Irish Wolfhounds

gazoo

gazoo

O.G.
Aug 26, 2006
8,716
2,319
#1
We've got 2 rescue kitties and are thinking of adding an Irish Wolfhound to our family. I've read everything I can get my hands on and like that they're calm despite their size. Our daughter had wanted a Malamute, but after speaking to several breeders, we were warned off about their high prey drive and having our kitties at risk is a not an option.

Does anyone have an Irish Wolfhound? I'd love to see photos and hear about your experiences. Any information, good or bad, would be appreciated. We wouldn't be pulling the trigger for a while yet. Still in the researching phase.
 
#2
gazoo said:
We've got 2 rescue kitties and are thinking of adding an Irish Wolfhound to our family. I've read everything I can get my hands on and like that they're calm despite their size. Our daughter had wanted a Malamute, but after speaking to several breeders, we were warned off about their high prey drive and having our kitties at risk is a not an option.

Does anyone have an Irish Wolfhound? I'd love to see photos and hear about your experiences. Any information, good or bad, would be appreciated. We wouldn't be pulling the trigger for a while yet. Still in the researching phase.
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I don't have one. I knew someone years ago who had one and he said the dog was very protective (and of course very large).
If I'm not mistaken, very large dogs don't live very long. Don't know if that would deter you.
 
#3
Yes the longevity is a concern, I've read that they can go from 5 to 9 years. I know most large breeds don't live much past 10 years, but we prefer a larger dog. I fostered a Newfie a few years ago and loved the experience. She was with me a little over a year and I would have chosen to get another if not for the constant drooling. Even with a bib, it was all over the place.
 
#4
Irish wolfhounds are amazing dogs, they are great family dogs and with other pets as well.

I grew up with newfies my whole life, my dad still has Gryphon who is 165 lbs (a big boy newf!) I've always loved big working class dogs and how they think they're lapdogs lol

only cons would be it's necessary to supplement their food with meat, veggies and rice because they grow so fast they need the extra vitamins that most dry food doesn't have. we've done this with all our newfs and continue it once a day on their dry food.

one of my close friends I grew up with had an irish wolfhound and he was a big carpet, there were days where I would go to open their front door and he wouldn't move so I would just slide the rug with Alaska (irish wolfhound) and slip into the door lol.
 
#5
I don't own one, but there is one here in town that I see at the dog park on a regular basis and he seems to have zero prey drive. The last time I saw him, there was a mini dachsund at the park that was still just a puppy. It was the most hilarious thing in the world to see them standing next to each other. They are a beautiful site when they are running - very graceful even though they are so large. Good luck on your research!
 
#6
My girls have been begging for a dog for years, but I wanted them to get bigger before getting one. I know small children and dogs can be a bad mix, especially bigger dogs, even at play.
 
#7
I don't own one, but my Aunt and Uncle did and he was ADORABLE. Gentle with the babies, protective of the teeny-tiny rescue pup...
Quite what Wembley T Womble will make of one will be very interesting. :smile:
ETA - like any of you would assume I DO own one, with the current menagerie LOL
 
#10
clevercat said:
I don't own one, but my Aunt and Uncle did and he was ADORABLE. Gentle with the babies, protective of the teeny-tiny rescue pup...
Quite what Wembley T Womble will make of one will be very interesting. :smile:
ETA - like any of you would assume I DO own one, with the current menagerie LOL
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I know Wembley will have a fit. He was sooooo peeved when we brought Hagar into our home. :biggrin:

I love the Wolfhound scruffy old man face.
 
#11
Candice0985 said:
btw this is Gryphon :biggrin: Newfs are great with kids!
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love these dogs! Newfie....St Bernard....so gentle
I met a Bouvier one time; that was impressive too. The man actually had two of them and he was attracting all kinds of attention while walking the dogs.
I'd love to have a very large dog but they do require some work and I imagine their food and vet bills can be pretty large too
 
#12
I've always wanted one of these but 3 things prevented me from adopting one:

cost of food (they big!)
our yard isn't big enough
keeping up with their colossal poops!

If I had a larger property and he/she was my only pet (affordability) I would totally have one.

disgusting_dog_on_woman.jpg
 
#13
gazoo said:
Yes the longevity is a concern, I've read that they can go from 5 to 9 years. I know most large breeds don't live much past 10 years, but we prefer a larger dog. I fostered a Newfie a few years ago and loved the experience. She was with me a little over a year and I would have chosen to get another if not for the constant drooling. Even with a bib, it was all over the place.
Click to expand...

My bestie's exgf's dog is still alive. He is a 16 yr old black lab. But my beloved yorkie only lived 16 years too. Go figure.

I have seen an Irish Wolfhound once.. many years ago in a dog park. He seemed friendly. :smile:
 
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#15
sdkitty said:
love these dogs! Newfie....St Bernard....so gentle
I met a Bouvier one time; that was impressive too. The man actually had two of them and he was attracting all kinds of attention while walking the dogs.
I'd love to have a very large dog but they do require some work and I imagine their food and vet bills can be pretty large too
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It's actually time consuming walking gryphon. People pull over in their cars to ask to pet him. Some guy with a blog asked to take a selfie with him last summer lol!

On average I'm stopped at least 3 times a walk to talk to people about him
 
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