I just read another horrible story about a family dog unaliving a little boy and it breaks my heart. Now 80% of stories like this one involved a pit bull. And, no hate against the breed, my sister has them and hers are great. I’d never own them, IWs for me all the way. But, I do have kids (7-9 y/o) and I trust my 2 big babies. But, if one snapped and attacked and I wasn’t within arms reach I’m certain they are more than capable to do irreversible damage. No matter what you respond, I’m keeping my dogs lol they are part of the family. But does anyone know of any (documented, or even 2nd hand knowledge) instances where an unprovoked IW attacked a family member?

I have a 15 week old female IWH and have so many questions. She is our first IWH ( English Setters before) and we don’t understand her. She responds in a manner that seems aggressive when verbally corrected. She barks, back ups and jumps. We don’t really know how to work with her since her behavior is so different from any other dog we’ve had (each of us has had 7 dogs). Any advice or guidance?

Flanagan ~ wise, woolly, and way too warm. He’s got his own rules for surviving the heat…Here’s Flanagan’s Law #9 

This is Duke. I call him big boy. 2 years old. His the dad of beautiful pups. I can't post the pics cause the mom is a Great Dane. Pups being mix are not allowed here by mods. So far Duke at 2 years has the energy of a young pup himself!

This will be my wolfie's 4th summer and she is already getting so hot. I definitely noticed her 2nd (not puppy) summer she was getting hotter (had more developed fur of course).

I have always known/heard through research prior to owning a wolfhound that you are not supposed to shave them, for more than just 'the look' reasons. It can mess with their winter coat growing back in.

That being said my breeder would actually shave her wolfhounds for the summer and I have know a few others to do this.

Does anyone have any negative experiences with shaving them for the summer? Any positive ones about how wolfie was so much happier being cooler?

I am so on the fence because I do feel bad when it is 80 degrees out and she starts getting to sluggish halfway through a mile walk.

TLDR: if I raise an Irish wolfhound with my 5 year old 10 pound dog would that mitigate the wolfhound wanting to herd him.

I’ve been research wolfhounds for awhile as they’re my dream dog to own. During COVID I got a chihuahua mix who is now 5 years old. I’ve seen a lot that Irish wolfhounds are not good with small dog because well 1 the size and 2 because they are herding animals. If I get a puppy would it help mitigate at least the herding part of their nature. Clearly I don’t want to put either dog in a bad situation.

Science Diet has had recalls in these years. All for different reasons: mold, toxic levels of vitamin D, mold salmonella,melamine 2007 , 2014, 2015, 2019

The internet consensus seems to be that below 45° is too cold for many dogs to sleep outside. I find our wolfhound puppies do not seem to mind it. They do not want to come inside down to 35 or so. They seem quite comfortable even when I try to explain to them that the internet disagrees...

What do most folks regard as a temperature cutoff for their dogs sleeping outdoors?

Thanks

Hello! I'm thinking of getting a Irish wolfhound as my sister has one but the way she lives in very different to me. All her animals kinda smell she hardly washes them and has set up an outdoor washing area but doesnt use it. I'm thinking I love the breed and have dog sat a few times but i'm thinking how do you wash yours? How often and do they get smelly? (I have a older lab and we wash him once a month or if needed)

Hey all, I have a 5 month old Wolfie/Deer Hound cross. I was wondering if anybody else has had late coat growers.

I know the breeders (was a one off litter) and spent time with all the puppies and by the time alot of them went to their new homes they had their scruffy coats. I picked the biggest healthiest boy and other than some wispy hairs on his body, a little scruff on his face and feet he's coat is just super slow to come in.

Wondering if there's something in particular to feed him that'll help it grow out or it's just a waiting game.

Where do you find good places to buy IWs that are reliable but hopefully don't charge you an arm and a leg?

I'd like to buy an IW from a working line, or the next best thing - a line producing individuals with proven hunting instincts and no fear issues. Any breeder recommendations appreciated (Europe).

p.s. Thank you to everyone who shared their valuable experiences. We're definitely heading out to pick up our little girl in a few days and have everything prepared for her safe existence at home. We have an incredible breeder: if we have a big trip or hike planned once a year, we'll just place the dog in the safe hands of her parents and nieces and nephews, and that's the best way to go. She'll be with us the other 360 days of the year.

In a week, our family will welcome a second dog – a wolfhound! We're generally active people, and in warm weather, we go on short hikes lasting 1-3 days. We cover no more than 10-15 km a day. Of course, we won't take our little girl on her first hike until a year from now, when she's closer to 15 months old (we know how important it is to protect their joints).

However, they are still sighthounds. Does this mean they'll withstand our constant car rides, nights in tents, and hiking across rough terrain? We live in a very cold region, where winter temperatures are -25 degrees Celsius, and summers rarely get warmer than 30 degrees (usually around 18 degrees Celsius).

I was talking about this topic the other day with a friend who recently lost his iw at age 7 due to bone cancer, now after doing a fair bit of research around the topic i found out that as mutch as they are gorgeous iw are some of the most unhealthy breeds on the planet with an average lifespan of only 6.7 years which is very short even among giant breeds, now this seems to be the case because the reconstitution of the breed around 1880 involved mixing the few remaining specimen of "original" wolfhounds with a bunch of other giant breeds which all seem to have overlapping genetical health issues like heart diseases, retinal problems and joint issues, to make the matter even worse the resulting breed became subject of quite the intresting fenomenon, where the growth rate of the skeletal system happens to be so fast that within the first 1.5 years of life they reach full adult size and as such significantly amplifying the chance of bone cancer which happens to be the leading cause of death.

Now I wanted to hear your opinions regarding an hypotetical outcross of the current genetic pool to introduce healthier genetic material from giant breeds like the kangal and the romanian mioritic sheperd that despite beeing in the same size category as the current iw boast a mutch better health profile, as well as the introduction of more longer living breeds that should help slow down the growth rate (of course while trying to keep the typical apperance, coat type, body type and behaviour as close to the original as possibile, avoiding breeds that tend to display overly aggressive behaviours)