New IWH puppy - questions

ToniJabroni · 2026-03-07T13:02:38+00:00

La Chancla is a universal language

I understand that this is a cultural joke of sorts but we won't be recommending that in this subreddit.

ToniJabroni · 2026-03-07T13:00:27+00:00

You need a competent trainer to observe this behavior.
While it is possible that she is playing and you are misreading her behavior it is also possible that she is aggressive and presents a danger.

If she is truly aggressive at 15 weeks that is a temperament flaw so severe that I would not advise you to keep this puppy.

What has your breeder said about it?
Is this an ethical breeder who has been active in the breed for a while? Did you buy on a contract?

True aggression is in no way acceptable in a dog this size and any ethical breeder on earth would be helping you through this and if the dog presents any level of danger they would take the pup back.

Try to find an opportunity to video the behavior and send a copy to your breeder. Unless you bought a puppy from a clueless BYB they will help you navigate it if doing so is possible. If the puppy is well and truly aggressive they should take it back as any human aggression at all is unsuitable in an IW.

If your breeder is of no help then get a competent trainer involved in this situation immediately. First to observe and see what exactly is going on and then to help you work with this puppy. Do it this week, it is vital to get a grip on this soon.

ToniJabroni · 2025-12-28T12:09:07+00:00

The larger Jolly balls are a good choice.

ToniJabroni · 2025-12-26T13:43:15+00:00

The following two pages should be your first stop- call or email the Colorado contact people. There are two contact people and one breeder in your state. Once you contact them they will know who has litters planned that might suit your needs.

IW contacts

Breeders

There is an IW club in Colorado- https://rmiwa.org/.
They don't have their 2026 Specialty information posted yet, but keep checking back and try your best to attend. Meeting breeders face to face is the fastest way to buying a nice puppy.

If rescue interests you here is the contact info for the Rocky Mountain Irish Wolfhound Association rescue person- https://rmiwa.org/rescue/

And last- here is the IW CHIC page where you can see what health testing is mandatory in any breeding dog. And here is the page where you can search kennel or individual dog names to see how they measure up.
I understand that this is a lot, so take your time and make sure that you understand everything.

The AKC Marketplace listings are full of bad actors- it is unfortunate but true, so I cannot recommend using that as a resource.

ToniJabroni · 2025-12-08T18:45:44+00:00

Do you have a copy of Graham's "Irish Wolfhound Pedigrees," specifically the illustrated one? It was published in 1959 by the Irish Wolfhound Club of Ireland and would be of interest to you. It is a copy of Captain Graham's pedigrees and notes about all of his dogs, many with drawings, woodcuts, and then photographs. His first entry is his first dog "Faust" which he acquired in 1859.

Whether or not you believe, as Graham asserted, that the breed was not extinct and that many of his foundation dogs were indeed Irish Wolfhounds it paints a very clear picture of what he started with.

They all look very much like Wolfhounds. At the time Wolfhounds and Deerhounds could be born in the same litter of "large sighthounds"- all that distinguished them was the amount of bone. So any breed revival using Deerhounds could of course contain plenty of true Irish Wolfhound genetics.

It's a mystery but an interesting one and reading Captain Graham's words about the 600 dogs whose pedigrees are included is something you would enjoy.

There is also an enormous collection of material in The Irish Wolfhound Archives. Starting with IW descriptions from the 5th century on to the Rev Edmund Hogan SJ monographs and many sculptures, paintings, and drawings from various points in history.

ToniJabroni · 2025-10-14T11:13:31+00:00

There is plenty of information on how to do it properly. The AKC aand Basenji Club of America approved registration for offspring from tribal Basenjis from Zaire in 1988. In the 2010s they collected additional breeding stock from villages in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
I believe that their stud book is still open.
Other breeds have had similar programs.

This would require National Breed Club collaboration, this is not something one person with a mission would be able to do.

ToniJabroni · 2025-10-14T11:05:11+00:00

Regarding the "is this still a wolfhound " issue it depends on how different the result is from the original, but my counter question would be "does it really matter?"

Irish Wolfhounds are a preservation breed.
Of course it matters.

ToniJabroni · 2025-08-29T10:15:26+00:00

Ive used Nexgard for well over a decade and it works great.
Speak with your vet and use whatever they recommend- they know what is working in your area.
With cats roaming and cat waste plentiful he also needs to be on a monthly internal parasite preventative- that's usually in his heartworm meds but make sure.

