IRISH WOLFHOUNDS FOR BEGINNERS

THE BASICS

Irish Wolfhounds are not a Dog crossed with a Wolf. They get their name because they were used for hunting wolves, just like a Deerhound hunts Deer and a Foxhound…… you get the gist!! To hunt and kill a Wolf you need to be Big, Fast, have very Sharp Teeth or have a gun, Wolfhounds cannot carry firearms, so they must be massive and fit for purpose. Yes, they are supposed to be that big! But not too big because then they would not be able to run fast enough or be agile enough to cover the terrain in which a wolf might live. You are looking at 30’’-36’’ but they do often come up to 40” to the shoulder and can be over 100kg in weight (over 15 stone).

GROWTH

Giant Breeds Grow Fast! So fast that you can almost see it happening right in front of you, this is how Giant Breeds differ to Small or Medium and even Large Breeds. They can go from weighing 1lb at birth to 140lbs (10 stone) at 10 months old and they do this by eating you out of house and home! They need a high quality diet to ensure those huge bones get all the goodness and nutrients they need.   They also need high quality to make sure most of it doesn’t come straight back out the other end!

Giant Breed Puppy Kibble

Giant Breed Turkey & Cranberry

NATURE

You will often hear them referred to as Gentle Giants! BUT, ITS A BIG BUT they will have to go through all the other phases before they arrive at GENTLE GIANT (hoping they ever become a gentle giant!!).

Puppies are huge, usually weighing a stone for every month old they are. They have long legs and run fast but have no breaks or turning skills! Puppies pull on the leash just like every other breed but with the force of a Shetland Pony! As they get older and more in control of those extra-long legs, they get faster and heavier and you may just find yourself flying through the air like a Ten Pin as they Bowl right through you (by accident or course!). They teeth just like all puppies do but this breed can destroy a Sofa or a Rug at light speed. You need to keep them occupied while also looking out for those surprisingly fragile growing bones.  Over exercising them is the worst thing you can do but they need to exercise and run to fully develop. They are not too difficult to house train but when they do have an accident these Giant Puppeeees do Giant Weeweees!

NB if you find your puppy laid upside down with back legs pointing West and Front legs pointing East, it is not broken, just asleep!

Adults are much calmer and just like greyhounds, they like to sleep.  They mainly sleep in the way, you will constantly have to step over them, or walk around them. If a stranger steps over the them, they usually like to stand up quickly to say ‘hello’! They will also unexpectedly sit on the lap of strangers in public places, if they are not sat on strangers they will be leaning on them! They can very easily dip their tongue in someone’s drink as you walk by their table in a pub and they can take a hot dog from the hand of a passing child at ninja speed, (Food festivals are not the best place to take such a large hound!) They head butt when you least expect it, when you are sat on your sofa taking a sip of your freshly brewed tea is a favourite time, they can smash the cup into your teeth and pour hot boiling beverage all over your lap, just because they want your attention.  Ladies, if you have a decent size breast they are also going to use them to get your attention…… and it hurts!!!! Blokes, you don’t get away without pain, they are at the perfect height to go in and take a good forceful sniff at your crown jewels, without any warning! Strangers bottoms are also always far too tempting to let them pass by!! Oh and always discourage them from giving you a paw, their paws are huge and heavy, it is known as Clobber Paw because like the head butting, it hurts when it unexpectedly hits you.

Lets not forget that they are hunting hounds, it is in their genetic make up, so most likely if it runs they will chase it and if it is a rabbit, squirrel or bird they will kill it very easily and quite often swallow it before you know what is happening.  If you have two or more Wolfhound’s they will then parade it round like a Trophy and play tug of war with the tiny dead body!!! They are not for the Squeamish.

GENERAL

Big Hound, Big Car, Big Bed, Big Bowl, Big Food Bill, Big Vet Bills, Big Bruises, Big LAP DOG!!! Everything is no longer safe on your kitchen surfaces or tables, if it is at Wolfhound height, it now belongs to the Wolfhound!! Your ornaments and belongings on shelves and the coffee table are now at the mercy of a ridiculously long Wolfhound tail (with a mind of its own), it also hurts when they whip you with it. Always make sure you have shoes on because when they stand on your bare feet, it hurts! If they bang or hurt themselves they will cry like a baby until you rub it better, you will be frantic with worry about what they have done, then they will bound away like it never happened. They will also always come for a cuddle every time they have a drink and their beard WILL be full of water! You will NEVER be able to go out with your Wolfhound without people approaching you, they will want photos, they will want to talk to you!!!!

COMMON REACTIONS TO YOUR WOLFHOUND

• You could put a saddle on that! (Comedian)
• I bet you need big poo bags! (Comedian)
• How much does he eat? (Shocked)
• Does it live in your house? (Disgusted)
• The Dingles have one of these on Emmerdale! (oh really!)
• My Neighbours German Shepherd is bigger than him! (my dad can run faster than your dad)
• Oh wow look at that Afghan (Misinformed)
• Did you know he would get this big? (Yes!!!)
• Is this the way to Baskerville? (Original lol)

And lastly….. ONE IS NEVER ENOUGH!!!!!!