# Ask an Irish Wolfhound Owner :)



## IWlover (Sep 4, 2009)

It was suggested that I start a thread about IWs. So, here I am ready to answer any questions anyone might have about IWs. I'm raising my third one right now--he's 5 months old. I got my first IW in 1990.

I'm not an expert by any means, but I do read a lot about IWs and retain _some_ of it. But I can only tell you what I've experienced and what I've heard from other IW owners. 

Reply to the most common remark I get from passersby (Do you ever put a saddle on him? You could ride him if you had a saddle, etc.): 

No and no


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## Meshkenet (Oct 2, 2009)

IW are my dream breed, and I truly would like to own one in the not-so-near future. I haven't looked for a good breeder around here yet, so if you know of any in Quebec, Can, it would be nice; if not, what shoudl I look for in a breeder (any specific health testing, for example)? Other than that, how much exercise do yours need? How are they around the house? How do they do with people outside the family?


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## Loki Love (May 23, 2010)

Meshkenet said:


> IW are my dream breed, and I truly would like to own one in the not-so-near future. I haven't looked for a good breeder around here yet, so if you know of any in Quebec, Can, it would be nice; if not, what shoudl I look for in a breeder (any specific health testing, for example)? Other than that, how much exercise do yours need? How are they around the house? How do they do with people outside the family?


I know of a reputable breeder in the Gatineau region (http://www.aotearoaiws.net/). I was given her name after running into a gentleman walking two of them at one of the local markets here in Montreal. I have no idea if she's still breeding, etc but she could probably point in the right direction of other reputable breeders for IW.


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

thank you for starting this thread! I have lots of questions, lets see how many I can remember right now!
* you've had three....how old were they when you got them? Have they come from reputable breeders or rescues?
* how tall and how many pounds were/are yours?
* have you had all three at the same time?
* what do you feed them? Is bloat a serious worry with IW's?
* we have all hardwood floors and don't anticipate moving unless I win a lottery or go to heaven, so hardwood will be our flooring forever. Is this something okay with IW's? 
* how energetic are yours as puppies? As adults? 
* Obviously you love the breed, what are the downfalls of owning one, if any?


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## ThoseWordsAtBest (Mar 18, 2009)

No questions, just a demand for photos. We keep saying an IW will be our next dog.


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## IWlover (Sep 4, 2009)

Meshkenet said:


> IW are my dream breed, and I truly would like to own one in the not-so-near future. I haven't looked for a good breeder around here yet, so if you know of any in Quebec, Can, it would be nice; if not, what shoudl I look for in a breeder (any specific health testing, for example)? Other than that, how much exercise do yours need? How are they around the house? How do they do with people outside the family?


I don't know of any Quebec IW breeders offhand, but I could certainly ask some IW friends for suggestions. 

What you should look for in a breeder: lots of health testing: hips, heart, liver shunt are the ones I know off the top of my head. 

Exercise: less than you might think and more than you might think  While they are still fast-growing puppies, less; when they are grown, more, in that they will not, IME get hyper if not exercised a lot, but healthwise, more exercise is better for them. As puppies, you don't want to put too much stress on those huge, growing joints. Too much heavy impact (lots of jumping and stairs) can actually sometimes lead to the legs not growing and developing properly. So, no fast-paced mile walks until they are at least 6 months or older. Slower leash walks definitely a good thing for socialization and leash-training (which you want to start before they out-weigh you!)

How they are around the house: they take up a lot of space, but are calm and gentle when grown, and even as huge puppies they tend to be careful, IME. Gotta watch where those long, strong tails are wagging sometimes though! They are not barkers. At all. You will get some that will alarm-bark when someone's at the door (my 1st hound did) but mostly, they are quiet. 

How they are with people outside the family: a well-bred, well-socialized hound is usually dignified and friendly. If there's any fault they can tend towards it would be shyness, but that shouldn't be a problem with good, common-sense socialization starting as puppies. They have what I call a "soft" temperament. Very sensitive, intuitive, considerate, sweet.

[Quote removed by moderator]

My first and third IWs were quite smart--did well in obedience classes, easy to train. Actually, my second was easy to train too, but not quite as fast at figuring things out as the other two. The pup I have now is really, really smart. He catches on with one short session and has every since I started puppy classes with him. He learns new words very easily, he listens and focuses very well. But I think he's a bit of a prodigy 



InkedMarie said:


> thank you for starting this thread! I have lots of questions, lets see how many I can remember right now!
> 
> you've had three....how old were they when you got them? Have they come from reputable breeders or rescues?
> how tall and how many pounds were/are yours?
> ...


