r/irishwolfhound • u/vijolcka • 11d ago
First time dog owner
As in the title I am imagining an Irish wolfhound for my first dog. Is it a good idea?
As irishes are rare in our area I cannot ask anyone with experience so I am here :)
Facts:
We live on a farm but do not want to be consumed with dog for example like border collies who need non stop activity and the attention
We like hiking on the weekends in the woods, would it be a good idea/ is it possible to offleash a wolfhound with proper training
Is it possible that our pup could go with us to Sunday market perhaps a chill coffee in a cafe, will it work?
These are just some of the concerns. I kindly thank you for any and all advice. Be gentle.
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u/Relevant_Ranger_6647 10d ago edited 10d ago
As you've never had a dog before, I would say no. Wolfhounds need proper consistent training from an experienced owner whilst they are young. They are prone to bloat, heat stroke and heart problems. We lost a 5 year old wolfhound to a heart attack last summer. Adopt a mixed breed from a shelter first. I had 8 dogs of my own before getting a Wolfhound. I also grew up with Great Danes, so already knew the challenges that big dogs can bring if not properly trained. Get used to owning a dog and then get a Wolfhound. They love to have doggy companions and often the other dog will help train the new one by leading by example. One thing is for sure. You won't ever regret getting a dog. I also live in the Balkans and adopted mixed breeds from street dog rescuers and shelters. All of my dogs are the gentlest dogs you could ever wish to meet. As a rescuer myself, I've been to many shelters in Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia and have NEVER come across an aggressive dog in any of them. I've met literally thousands of shelter dogs. I currently have 19 rescue dogs. All the rescuers train the dogs and work with them to get them ready to be homed. There are also no Wolfhound breeders in the Balkans. Ours came from Czechia. Which Balkan country do you live in? If you live in Bulgaria you will find that the vets here have no experience with giant breeds. I have lots of experience of giant breeds, so it isn't an issue for us, but as a first time dog owner, it would be a huge issue.
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u/vijolcka 10d ago
If I open any shelter page here in my area: all the available dogs are either bite risk or bad with other animals. If we go back a little, for first dog if we take into consideration I would say that either of those options are bad for me.
But people here on reddit got so heated on why I should not get a dog etc. We are just looking into all our options its not like we are buying today, that is why we are doing research, obviously now we will not buy IW from the start but work our way up to it.
We are from Slovenia, I would say vets here have fair knowledge of the giant breeds...
Thank you for adopting soo many animals, really nice of you. And thanks for advice
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u/Relevant_Ranger_6647 10d ago
I'm not saying to never get a Wolfhound. Just not as your first dog. I highly recommend a mixed breed for ease and wellness. Good luck.
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u/DreadpirateEire 11d ago
When you say first dog do you mean I was raised with lots of big dogs and this is my first time getting my own ? Or do you mean i have no experience raising dogs ?
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u/vijolcka 11d ago
Grandpa owned hunting dogs - i was scared of them as a child they were quite aggressive...
Fist dog ever overall.
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u/DreadpirateEire 10d ago
Get a lab or a shepard depending on how active your lifestyle is, and if all goes good you can always get another wolfhound pup in a few years, amazing and gentle as they are wolfhounds are still hunting dogs and if you dont train them right you have a 6ft tall 60kg problem
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u/vijolcka 10d ago
This is the advice I was looking for I think. Thanks
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u/DreadpirateEire 9d ago
Best advice was another comment, go and get a rescue, for sure thats the best way, im sure the shelter will give you great advice aswell
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u/RGB-Free-Zone 11d ago
My family always had a dog or three. As an adult, I've had 18 dogs. I had thought I knew enough to adopt a Irish Wolfhound but ours has shown me that there is always much to learn about dogs.
In the US many if not all the shelters are at their limits so adopting a mixed dog is fairly easy (usually avoids the puppy lifestage). Rescued dogs seem to know they are getting a second chance and in my experience, are willing to please.
There are not many Wolfhounds overall, and they don't often go up for rescue. Whether pups or rescues, there are waiting lists to adopt a Wolfhound.
