Irish Wolfhound breed guide

The amiable Irish Wolfhound is an immense, muscular hound built along classic Greyhound lines and capable of great speed at the gallop. IWs are too serene to be fierce guard dogs, but just the sight of them is enough to deter intruders.

They are characteristically patient and the dog remains dignified and calm.

Irish Wolfhounds live 6 to 8 years. Like other large, deep-chested breeds they may get bloat, a sudden life-threatening swelling of the abdomen.

Breeders screen for pneumonia, heart disease, certain cancers and liver shunt. Care includes an annual examination, preferably by a veterinarian familiar with sighthounds.

The double coat has a harsh, wiry outer layer over a soft undercoat. Irish Wolfhounds shed all year but not excessively and a thorough brushing once a week or so removes dirt and loose hair.

Irish Wolfhounds need exercise throughout their lives. They keep a strong instinct to hunt and chase, so they should be loose only in securely fenced areas and walked on a leash and adults can become couch potatoes if allowed.

The Irish Wolfhound's long history goes back to antiquity and has gathered a patina of myth and legend. It may be reliably stated that the breed was created by crossing the indigenous large dogs of Britain with the Middle Eastern coursing hounds bartered around the known world in the earliest days of trade.

By the time Rome gained a toehold in the British Isles the giant hounds of Ireland were long established and in the year 391 the Roman consul received seven of them as a gift that all Rome viewed with wonder.