Irish Wolfhounds!

[redbeard]

 

  Been a sad month at the log yard. We lost Sadie the black Giant Schnauzer two weeks ago and Bernie the Mountain dog last spring both lived their full life span and then some.  So now Iam researching Irish Wolfhounds I have no experience with them let alone never have even seen one up close so if anyone has a warning good or bad I would like to hear some personal experiences. My last dogs were big and customers loved them and they were good with kids and there job was to let me know when someone comes around. We have fenced acreage and I have a big kennel area, so were prepared to raise a new dog or dogs. So i just putting it out there for any stories on Irish Wolfhounds. I do know there life span is 7-8 years and they can demolish a living room sofa in a few hrs and reach food that's on top of your refrigerator.

[WmFritz]

So sad to lose one of our friends, redbeard. Sorry for both of your losses.

I don't know the breed. Remember a neighbor having one as a kid.  Their backyard was only about 50' square and that big boy never got to run like he needed.

[Southside]

Sorry to hear about the bad month, always hard when they go.  A number of years back I had a girl friend who had a Wolfhound, he was a big boy for sure, but a good dog, did not have any issues at all with people or other dogs. 

[pine]

Sorry to hear of the bad year and your most recent loss.

I am not an expert on the breed at all but run into them quite often in competitions. 
The national club has info at  http://www.iwclubofamerica.org/index.html
The Puget Sound club and contact points can be found at http://www.iwcps.org/links.html
I would encourage you to talk to some of the local folks as they can definitely give you more info. 
If you want to meet a lot of them (the dogs) in person and meet some owners I would go to the Evergreen State Fairgrounds on Hwy 2 in Monroe, WA on the weekend of 15 and 16 November (dog show competition).  You will have a chance to meet and see a fair number of them and their owners as well as locate some responsible breeders of the breed.

[thecfarm]

Sad to hear. I was around one at a local junk yard. A tall dog for sure. Seem like a good dog too me. I went there once when the owner was not. He told me it would be fine,the dog knew who I was.

[WDH]

Sorry to hear about losing your friend, Redbeard.

[yukon cornelius]

Sorry for the losses!

I have seen a few. I really liked them! they were well mannered in a public setting. I really like big dogs. I do miss my coonhounds but I sure love my great dane, Dozer.

 

[sandhills]

Sorry to hear that Redbeard, I can't help any on the Wolfhounds either but love our mastiff Miley.  There's definitely something special with those big dogs!

[Alexanderthelate]

No expert me, but apparently the Wolf hound is not an old breed- the original breed died out, the modern Irish Wolfhound is a recreation, mainly crosses of Great Danes and Deer hounds. The Dane is known for it's health issues, so I would think twice about owning one.

[Holmes]

  The dog show sounds like a great idea. You never know what might strike your fancy.  8)

[redbeard]

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/images15/IrishWolfhoundFrankBrendan.JPG Yes the dog show is a great idea and not very far from me. Picking a new breed of dog that's out of my raising and training scope is a big decision. Small house is another Con for me.

[hardtailjohn]

The only thing wrong with a good dog is that they just don't last long enough!  Sorry to hear about the losses...
John

[coxy]

holy chatter box them dogs are big  :D :D they must eat 100 pounds a day   ;D   do they shed a lot of hair  :-\

[insculpta]

Since you are looking...have you considered Norwegian Elkhounds?  Few people have heard of the dog of the Vikings. 



 

They are more wolf than dog though, so not for the faint of heart...  They shed profusely and bark quite a bit, which rules out 98% of prospective dog owners.  They are tough and love the woods and snow.  They are still used to run down moose in Scandinavian countries, including Norway.  They will hunt bear or retrieve grouse.  In Norway, they are farm dogs.  We are on our 5th one over the years.  They live 12-15 yrs and a male should weigh about 55 lbs.  Fetch and other stupid tricks are beneath them...like I said, a dog with the intelligence of a wolf.  They will do almost anything for a favorite treat, they only way to train them really.  They shut down if you use anything but positive reinforcement.



  



 

Good luck in your search!

insculpta

[Billbob]

 My wife and I have an Irish Wolfhound.  2 years old, 175lbs, female.  They were originally bred to hunt European wolves.  North American wolves are alot bigger but a friend of ours saw her Wolfhound tear apart a coyote!  The Wolfhounds are quite intelligent.  The only thing about them that makes them a good guard dog is their size, which can intimidate most.  They love people to much.  Ours seems to be timid of young children.  Either she doesn't like the commotion or she can't figure out why they are so small!!  They can be very stubborn sometimes only doing things that they figure is in their best interest.  Our dog is very gentle but will put up a ruckus when she hears or sees something strange.  They love other animals but you have to watch them around small animals, especially cats.  Typical hound, they are a sight dog and once locked onto something it is hard to break their focus.  They are good communicators indicating what they want and what they don't like.  Like any dog they can be trained to do most things....stay off the furniture, keep your nose off the kitchen counters, etc.  Over all they are a good family dog and I wouldn't trade mine for anything!


