As a rule, an Irish Setter needs to be exercised twice a day for several hours. This should ideally be done in the forest or where he can run without a leash without any problems. The Irish Setter needs to be exercised physically and mentally enough. Sporting activities are a must for a Gordon Setter. In addition to hunting, cycling and jogging are also good for him.
Your pet needs daily exercise. In addition, your dog can romp around in the garden or go to a fenced exercise area.
Your dog needs to go outside at least twice a day.
Beyond that, you can decide according to your dog whether you go more often and how long your rounds will be.
Walking – When does the dog need to go out?
The question of how often a dog should go out depends crucially on its individual needs. Some dog breeds need a lot of exercise because of their special urge to move, while others are content with smaller rounds.
When a dog needs to go outside is also very individual. Decisive factors include cleanliness and walk training.
As a rule of thumb, however, dogs can last five to six hours before the next business is due.
This also tells you how often a dog should go out every day. According to this, you should plan at least four to five rounds per day.
Ideally, you should schedule your dog’s walks so that he does not have to go out at night. In this context, it is important that the most urgent walk is in the morning. The walk after getting up must be integrated into the daily schedule.
As a rule, a routine rhythm is established after a certain time, so that the morning round takes place at 6:00 a.m. every day, for example.
Dogs make themselves known when they have to go out
Normally, every dog makes itself known as soon as it has to go out. However, this only applies to dogs that have already completed their cleanliness training. It is not yet to be expected from puppies. As soon as the intervals between rounds become too long, dogs start whining, possibly barking, are restless and otherwise draw attention to themselves.
Some dogs may scratch at the door, others may put the leash at their master’s feet. Pay attention to how your dog makes itself known and don’t let it get that far in the first place.
Your dog will be in better health if you react before your dog even contacts you.
If you are going to be away for a long time and your dog has to wait for you at home, find out here how long your dog can be left alone.
Whether young or old – all dogs need to go out.
Puppies and seniors need more exercise
A puppy stays with the breeder until at least 8 weeks. At least with a good breeder. After that, you can take your dog with you.
Once you have arrived at your new home, the first few weeks are especially important. During this time, you must pay special attention to the walks. Everything needs to be explored, from traffic to the forest.
Experience shows that puppies need more walks than adult dogs. Until they are truly house-trained, it is recommended that you take your fur friend out at least every two hours.
This way puppies learn that they have to do their business outdoors and not indoors.
The amount of time between each round can be extended individually over time. In addition to puppies, seniors also need to go outside more often.
Your dog is getting old and counts as a senior dog if your dog is over 12 years old.
With age, dogs get difficulties to control their urge for a longer period of time. It’s a good idea to cater to your dog’s individual needs.
You could take your dog out more often, but for shorter periods.
If the dog doesn’t go outside – What can happen?
If your dog doesn’t get out enough, it will sooner or later do its business indoors.
However, what is much more decisive and to the dog’s disadvantage – lack of exercise leads to considerable limitations. Dogs that do not get out or only get out too rarely are often overweight, which has an impact on their health.
Moreover, in such cases dogs tend to behave destructively, for example by destroying things or starting to go berserk.
It can happen, among other things, that shoes or furniture are chewed up. Furthermore, the lack of exercise leads to aggression towards people and other animals in the long run.
Some dogs start to withdraw because they are not stimulated enough physically and mentally. In this case, the behaviour resembles a typical depression.
Other dogs, on the other hand, become hyperactive. Finally, the muscles of the affected dog can stiffen, which leads to considerable pain. Further illnesses of the four-legged friend are also possible due to lack of exercise and too few walks.
For example, bladder or kidney diseases can occur due to continuous stopping.
To prevent this from happening to your four-legged friend, make sure he gets enough exercise!
If you don’t have enough time, you can look for someone who will walk your dog for a small fee.
Typical breed characteristics of the Irish Setter
- Character: friendly, patient, absolute family dog
- Size: 55 to 70 cm
- Weight: 25 to 32 kg
- Colours: light brown, chestnut brown, red/brown
- Life expectancy: 12 years
The Irish Setter is a true hunting dog. But it is also considered to be an ideal family dog that obeys all the rules.
The dog breed comes from Ireland, as the name part already reveals.
His life expectancy is 12 years on average and he has a light brown/red coat.
It can weigh up to 32 kilograms and can reach a height of 70 cm.
The Irish Setter loves the outdoors and needs a lot of exercise.
The dog breed is also suitable as a search or rescue dog.
Typical diseases of this breed include hip problems, stomach upsets and epilepsy.
Training and care
The Irish Setter is a very trainable dog breed, which is ideally suited for hunting if well trained. If it is not needed for hunting trips, it is important that appropriate activity is provided in the form of extensive walks through nature or other challenges in dog sports.
The dog breed should not be brought up in a high-rise building in the big city, but loves to live in the open air in a large house with a family.
Due to its good willingness to learn, the Irish Setter can be wonderfully trained to be a family dog with a lot of patience, even with children.
Despite his hunting instinct, the Irish Setter can also be kept in wild areas without any problems, provided he is properly trained.
Due to its coat, the Irish Setter must be brushed regularly to avoid matting.
If you would like to know which dog breeds shed the least and are very easy to care for, you can find out in our recent article Which dog breeds don’t shed?
Water is his element.
Who is the Irish Setter suitable for?
The Irish Setter is a fantastic family dog and has a wonderful character. Especially due to his intelligence, good nature and his very loving nature, he is an enrichment for every family with children.
The dog breed is known for not showing any aggressive traits and listens to his master’s every word and step.
Due to his actual hunting ability, the Irish Setter needs plenty of exercise in the great outdoors.
Likewise, he can easily be taken jogging or cycling and loves to be active. If you want to know when it’s best to jog with your dog, we’ll tell you in our article: When to jog with your dog.
During the car journey, the Irish Setter should be placed in a large transport box that is suitable for him.
The Irish Setter loves nature and water. Therefore, he should not be kept in a big city.
The owners need a lot of time for the Irish Setter in order to exercise him sufficiently. If he is to be left alone at home, then only for short periods, because he always wants to be with you.
Here we have summarized our most popular articles in a great overview:
