Irish Wolfhound Dog Breed Profile
The First of our dog breed profile is the Irish Wolfhound.
It is the first in our blog as we love them!!!
The Irish Wolfhound is an ancient breed of dog which dates as far back as the Roman records in 391AD. (The AKC.org 2013) In ancient times this breed was often given to royalty as a gift. Often refered to as "Ch" which is Irish Wolfdog. As the breed relayed on Elk and Wolfs when they had hunted the prey to extinction the Irish Wolfies or wolf doggies started to decline. I wasnt untill 1800's when a Scottish Deerhound breeder "Captain George Augustus Graham" took an interested in the Irish Wolfies (the true Irish Wolfhound) and decided to re introduce the breed. Obviously the gene pool was very small so he needed to create a larger gene pool, He breed the true wolfies with other breeds such as deerhound, borzoi and hreat danes. The Breed was accepted into the Kennel Clubs in 1885 as a reg breed. However the Wolfhounds we see today are not true wolfies. (iwcc.ca, 2013)
They are hunters and worked as a hunter, war dog and a guard dog although not aggressive their size was useful. They are so good at hunting that the species they hunted mostly wolfs and large Elk, went into extinction in Ireland, this had a huge impact on the breed and by 1900's the Irish Wolfhound had almost disappeared.
The Irish Wolfhound is a very easy going temperament, very kind, loving and intelligent, making them excellent family pets! They are easy going with other animals, but must be watched at first as they can give chase.
They tend to be slow to mature however they do tend to grow fast making them very large puppies!, they need moderate exercise to ensure there joints are not over worked when young, like with all giant breeds they need a good high protein feed when growing.
It is a good idea to train this breed at an early age due to its size and straight, it is very easy to train as they are very intelligent and learn fast
Like with any hunting hound you should be careful when having this breed off the lead as they will hunt instinctively.
They are extremely large, the tallest of the dog breeds at a standard 35 - 39 inch to the withers, and when standing on hind legs can reach around 7 feet tall! Although large they do not need a lot of exercise, but they do need a large home.
When buying an Irish Wolfhound is it wise to have them checked as this breed can suffer from Hip Dysplasia, Bone Cancer, Von Willebrands and Cardiomyopathy. Most of these are common in large and giant breeds. You should make sure to have their food off the ground to prevent bloat and twisted stomach which is caused by having the food to low down for large breeds.
They do not live as long as most breeds with a life expectancy of 6 - 8 years.
The AKC Breed Standards = Taken from AKC.org 2013.
General Appearance Of great size and commanding appearance, the Irish Wolfhound is remarkable in combining power and swiftness with keen sight. The largest and tallest of the galloping hounds, in general type he is a rough-coated, Greyhound-like breed; very muscular, strong though gracefully built; movements easy and active; head and neck carried high, the tail carried with an upward sweep with a slight curve towards the extremity. The minimum height and weight of dogs should be 32 inches and 120 pounds; of bitches, 30 inches and 105 pounds; these to apply only to hounds over 18 months of age. Anything below this should be debarred from competition. Great size, including height at shoulder and proportionate length of body, is the desideratum to be aimed at, and it is desired to firmly establish a race that shall average from 32 to 34 inches in dogs, showing the requisite power, activity, courage and symmetry.
Head Long, the frontal bones of the forehead very slightly raised and very little indentation between the eyes. Skull, not too broad. Muzzle, long and moderately pointed. Ears, small and Greyhound-like in carriage.
Neck Rather long, very strong and muscular, well arched, without dewlap or loose skin about the throat.
Chest Very deep. Breast, wide.
Back Rather long than short. Loins arched.
Tail Long and slightly curved, of moderate thickness, and well covered with hair.
Belly Well drawn up.
Forequarters Shoulders, muscular, giving breadth of chest, set sloping. Elbows well under, neither turned inwards nor outwards.
Leg Forearm muscular, and the whole leg strong and quite straight.
Hindquarters Muscular thighs and second thigh long and strong as in the Greyhound, and hocks well let down and turning neither in nor out.
Feet Moderately large and round, neither turned inwards nor outwards. Toes, well arched and closed. Nails, very strong and curved.
Hair Rough and hard on body, legs and head; especially wiry and long over eyes and underjaw.
Color and Markings The recognized colors are gray, brindle, red, black, pure white, fawn or any other color that appears in the Deerhound.
Faults Too light or heavy a head, too highly arched frontal bone; large ears and hanging flat to the face; short neck; full dewlap; too narrow or too broad a chest; sunken or hollow or quite straight back; bent forelegs; overbent fetlocks; twisted feet; spreading toes; too curly a tail; weak hindquarters and a general want of muscle; too short in body. Lips or nose liver-colored or lacking pigmentation.