Pup 1 I got at 8 weeks old. Pup 2 I got at 13 weeks old. Pup 3 at 10 weeks old. All from breeders. The first breeder was well-known but sort of prided herself on being a bit of a maverick. The pup I got from her started off really shy and that was compounded by an traumatic incident 2 days after she came to our house, which made matters worse for a while. But we worked through it with the help of extra training and counterconditioning.

Most reputable breeders will not let a pup go before 10 weeks. I think it's actually part of the IWCA code of ethics. 

Size: #1 was 34" (at the shoulder, as all height should be measured) and weighed 145 pounds, female. Spayed. Lived to be 9.5 years old.
#2 33.5" and 125-130 pounds. He was neutered when he was about 8 months old and that was one reason why he ended up so rangy and slim. He also was never a really good eater. Lived to be 11.3 years old.
#3 is still growing but right now, at age 5 months is about 29" and 90-some pounds, I'd guess. He's about dead-average according to growth charts I've seen.

Most I ever had was 2 at a time. I got my second when my first was 5 or 6 years old. I also had, at the time, 2 young children, 2 other dogs (from the shelter) and 3 or 4 cats.

Food: it has varied according to my knowledge at the time. #1, Maeve and #2, Lear both ate only dry kibble, Nutro Max Natural Lamb and Rice. I started them both on adult kibble when they were still puppies (around 5 or 6 months old) on the advice of my vet, in order not to push their growth. For #3, Leo, I have him on Acana prairie adult, which is no-grain, low calcium and the correct calcium to phosphorus ratio. I add a little canned Evo chicken and turkey for the morning meal. 

Bloat: imo, the risk for bloat has been overstated. Great Danes, for example, have a far greater risk of bloat than do IWs. I'll see if I can find the study on that. IIRC, the percentage risk of bloat for IWs was something like--hold on, I found the link--11.7%. That's the % of IWs who_ died_ from bloat. This study has some interesting info:

http://www.wolfhoundweb.com/breedinfo/health/longevity/bernardi.html 

As well as another study which puts IW longevity in perspective: http://www.wolfhouse.dk/articles/stateofwolfhounds.php

So, with bloat, the standard advice I follow is: 2 meals a day always, on a raised (~ 18" height) bowl, keep quiet for at least an hour after eating. 

Floors, I've always had a mixture of hardwood, carpet and hard kitchen floor. You don't want they running around too much on any surface where they could slip and injure themselves, but I haven't found it to be much of an issue. 

Energy as puppies: varies, but usually fairly calm and quiet, even as puppies. My first one wasn't like this, however. She was very mouthy and got hyper sometimes. It took a long time to get her mouthiness under control, but it was quite gentle and no more than puppies of most breeds. My last 2 have been remarkably non-mouthy as puppies. Leo has never torn or chewed his toys, or chewed on anything he wasn't supposed to, and has always had a naturally very soft mouth. That's just something he was born with. I would say, that in general, they are more quiet and less energetic than the puppies of most other breeds. As adults, they are pretty much the same, even more so.

Downfalls of owing one? IME, none except you need a largish car, it helps to have a very large fenced yard, and you really have to teach them not to pull on the lead when they are young. Maeve pulled like crazy, Lear not at all, and Leo responds very well to training and is not a big puller. They want to be with you, but I have not had a problem with separation anxiety of any kind. They have all been able to be free in the house from at least age 14 months or so. Leo is free right now at 5 months, but I just got lucky with him. They house-train very easily, which is a good thing, because an accident is a huge amount to clean up  I've had good luck with life-span, so for me, longevity hasn't been a downside, but that's not the case with many other IW owners, so that's something to keep in mind.


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## CoverTune (Mar 11, 2007)

What are the grooming requirements like?


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## IWlover (Sep 4, 2009)

A bath every few months, brushing every few days. If you show, you are supposed to keep the coat stripped either by hand or with something like a Mars coat king or some of both. Nails clipped when needed and that depends. Don't ask me about shedding because that's one of those things I'm oblivious to because I'm a terrible housekeeper


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## IWlover (Sep 4, 2009)

Ok, let's see if I can post a few pix.









This is Lear and my Maine **** in Lear's last year of life. They were buddies. 









This is Lear and Lily, a rescued Plott Hound.









This is Lear as a pup.









Maeve and Lear.









Me with Maeve at a Fun Match when she was 6 months old.









Maeve with my 3 yo son. She was a very good nanny dog. Adored my kids.









Lear's big hairy face 









Leo the day I brought him home from TN.

Oops! Tried to post another pic and it wouldn't let me. Can I just say that I love that we can post photos directly from our computer files instead of having to go through a photo website?


