Are Irish Setters Dumb? All You Need to Know

There’s been a rumor that Irish setters are not the brightest dog breed. So, are Irish setters dumb? There’s no definitive answer since each dog’s intelligence level varies. But it’s safe to say that most Irish setters are intelligent and clever dogs. After all, Irish setters were bred to hunt, where a strong mentality is a crucial factor.

Let’s look at the actual intelligence level and temperament of Irish setters and what you can do to help to stimulate their brains:

Are Irish Setters Dumb?

It’s challenging to know how the rumor of Irish setters being dumb began. But to answer if are Irish setters dumb, no, they aren’t. These dogs were bred to track down and hunt waterfowl and other smaller animals. Aside from that, Irish setters often accompany hunters out in the field. And these roles alone ask for a lot of brain power from a dog.

So, it’s hard to see why many assume that Irish setters aren’t bright dogs.

But despite being intelligent, Irish setters are famous for having laidback personalities. They aren’t as stoic as other hunting dogs, and Irish setters love to have fun! So, this breed’s puppyish nature might lead people to believe they aren’t the brightest dogs.

Also, since Irish setters have lively personalities and overwhelming energy, many think these dogs only want to play and eat. But that is far from the truth.

Another issue with Irish setters is that they can be stubborn. Most of these dogs have an independent mindset, meaning they can refuse your commands. And this might be one of the reasons why many deem Irish setters as dumb when in reality, they only don’t want to listen. So, when training your Irish setter, you must show your dominance.

Of course, Irish setters aren’t the most intelligent dog breed out there and have limitations. For instance, they make excellent hunters but aren’t the brightest in guarding. Irish setters make poor guard dogs since they don’t have natural guarding instincts.

Overall, Irish setters are intelligent dogs with carefree personalities. Still, this doesn’t apply to all Irish setters as each dog varies from one another. But don’t lose hope if you think your Irish setter isn’t the brightest! There are many ways you can help stimulate your Irish setter’s mind, which I will discuss below.

How to Make Irish Setters Smart? 10 Proven Ways to Stimulate Their Mind

Irish setters that lack mental stimulation usually get mistaken as dumb. But that isn’t the only issue with this, as it can trigger destructive behavior from the dog. After all, Irish setters are lively dogs that have a lot of energy to release!

Here are ten proven ways to stimulate an Irish setter’s mind:

✔️ Have Your Irish Setter Work for their Food.

Our beloved Irish setters have it easy when it comes to their meals. Most of us owners put their food and water bowls in a specific spot and let our setters gobble them up. Although this is convenient, this can affect your dog’s natural hunting instincts. And it may adversely impact your Irish setter’s intelligence levels over time. So, try spice up meal times by letting your Irish setter work for their food!

Making your Irish setter work for their meals nourishes their scavenging habits. Aside from satisfying your dog’s instincts, it can also stimulate their mind. It keeps your Irish setter thinking, making their brains work non-stop. Therefore, try to place your dog’s food bowls in different places daily than handing them over.

If you don’t have time to set up different food spots for your dog’s meal times, invest in food dispensing dog toys. These come with food and force your Irish setter to work to figure out how to get the food inside. You can add your dog’s favorite kibble to the food dispensing toy and encourage them to try and solve it.

Buying one of these toys is an excellent way to add to your Irish setter’s mental stimulation. And it allows your Irish setter to explore their hunting abilities while having fun!

✔️ Let Irish Setters Find their Treats via the “Nose Work Game.”

One of the most mentally stimulating games for Irish setters is the “Nose Work Game.” It challenges your Irish setter’s mind, nurturing their brain power. The game asks one thing from your dog—find the treats!

It’s a fun and easy game that Irish setters can play, nurturing their hunting abilities. Here’s how you can play this game with your Irish setter:

Get your Irish setter’s favorite treats and have them sit in a spot. And order your dog to stay in that position.
Once your Irish setter stays still, place a couple of their favorite treats on the ground. Ensure it surrounds your dog for the best results.
Order your Irish setter to move and instruct them to find these dog treats. It’s best to encourage your dog as they begin picking these treats one by one.
Repeat the previous steps until your Irish setter understands what “finding” treats means.
Once your Irish setter understands the game, place the treats farther from them each time.