 


 


 

[5quarter]

Inscultpa...Those are professionally composed photos. absolutely gorgeous! Are those your dogs? I bet they are good mushers. I've known Norwegian elkhounds and as you say, they are not for the faint of heart. Just like Huskies, they need to work. unless someone needed a sled pulled, cows herded or something similar, I wouldn't recommend them. They take  a lot of training and will still do as they please much of the time.
My Dads friend had a Norwegian Elkhound that would come hunting with us. He was rowdy, but a really good bird dog. off he'd go into the brush. and after a moment up came the pheasant. Boom! the pheasant would go down and off he'd go. a minute later he'd come up to us with the pheasant in tow. he'd drop it and then start whining for a treat. My Dads friend would toss him a piece of a slim jim and off he'd go to look for more birds.  :D
Not much help with the Irish Wolfhound though. The only one I've known was a really old male that was on more meds than carter has pills.

[coxy]

funny how a lot of people train there dogs with slim jims   :laugh: :laugh:

[insculpta]

Are those your dogs? I bet they are good mushers.

Not mine, but they all look about like that!  Some are a bit darker in the face than others.  At the risk of hijacking the thread... There are two Facebook pages for the breed "Norwegian Elkhound" with over 2,000 members here in NA and "Norse Elghund Gra" for lots of moose hunting photos by the Norwegians.

Good luck with your search for a wolfhound!

insculpta

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

Good Pics Y'all! 

[redbeard]

This thread can go any direction you guys want. I am just looking for stories on big dogs. The Irish Wolfhound intriges me. Newfoundland's are in my sights also. Billbob did your pup grow fast in first 6 months I have heard they can injure there joints. Not sure if that means keeping them kenneled more til they gain maturity to there size. Also could they jump a 5' fence easily?

[Billbob]

This thread can go any direction you guys want. I am just looking for stories on big dogs. The Irish Wolfhound intriges me. Newfoundland's are in my sights also. Billbob did your pup grow fast in first 6 months I have heard they can injure there joints. Not sure if that means keeping them kenneled more til they gain maturity to there size. Also could they jump a 5' fence easily?

Oh yeah!  She grew fast.  The photo of her by the log pile was at 1 1/2 years old.  The one in the lake is from this summer at 2 years old.   You do have to keep an eye on their activity for the first 1 1/2.  Let them run and wrestle as much as they want but keep the jumping to a minimum as they could injure their joints when they are young.  I think a 5 foot fence jump would be asking a lot unless she had a running start.  I wouldn't be concerned about it.  Mine doesn't seem to be interested in jumping unless she is really excited.  Like last week she jumped clear over  the picnic table.  She was happy that we were going for a walk in the woods.  If you have a big piece of property like I do then there is no need to keep them kenneled.  My house is 600 feet from the road.  It doesn't take a lot of training to teach them to stay in the yard.  Now that my Wolfhound is mature she spends most of her day sleeping on the front lawn or wanders up to the horse barn.  Even when her two buddies across the road are barking she'll stay in the yard.  The Wolfhound spends most of her day thinking about food or sleep (reminds me of a lot of the guys on this Forum! :laugh:)  And she is fast!  She can out run the Border Collie on the straight away.  Here is a pic of her today out for a walk with her buddies.


 

[sandhills]

Billbob, is the darker dog in the green a shepherd also?  Wow that Wolfhound really dwarfs the rest of them!

[Billbob]

Yep he is.  5 years old.  Both shepards owned by our neighbour.  In the photo, left to right, German Sheperd (Sampson), Border Collie (Paddy), German Sheperd (Lilah), Irish Wolfhound (Tinsel).
The little sheperd is almost a dwarf.  A real happy dog, alway running and mischievous.

[tule peak timber]

The photo of your crew is terrific ! 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8)Border collies are too cool for school ! :D

 

[davidlarson]

We had a Belgian mountain dog that looked like the first photo in the first post of this thread.  Her name was Lena (she liked to lean against us.  Our daughter thought Eileen might have been another good name).  She was much beloved, but had the short life span and hip joint problems of many big dogs.  I hope you find a good dog that suits you.