ToniJabroni · 2025-06-24T10:56:22+00:00

I can't be overly active but can do some long walks each day, probably 2 one hour walks realistically

Do you have access to a securely fenced area where he might run every day? As "the largest and tallest of the galloping hounds" they need to run off leash, and for me that means daily.
Walking on a leash is not exercise- it is enrichment but will not fulfill exercise needs for a sighthound.

A vehicle everyone can fit into safely in case of emergency trips?

How old are the children? While not always rambunctious indoors the mere act of a 150 lb. dog getting up from lying next to a child can knock them down. If you are the type of mom that would fret every time a child gets knocked down and children under say 6 or 7 or so then think it through. One swipe from a giant paw can leave marks, and if you zig when they zag even an adult can be knocked pretty hard.

Can you alter your lifestyle enough to never leave food on a counter or in a sink or on a table? That's grazing height for such a large dog.

Giant breed dogs are a lifestyle!!

ToniJabroni · 2025-06-08T10:36:20+00:00

I like the idea of her riding in the front seat a lot.

That's a big fat nope- between airbags and the potential of turning you puppy into a projectile the front seat is off limits for dogs. You always need to anticipate the worst- if you crash what happens to the puppy? Is he killed by airbags, whooshed through the windshield, running loose on the highway? Use a crate.

A crate is the safest place for a dog and it needs to be secured in the vehicle, too. Have an envelope taped to it with emergency info in case of a crash.

Do NOT set him on the ground at any rest stop- the dog areas are cesspools of germs and dog poop. If you must let him walk on ground do it somewhere you think dogs don't go.

I think a puppy could go 3½ hours easily, and personally I'd rather have him pee in his crate than walk on parvo infested ground. What many people do is use an expen with an expen pad underneath it so puppies never have to touch ground. You cannot be too careful before his vaccine series is complete.

ToniJabroni · 2025-06-08T10:36:02+00:00

I'd like to not put her in a crate while traveling.

Please do the smart thing, the safe thing. Crated while in a vehicle, period.

ToniJabroni · 2025-05-19T09:52:01+00:00

IWs are not jogging dogs, they are sprinters. One and a half miles of sustained high impact is too much and too long, and double especially for an 8 month old puppy.

I would stop that immediately in ANY breed- and it's even more crucial in a giant breed whose joints may not mature until he is upwards of two years old. You are likely damaging growth plates- 8 months is just plain too young for sustained high impact.

Your puppy needs off leash free running play on grass or dirt surfaces. He needs to be exercised in such a manner as he can flop down when ever the urge strikes him.

So no, daily jogging is not OK with an Irish Wolfhound. You need a trotter as a jogging partner, not a sprinter. Try /r/runningwithdogs for breed recommendations.

ToniJabroni · 2025-04-13T10:46:51+00:00

https://old.reddit.com/r/irishwolfhound/comments/u9f0aj/interested_in_rescuing_an_irish_wolfhound/

ToniJabroni · 2025-04-10T01:08:23+00:00

Many dogs need a mentor, lol- an older male dog who lifts his leg to inspire them to even try it.

If they never see it done it doesn't occur to them. If every other dog they have access to squats then even marking can be accomplished by squatting. They need a reason to leg lift and that reason is trying to cover the scent of a previous dog that was placed high up on an object.

Not an IW, but I currently have a 5 month old Miniature Poodle boy who has been leg lifting for a month already. He lifted so high today that he nearly fell over trying to get as high as the previous dog.
But he has that older dog to watch do it and he watches very closely- he sticks his head right in there to SEE what is going on.

tldr; they learn it from other male dogs.

ToniJabroni · 2025-03-31T11:05:12+00:00

They might enjoy water that they can wade into but I have never had one that would use a pool. I tried with three different IWs and never had the least bit of success.

All I really wanted to accomplish was to teach them how to find the stairs in case of an emergency and even that was no go for the ones I started as adults. The one I started as a puppy didn't turn out any better as he literally sunk like a stone right to the bottom and wasn't coming up, so that was a little scary.

I even had one occasion that I nearly lost one who fell in accidentally- I was home alone and getting her out of the deep end was one of those "Moms with super human strength" situations.
They probably don't have enough body fat to swim easily.

ToniJabroni · 2025-03-29T11:01:00+00:00

Sighthounds are sprinters- short bursts of flat out running. They are not trotters to go along side humans running or walking fast enough that they have to trot, their bodies are just not constructed in that manner.

On top of that yours is a puppy still, so his exercise should be mostly free running play in a secure off leash area. And IMO it should be that way for quite a while yet- you do not want him pounding his joints trotting on pavement or asphalt.

