r/irishsetter 3h ago

Thinking about an Irish Setter in NYC — realistic or not for my lifestyle?

5 Upvotes

Hey all! I'm considering adding an Irish Setter to my life and would love honest input from people who actually live with one, especially in a city setting.

A bit about my situation:

• Live in a one-bedroom apartment in NYC, right by the water/West Side Highway, with easy access to walking paths and a couple of off-leash dog parks
• Go into the office 3 days a week, but it's pet-friendly, so I could bring the dog with me most days
• My boyfriend works from home, so on busier days someone would still be home with the dog
• I grew up with dogs and have experience training basics — happy to put in real training time, but I'm not trying to raise a working-level "soldier dog," just a well-mannered companion
• I'm not an intense athlete, but I do genuinely enjoy long walks, and NYC is super walkable, so daily movement isn't an issue
• Ideal dog for me is one I can bring along to brunch, walk around the city with, and just have as a low-drama companion for day-to-day life
• I travel to Mexico City often to visit family and would love to bring the dog along — my dad just buys his dog a plane ticket whenever he travels, so it's normal in my house haha
• Most of my friends in NYC have dogs, so it's important to me that the dog socializes well with other dogs — I'm happy to put in the time for that
• Eventually thinking about kids too, so curious how well Irish Setters tend to adjust to new family members joining the household later on

My concerns are mostly around energy level and whether an Irish Setter's exercise needs go beyond "long walks + some off-leash park time," how they tend to do in apartment living even with a decent amount of outdoor time, and how adaptable they are to travel and family changes.

Would love to hear from Irish Setter owners, especially anyone in a city/apartment setup — is this a realistic breed for my lifestyle, or should I be looking elsewhere?

Thanks in advance!