This game can stimulate an Irish setter’s mind and instincts as it triggers their hunting abilities. And though it may sound simple from the get-go, it is incredibly efficient. Also, even if Irish setters have a superb sense of smell, they don’t use it immediately when playing the game. They’ll take a bit of practice, so you don’t need to worry about it being too easy for your dog.

You’re teaching your Irish setter to use their nose to find the hidden treats than relying on their eyes. So, as your Irish setter becomes used to the game, hide the treats in more tricky spots every time!

But if doing this daily isn’t possible, you can always opt for dog puzzles—these force your Irish setter to discover the best way to get the treats inside. Not only can this save you time, but it can also give your Irish setter a lot of mental stimulation.

✔️ Let Your Irish Setter Explore More During Walks.

Going out for walks or outdoors, in general, is one of the most exciting parts of an Irish setter’s day. So, please take advantage of these walks and make them mentally stimulating. You can do this by letting your Irish setter explore the surroundings more. And you don’t have to worry about changing your routes as there will always be new scents to sniff for your dog!

If you’re uncomfortable with letting your Irish setter roam outdoors, you can pick specific places or times to let them explore safely. I recommend teaching your Irish setter cues like “go sniff” and “stop, come back” to keep your dog from going too far. The new and exciting scents can stimulate your Irish setter’s mind, keeping them active and alert.

At this point, it’d be unusual for someone to call your Irish setter dumb. After all, your dog can be left to roam around without supervision and can follow commands without issues.

✔️ Play Shaping Games with Your Irish Setter.

Shaping games can’t only stimulate your Irish setter’s mind, but they can also train them at the same time! The principle behind this activity is to encourage Irish setters to try new things. After all, it gives your dog a chance to think while improving its mental flexibility independently.

If you haven’t played shaping games before, it’s best to start with a box set on the ground. Then let your Irish setter investigate it without any commands. Let your dog decide what to do and explore the box. Alternatively, you may use other items other than a box. Hence, its name: shaping game.

✔️ Teach Your Irish Setter Some New Tricks.

Teaching your Irish setter new tricks will never be too early or late. And this is an excellent way to stimulate your dog’s mind. See how many tricks your Irish setter knows, and start from there. Also, don’t hesitate to go beyond the basics, as Irish setters are smart enough to keep up. After all these, no one should be able to call your Irish setter dumb anymore.

Aside from that, teaching new tricks to Irish setters is an efficient way to eliminate their fearfulness or shyness. After all, learning these will boost your Irish setter’s confidence while strengthening your bond!

✔️ Play Hide & Seek with Your Irish Setter.

One of the most enjoyable ways to keep your Irish setter’s mind stimulated is playing hide & seek. It’s an interactive game that you can play with your Irish setter. So, aside from keeping your dog’s brain working, this game can bring you closer than ever!

Here’s how to play “hide & seek” with your Irish setter:

Have your Irish setter sit still in a designated area.
Hide.
Count for a couple of seconds, and call your Irish setter.
Once your dog finds you, praise them.

Moreover, hide & seek can help nurture your Irish setter’s natural hunting instincts in the most fun and stimulating way possible.

✔️ Teach Irish Setters the Names of Their Toys.

Teaching your Irish setter the names of their toys preps them for the popular game among dogs, “go find it.” It’s like the “find the treats” game but more tamed. After all, giving your Irish setter too many treats can have more adverse effects than good ones. And you wouldn’t want your Irish setter to become lazy and overweight!

It’s a fun game to play with your Irish setter. After all, it stimulates your dog’s mind and gives you two a chance to spend more quality time together. Before starting the game, ensure your Irish setter knows the names of the toys you’ll be hiding.

Here’s how to help your Irish setter learn the name of their dog toys:

Sit down with your Irish setter and your chosen toy.
Put the dog toy on the ground in front of you and your Irish setter. Once settled, inform your dog of its name.
Once your Irish setter touches or grabs the dog toy, praise them or reward them with treats.
Repeat the past steps but with different toys. Remember to take it slow to ensure your Irish setter is keeping up.

Once your Irish setter learns all the names of their dog toys, you can now play the “go find the” game with them.

✔️ Create an Obstacle Course For Your Irish Setter.

