The Irish Wolfhound is the tallest known breed of dog. It is a sighthound, a galloping hound, a member of the greyhound family, which also includes the Afghan Hound, Borzoi, Greyhound, Ibizan hound, Italian Greyhound, Pharaoh hound, Saluki, Scottish Deerhound (its closest relative), Whippet, and countless other lesser-known Mediterranean, and Eastern breeds.

The Irish Wolfhound is somehow more than a dog. Owning a wolfhound used to be a priviledge of nobility. Now anyone can buy one providing that one has enough time, passion and money to provide this dog with a worthy life. Wolfhounds are big, they eat a lot, they require regular access to a large running space, comfortable sofas and their veterinary bills are high. The owner must have reasonably large car and a powerful vaccum cleaner.

However, everything depends on the commitment of the prospective owner. For example, we are not exemplary owners since we live in a flat in the middle of a reasonably large town and we both work. We solved the problem by moving to a new flat just a few minutes away from our work. This way Tekla does not have to stay alone for a longer time than 3 hours at a time, which is exactly what she likes to use for her nap. Every evening we drive to a large beach where Tekla can run free for a couple of hours with all kinds of dogs including some wolfhound friends. Of course a wolfhound will love to live in a house with a reasonably large running area around (do not forget a very high fence). But the most important is that the wolfhound gets a lot of attention from the family and is allowed to participate in all family activities.

Puppies

The most important issue during this period is lots of love and a proper diet. A wolfhound puppy is growing with a immense speed and if he is fed improperly it may lead to devastating health problems. Every breeder must provide a new owner with exact advices about feeding. We have used Hill`s Large Breed Growth until Tekla was 15 months and she turned out healthy and sound. Wolfhounds become fully grown at age of 2-3 years old.

The puppy should not be exercised. It is good to begin with walks and letting the dog run free in some safe area. It is good if the dog can meet other dogs and develop social skills but he should not be allowed to play too extensively.

The puppy must be vaccinated and dewormed according to breeder instructions.

Character

Wolfhounds are courageous, gentle, sensitive and show a lot of fidelity. It is important that their owners set clear boundaries of what is allowed. However, any force, screaming and even worse, hitting the dog is a terribly wrong choice. Remember that this dog is larger and far stronger than you, there is no reason he should tolerate your abuse. A wolfhound will be extremely obedient whenever he is treated with respect and love. The best way of training a wolfhound is to praise all behaviours we like. Wolfhounds are intelligent, learn quickly and have excellent memory.

Then again, they are intelligent enough to consider excessive obedience training boring and unnecessary. A wolfhound should not be a first choice of a person who wants to shine in the obedience ring. However, it is possible to train a wolfhound to become a obedience champion. If your dog loves spending time with you enough he will agree to do all these strange exercises. Training should never be longer than 15 minutes at a time and it must be fun for the dog. Find a treat or a toy that the dog loves and use it frequently as a reward.

Wolfhounds do not make particularly good guard dogs although their size is of course frightening to many. Wolfhounds are sighhound and they prefer to use their sight rather than sense of smell to locate interesting items. However, Tekla is able to find us without any problem when she is allowed to use only her nose. Our attemps to make her use this ability to find "things" were not succesful. One activity that wolfhounds really enjoy is lure cursing where they are chasing a "prey" that moves in haphazard way. The dog should be at least 18 months before such training starts.

Wolfhounds make excellent family members as they are great with children. They have a lot of patience and devotion to children and they are very gentle and careful around children. Of course a puppy should not be left alone with a small child unattended.

Owing a wolfhound is a wonderful experience and a GREAT RESPONSIBILITY.