Absolutely stunning, and looking terrific for their age. Looking forward to seeing more pictures of your lovely boys

Thanks everyone - I had my "boys" instead of kids - not sure if I made the right decision! Only joking - they are a great bunch of dogs.

Jenson, the youngest, is currently resting in the kitchen. He has been out on Dartmoor on a 14 mile hike with my husband today - testing a route that he is doing the weekend after next starting at 9.00 p.m.

Jenson is currently up for stud duties so if anyone has any eligible young ladies out there!!!!

Hi again, I hope I don't offend you when I say that touting for stud business is really not the done thing. Breeders have the choice of many Champion dogs, and it is the bitch owner that makes that choice. Any breeding should always be with the intention of improving on what the breeder has already achieved. So the selection of a stud dog is a very serious business.

We are comparatively lucky in Irish Setters, that by far the vast majority of puppies are carefully bred by reputable, knowledgable breed enthusiasts. Kennel Club registrations are pretty steady at approx 1500 puppies annually. In addition, the Kennel Club has recently ruled that unless breeding males and females are DNA tested or hereditarily clear of CLAD (Canine Leucocyte Adhesion Deficiency) then litters of Irish Setters will not be registered. Currently the breed mean hip score is 15, and it is also advisable that all breeding stock are scored on the KC/BVA scheme.

I do honestly hope that my words do not upset you, because your boys are clearly well loved and a credit to you, but I've been passionate about this breed for 35 years, and my ethics and standards are high. I truly believe that producing quality Irish Setters should be left to the experts. Incidentally, in case you are wondering, in those 35years I have never bred a litter of Irish Setters. I love to talk about the breed so please feel free to get me going.

My advice would be to seek out a good breeder and buy another puppy if that's what you want from this idea of standing your dog at stud.

Dawn R.

What stunning dogs, and what a lovely photo - one for the album?

Hi Nursey - thanks for your advice - don't worry your words did not offend me and I welcome your advice.

The only reason we have offered Jenson is that the breeder that bred our eldest dog Duke, almost 10 years ago, had lost her bloodline. She saw from the Kennel Club Register that Duke was CLAD free and asked if she could use him. She went to another breeder and got a bitch and two years later Duke successfully sired a litter of 8, followed by a second litter of 8 two years later. The breeder didn't keep a puppy out of the first two litters and we hoped that Duke would be able to sire a litter this year. Sadly age has caught up with him and it is not to be, so one of the ways to keep the line going is to try his son, Jenson.

Sorry I am quite new to Dogsey and didn't really think about the implications of my addition to the thread. I will think a bit more in future.

Kind regards
Karen

Lovely trio of boys you have - got an old lady Irish (13) plus 1 English and 3 Gordons here - love all the Setter breeds - the character of the Gordon has me hooked at the mo though!

Welcome to dogsey

Hi Rachelsetters - thanks for your post. I too would like a Gordon one day myself, also fancy the Irish Red & White but will stick to the Irish for the time being, especially if Jenson does sire a litter - I think father, son & grandson in our house would be too much for my husband to pass by.

Do you have any photos of your gang?

Look forward to seeing them.

Regards, Karen

Plenty of my gang on dogsey around if you search for posts under my name! don't want to hijack your thread by posting on here!

I always say one setter is never enough and once you have 1 you don't notice more (not much anyway!) LOL

Aw, they are al gorgeous. I really like Irish Red Setters.

What a handsome trio. Setters are the most fantastic looking dogs.