One of the most brain-stimulating activities for Irish setters is obstacle courses. Teaching your Irish setter how to go through them can be a rewarding mental workout! And the best part is, you can make an obstacle course from scratch at home. You don’t need to spend cash on new items since you can use the things you already have.

You don’t have to be crafty to make an obstacle course for your Irish setter. And you can use alternatives available at your home. I used blankets and some dog toys as the obstacles and stacks of books as pillars. Even if your course doesn’t look professional, it should be enough as long as your Irish setter can go through it.

With the obstacle course, you can teach your Irish setter to “weave” through the stacks of books, “jump” over the dog toys, or “go” to the blankets. Not only are these mentally stimulating, but they can also be fun for your Irish setter! With enough repetition, your Irish setter should be brighter than ever.

✔️ Put Your Irish Setter’s Toys Away.

Although it might be contradicting to put your Irish setter’s toys away, it can work. Teaching your Irish setter to put their toys away can be mentally stimulating. It keeps their brain revving. But make sure to teach your dog positively, and you might even be able to make a fun game out of the whole thing.

For instance, if you keep your Irish setter’s toys in a container, teach your dog to place their toys here after playing with them. Although training your Irish setter to clean up after itself may sound unusual, it can be fun for the dog. Aside from that, it can boost your Irish setter’s confidence while providing them with more mental stimulation.

Teach your Irish setter the command “drop it” and have them get a dog toy and bring it to the container. Once your dogs succeed, don’t forget to praise them or reward them with treats. Either way, with constant practice, your Irish setter should be more intelligent than ever, learning new skills they can enjoy long-term.

✔️ Be More Involved with Your Irish Setter’s Routine.

Finally, the last thing you can do to help stimulate your Irish setter’s brain is to be more involved with their daily life. After all, what dog doesn’t like hanging out with their human owners? And one of the best ways to achieve this is via interactive play. So aside from stimulating your Irish setter’s mind, it gives you two more time to spend together!

Although this might seem obvious, many owners overlook and underestimate this technique. Remember, play is essential for Irish setters to keep their minds preoccupied. With this, no one should ever be able to call your Irish setter dumb again.

It’s up to you to decide what games or things you’d want to do with your Irish setter. To give you an idea, playing tug of war or fetch are among the most famous and efficient interactive plays that can give your Irish setter more mental stimulation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why are Irish setters dumb?

A: Irish setters are famous for being intelligent hunting dogs. But they get a bad rap of getting called dumb due to their carefree nature. After all, this breed is also as mischievous and energetic as they can get! And Irish setters mature slow, so expect your grown dog to display puppylike behavior. So, Irish setters aren’t dumb at all—they’re just carefree dogs who want to have fun!

Q: Are Irish setters challenging to train?

A: With the rumor of Irish setters being dumb, many assume this breed is hard to train. But it’s the opposite as Irish setters are one of the most trainable dogs ever! After all, their initial purpose was to hunt, so training them should be a breeze. Still, Irish setters can be stubborn or manipulative, so be firm when training your dog.

Q: How will I know if my Irish setter is mentally stimulated?

A: Sometimes, people mistake Irish setters for being dumb due to a lack of mental stimulation. You can determine if your Irish setter isn’t mentally stimulated through their behavior. For instance, if your dog starts pacing around and acting restless, this can signify boredom. And that often leads to odd behavior people may mistake as “dumbness.”

Q: How much mental stimulation do Irish setters need daily?

A: Irish setters need at least 20 minutes of mental stimulation daily. It should be enough to keep this energetic breed entertained for the day. Still, the time depends on each dog. For instance, higher energy breeds tend to need more stimulation.

Q: Can chewing help stimulate my Irish setter’s brain?

A: You can keep your Irish setter’s brain stimulated with chew toys. These offer excellent mental stimulation, keeping your dog entertained. After all, chewing is a fun and exciting activity for any dog breed—and often asks for a lot of their attention. So, it’s easy to see how chew toys can build up your Irish setter’s brain power.

Final Words

Are Irish setters dumb? It’s difficult to pinpoint how this rumor of Irish setters being dumb began. But those rumors are far from the truth. After all, these dogs are some of the most intelligent of the setters breed. But you can always help stimulate your Irish setter’s brain by being more involved with their routines.

Igor Rubina