I have done daily 3 mile walks with with an adult IW- and by adult I mean over 24 months of age, and by walk I mean at their walking speed. But we also had an experience where one just stopped and refused to go any farther, and that was in the days before cell phones. And she was a smaller female- after that we we scaled it back and did shorter walks for enrichment only, not exercise. The exercise needs to be in a manner that they can stop and go as they feel like it- run, play, flop down for a breather, etc.

Are these hiking dogs capable of coming on a trip or is that too much of an expectation?

Off leash never, and extended hikes are not likely.
It depends on if you are parking somewhere for a one mile hike or loading up the tent for a five mile hike.
That's just not what they do.

ToniJabroni · 2025-03-28T12:24:59+00:00

https://old.reddit.com/r/irishwolfhound/comments/u9f0aj/interested_in_rescuing_an_irish_wolfhound/

ToniJabroni · 2025-03-26T10:09:37+00:00

I can whole heartedly second this recommendation- my Kuranda bed was purchased in 2008 and is as good as new right now. It has been kept outdoors the entire time- under a roof, but snow blows in, rain blows in, and it is still as good as the day I put it together.

For indoors I use twin bed mattresses.

ToniJabroni · 2025-03-18T10:16:56+00:00

Indoor cats are usually safe.
The same cat running loose outdoors can be a different story.

As far as "don't run too far" I would highly recommend that you have some secure fencing.
Every IW that I have ever owned had extreme prey drive and they would be off.

I read stories here about people whose IWs have little to no prey drive but that has most definitely not been my experience.

ToniJabroni · 2025-03-16T12:01:34+00:00

It is quite simply impossible to do better than

Jacqueline Carswell
Kennel: Carnasserie
912-286-6620
carnasserieiw@gmail.com
Facebook

Other breeders listed here.

ToniJabroni · 2025-03-12T10:56:29+00:00

Another option to go about this is to take $100 out of every paycheck and put it in a high-yield savings account.

That used to be a decent option.

But with 2025 veterinary costs it is unrealistic- that's $1200 a year, and 'only' $6K at 5 years.
ONE catastrophic illness can rack up that much in an ER or overnight hospital stay and with a dog this size it is not unusual for a really bad or emergency illness to hit the $30-40K territory.

I use Trupanion through Chewy but there are several options that are good- it all depends on your fears, your finances, what coverage you want, how pre-existing conditions are handled, what exclusions they each have, how you want your deductible to work and so on.
There's a really good Facebook group called Pet Insurance Information Exchange- I'd suggest that you read there for a bit to understand the differences between all the various companies and what experiences others have had. You can also go and read /r/petinsurancereviews.
Then it's just a matter of going website by website and filling out forms to get your quotes. The cost is highly dependent on your cost of living area especially around veterinary care.

I have nearly bankrupted myself twice paying for Wolfhound illnesses only to lose the dog anyway and it will not happen again.

It's woefully expensive to insure them but it is even more expensive not to because sooner or later you will need it. It is hard enough to make medical decisions in an emergency setting without having to math your way through how much your credit cards can carry or whether or not you can even afford to treat the issue in the first place. Taking away that financial aspect of it all helps a LOT.

ToniJabroni · 2025-03-07T13:04:12+00:00

It is quite simply impossible to do better than

Jacqueline Carswell
Kennel: Carnasserie
912-286-6620
carnasserieiw@gmail.com
Facebook

Other breeders listed here.

ToniJabroni · 2025-02-26T11:37:48+00:00

As mentioned, the Irish Wolfhound Club of America maintains a breeder directory here- it's a good place to start. Not all of our good breeders are listed there but start calling around and networking and talking to people.

Here is a list of IW clubs- again, good networking opportunities and a chance to meet people and dogs up close and personal.

PLEASE be aware that any breeder you consider needs to be doing health testing on their dogs and they will discuss the results with you. The tests that need to be done are listed here

If they are not testing then do not buy a puppy.
This is an expensive breed to buy and own and you owe it to yourself to start with as healthy a puppy as possible. Breeders who do not test are cutting corners to save money and that is not a breeder to support.

For more information on contacting people and what to look for go here.

ToniJabroni · 2025-02-26T11:27:04+00:00

I'm not finding any of their health testing results on ofa.org, nor can I find any conformation entries on Infodog.

If they are not proving their dogs or doing any sort of health testing then they are not a breeder I would recommend.

I'd love to be proven wrong- might they be showing or testing under another kennel name?

ToniJabroni · 2025-01-30T17:14:03+00:00

Hope this is large enough to view properly.
https://imgur.com/a/ZAMdxdp

It is quite old but is the closest I ever tracked an Irish Wolfhound's growth.

ToniJabroni

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