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## Polywoggy (Mar 7, 2011)

I have only known 1 IW, and he was crossed with Lab. He looked like an IW to me, likely to someone who knew the breed better, they could have seen that "Joe" was a cross. 
Do IW's generally dislike water and swimming? I used to live on a small lake. Naturally my Golden was in it almost as much as she was on land lol. The man with Joe the IW lived a couple of blocks away, but would walk him and his small kids by the lake every day. I never saw Joe interested in the water, and the man was not the type that would have denied Joe if that was something he would have liked to do. I just thought it was interesting considering the Lab part of him.
Joe was great with those 3 young kids, all under 6 yrs old. The man was raising the kids by himself since their mother passed with cancer. Labs are generally good with kids too, but in a different way. Joe had a much calmer, gentler energy than your average Lab. That family ended up having a fire destroy their house, faulty wiring. I was relieved to hear that the whole family, including Joe made it out safely.
How strong is an IW's prey drive naturally- without them being trained one way or another? I once saw a small woman about 60 yrs old, walking 2 IWs down the street. They were behaving very nicely on the leash at the time, but I couldn't help but wonder what happens when they see a squirrel.


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

thanks for answering the questions...we have a Toyota Sienna van and fenced in yard so we should be good to go, when the time comes! I live in NH so I'll be coming to you for breeder advice!


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## TravelingKoolie (Jan 4, 2011)

Do you know if there is anyone breeding hunting and/or working lines anymore? Or have they completely fallen out of favor in that regard?


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## IWlover (Sep 4, 2009)

Traveling: lots of breeders lure course their hounds but for actually hunting? Don't know of any, although I hear of people who use wolfhounds to hunt rabbits or coyotes. Which reminds me--someone asked about prey-drive and I forgot to answer. It varies a lot between individuals and how they were raised. None of mine were particularly prey-driven and Lear not at all. It's too early to tell for sure about Leo. He has a great recall so the other day I'd just let him out back when he saw a stray kitty very close--maybe 15 feet away. The cat froze, Leo saw it, I immediately called Leo and he came to me with no hesitation. My first IW once caught and killed a mouse that ran right by her, and killed a woodchuck that was getting aggressive with my kids, but that's been it.

Marie, sounds like you're good to go!


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## Ladyedan (Feb 2, 2013)

Hi saw your picture of Leo your 5 month IWH ...where did you get this pup he is wonderful Brindle....Inave a brindle Dane and am looking for a IWH pup I fell in love with Leo pic...Ty Beverly ps I am in Ca.


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## MrsPenny (May 23, 2013)

Hi
I am new to this forum and I just wanted to say hi and also to introduce my little chap Wellington who is nine weeks old. We are from Sussex in England 
One question please my breeder fed him on baxers puppy complete and tripe ( he loves loves the tripe) not very keen on the kibble, I would quite like him to have a mainly raw diet so would it b ok to drop the kibble and give a variety of meat instead. Thanks for your help also how do I post a picture as would love to show him off


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## SDRRanger (May 2, 2013)

Absolutely beautiful. I have been in love with IW since the woman at the greenhouses bred them. I have always wanted one and when I adopted Ranger looked into any adoptable ones, but as far as I can tell IW breeders are super careful (at least in Canada) and they don't show up very often.


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## packetsmom (Mar 21, 2013)

I love IW's and yours are so handsome looking! 

How about cold? Do they tolerate it well? I'd love to have one one day. For now, we're sticking with the northern giant breeds that love the snow.


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## WesselGordon (May 17, 2017)

Hi everyone

I do not own an IW but our neighbor does. Over the last couple of weeks me and Raka built up a nice friendship over the fence to the point where I'll call him whenever I'm around their part of the yard but being an IW he shows up (or not) as he pleases.

I just have one question/observation: whenever I call him (or sometimes when I'm just around) he'll sneak up to me to so close that I can literally reach out and touch him before I'm even aware that he is around. Is that ''stealth mode'' a known characteristic of the breed?

Wessel Gordon


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## PatriciafromCO (Oct 7, 2012)

Love love love them thank you for sharing.. 
What does it mean to be a (sight-hound) ?

what is the correct coat texture. and how are the US Breeders doing. It was a big thing (argument) late 80's early 90's that the US breeders where showing and championing soft coats.. It was such a confusion rift as all individual breed circles can end up doing..


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## WesselGordon (May 17, 2017)

Patricia,

I can't answer the other questions but I will try my best to answer the first:

A sight-hound is a hound that was originally bred to hunt their prey by relying more on their eyes than their noses to locate the prey in contrast to a scent-hound where the reverse is obviously true.


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## Galathiel (Apr 11, 2012)

OP hasn't posted in almost 6 years. This is a very old thread.


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## WesselGordon (May 17, 2017)

Galathiel,

I noticed that but was hoping other owners might see my post and reply.


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