What Color is my Irish Setter

[Speilb]

I just got my first Irish Setter. In filling out the papers for the American Kennel Club it asked for the color of the dog and gave the options of Chestnut, Mahogany, or Red. How do I tell which is which. Can anyone tell from my profile picture?

[Jelena Kreitmayer]

Hi Speilb,
welcome to the Irish Setter community! Every Irish Setter has a slight variation in the Mahagony Red color. Some have more Chestnut top coat and lighter (yellower) undercoat. Some have very Mahagony Red, which looks like a fire when the dog is in the sun.
I would be safe to say that you can safely circle Mahagony color on your registration papers. It covers many shades to it.
The one that I would not choose would be Red. Because in Irish Setters there is a distinct difference between the Red Setter and the Irish Setter. The Red Setter is mainly from the field lines and were mixed with the pointers and english setters. The lines of the colors can get a bit blurry.
But Mahagony sounds like a safe choice ;))))
Enjoy your puppy!! where are you located?

[Speilb]

Thanks, for the response. I am located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. My wife and I are in the process of moving out to a rural area where we will have a small pond on our 1.5 acres. I jumped at the chance to get an Irish Setter even though we were not quite ready. The pup is currently staying with her "God-parents" until we move out of the apartment. Our new little Irish Setter's name is 'Abigail' which means "father's joy".

[Londa Warren]

I'm getting a kick out of this thread! All my Irish have been simply registered as Red - not just my field-bred dogs, but also the completely and highly-bred show types I had years ago! Just seemed simpler to me. Guess I try to live by the KISS principle ( = Keep It Simple Stupid) which suits me to a "T"!

Londa

[Henk ten Klooster]

Well Speilb lots of fun with your pup! As for colour of your pup if it is a lighter shade of chestnut, be proud it points at an American heritage of dogs like Smada Byrd, highlighting best literature on Irish setters ever written in the USA, maybe worlds best! Mahogany is the American showworld interpretation of colour, not in the standard of the mothercountry Ireland so FCI, highlighting mostly lack of knowledge on history, but anyway: ENJOY!!!

[Londa Warren]

Well, I can't swear to it since I haven't registered a dog in almost 10 years so haven't looked at papers in that long, but I don't think Red & White is even an option for an Irish Setter here in the US. Has anybody else registered an AKC pup recently and know for sure?

Londa

[ursula wilby]

I must say that I find this pretty odd. How can you tell when you have a small puppy with its reddish- golden puppy-coat EXACTLY which shade it will have once it is grown up?
And what is Chestnut, Mahogany or Red anyhow? (Oh we had a long discussion about that). And will you be asked to change once the dog is grown up and will look more chestnut than red?

Thank god the kennelclub in Sweden will take RED as colour for any shade...:-)

[Lynn Spencer]

Hi, without reading any of what others have written here, I would say that the majority of Irish Setters registered here in Australia, would have their colour as 'red'. Some, do have mahogany, which is almost a maroon colour and very beautiful indeed, but most are red. On the predigree certificate for my Tess, she is known as 'red'. Her colour is very dark and looks almost mahogany, but is known as red.

Hope this helps.

Lynn, Tess (Irish) & Megg (English) from Oz.

[Carmel Murphy]

In Ireland all Irish Red Setters are registered as RED and Red and Whites as Red and White!! No confusion! And as someone said a pups coat colour is different(much lighter than adults) anyway(although their ear colour usually gives you an idea of adult colour)

[Henk ten Klooster]

One great Irish red setter in Ireland was nearly all white:-))

[Dee Rance]

Hi there how confusing for a first time owner.....the colour in UK was always registered as RED, (I haven't registered a dog for a while), although it is of varying shades from, a really light coat, that looks like Orange, and some are so dark that at a glance in bad light look almost black (but of cause that is forbidden in the breed) but they are very very dark. RED I am sure will do. Thank goodness they aren't green because in Ireland they have 40 shades of that simple colour, perhaps that is why the dog has such a variation in their coats.....but all RED.

[iluvabcz]

I have to say I'm so glad you had the same question. I actually found this site by searching for what ended up being your question! My girl is a combo of colors. Her undercoat/feathers are much lighter than her back and her back looks almost brownish in the dark, but it is firery in the sunlight, so based on Jelena's reply I'll register her as 'mahagony'. I hope you're enjoying your setter as much as I'm enjoying mine.