Alvertoppen - IRWS for Hunting & Field Trials

Below you can read a translation of the new 2008-2012 Breed Program for the IRWS in Norway, by the Norwegian Breed Committee (translated from norwegian, may contain som minor translative errors...):

The new breeding program has four main issues in its criterias, in which working ability has the strongest focus:
1. Working ability
2. Behaviour/temperament
3. Health
4. Conformity/exterior

The reason working ability has the strongest focus, is due to the fact that this is where the IRWS in Scandinavia has the biggest challenge. Data from field trials will be used as an objective expression for the working abilities. Increase in hunting desire is the foremost target for the breeding program at this point. The average hunting desire for Norwegian IRWS in field trials up to and including 2007 is 2,68. The maximum for this scale is 6. The average for all pointing dogs in Norway is 3,95. For Norwegian IRWS who has entered field trials the average points for pace, style, independence, search range and search pattern is approximately half of the average for the red irish setters. The method of index-based breeding has shown good results for other breeds i.e. Breton. The 2008-2012 breeding program will foremost focus on the working abilities such as hunting desire, gamebird finding, search pattern/-range and cooperation. It is very important for the index-based breeding program that as many IRWS as possible enters field trials, and that each dog enters multiple times. To encourage this NISK arranges field training gatherings for IRWS, and for 2008 and on there will be a IRWS of the year-award based on points collected on field trials similar to the Irish Setter of the year award.

Regarding behaviour/temperament, health and conformity/exterior the breeding program also has high standards, which will not be discussed or attempted translated in this article.

The new breed program 2008-2012 sets the following criteria for breedings recommended by the Breed Committee (freely translated from Norwegian to English):

Field trials:
One of the parents should have achieved minimum 2nd on a field trial. The other parent should at least have been started in field trials or field training gatherings, or have parents or siblings with achieved field trial results.

Show:
Achieved at least 2nd place in show.

Other criteria:
Documented no HD (A)
Tested or documentet no CLAD
Good health, good temperament, no physical or behavioural abnormalities
Father-daughter or mother-son combinations not allowed
The Breed Committee can decline approval of other combinations or close related parents in which earlier matings have produced “unfortunate” results.

Widening the gene-pool
In addition to the breeding criterias the Breed Committee has its focus on widening the gene-pool for the IRWS in Norway and Scandinavia. This will also be a factor when The Committee approves new matings. Today there are approximately 30-40 IRWS in Norway, and very few have been tested in field trials. To widen the gene pool the Breed Committee will encourage importing new dogs, preferably from bloodlines not too closely related to existing lines in Norway. Also there will be produced a outcross program in cooperation with SISK (the Swedish Irish Setter Club) and IRWS Club (the Irish Red and White Setter Club), if approved on the highest level in Ireland and Norway (NKK – the Norwegian Kennel Club).