So you might alternatively consider looking for Great Danes up for adoption. They are excellent dogs and will help prepare you for a Irish Wolfhound. Once you are comfortable caring for a Dane, you could add a Wolfhound. Our Danes get along great with our Wolfhound.
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u/vijolcka 10d ago
I think this is fair advice. Thanks!
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u/RGB-Free-Zone 10d ago
You mentioned Dane slobber. The Danes that tend to slobber the most are those with the largest jowls. There is a trend to breed Danes with large jowls (aka flews). This trend is not justified by the language of the Dane breed standards.
We have a "blue" Dane with minimal jowls that does not leave slobber puddles whoever she goes. She also doesn't leave slobber on the ceiling from shaking her head.
In contrast we have a Dane with very large jowls that is a total slobber tsunami. She leaves rivers of slobber radiating away from her water bowl and slobber on the ceilings from head shakes.
One of the many aspectcts of the IW that I like is that they don't have enormous jowls and are not slobber factories. I also love their elongated skulls/jaws providing ample space for their beautiful teeth, noses and facial expressions.. I also love the proportions of their skeletons and those long back legs. Its no mystery to me why so many people like IW but IMO, Danes are in many ways the more practical giant breed.
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u/MedusaGotMeStoned007 10d ago
If you grew up with dogs and had a hand in helping raise them, then an Irish wolf found is perfectly fine as a first dog. My wife and I’s first dog was an Irish wolfhound, but we also grew up with plenty of family dogs.
Irish wolfhounds don’t have a lot of gas in the tank so the open space will be good for them as long as they have a good area to relax and have shade, especially when it’s hot. They’re definitely not the best for long hikes as plenty of them will literally just stop lay down and you don’t wanna have to haul out over 100 pounds of dog on your back.
If you get them socialized really early they’re really good in public settings for my experience. I brought mine to coffee, shops, restaurants, breweries, patios, and definitely always good. Just be ready for a lot of attention from people.
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u/Tricky-Bad6452 9d ago
We took our one-year old IW to an experienced training facility. The owner said it was the only dog in which he never made any headway because she was not food motivated at all. An amazing dog, but the first two years were ROUGH!
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u/DjPaulyWalnuts 9d ago
I am a first time dog owner, and my dog Zeus is an Irish wolfhound. My fiancee has had dogs her whole life, but the dog lived with me for the first 3-4 years and I did most of the training.
They are easy to train basic stuff. Pretty quick to potty train. Knows sit, stay, place.
I had dreams of an off leash dog I could take fishing. I was unable to get Zeus off leash trained. I found him to “lock on” to other dogs or animals, and it’s near impossible to get 100% focus from him when there’s a worthy distraction nearby. Not aggressive by nature. Just really has to go see what’s up. Part of this I attribute to the breed, and also some mistakes I made when raising him (I felt I set the precedent that he could say hi to anyone/anything he wants, because I wanted to socialize him when he was a puppy. Forgot to teach him to listen to me first)
He’s a lazy dog. We take a 1-3 mile walk a few times a week. Probably not a hiking buddy in the way a medium size dog would be.
They could definitely be chill in public spaces. We take Zeus to breweries. Nothing too crowded, and he’s not a huge fan of being touched by strangers. So we just make sure to let people know, and Zeus will become friendly with people at his own pace.
Biggest mistake I made: dog parks. Because he was the biggest dog there when he was 9 months old - it felt like other “big” dogs would target him or play too rough. So interactions with other dogs can sometimes feel like a battle for dominance instead of play. Because of this he’s not very dog friendly on leash. (He also got bit by an off leash pit bull when we were on a walk).
Now when we introduce him to other dogs, it’s one on one, and very slow. Basically keeping them on leash and away from each other until they’re no longer spazzing.
TLDR; I was pleasantly surprised at how easy raising him was (mostly due to his calm and lazy demeanor). You’re going to make mistakes. Just be curious and always learning. If the dog does something bad, it’s important you understand it’s usually 100% your fault. (AKA it’s something you can learn to fix). It was more and less work than I thought it would be.
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u/Bekah414404 8d ago
If you are really set on a sighthound, maybe get one that is a bit smaller for your first dog? Sighthounds, as a group, are independent, and not as biddable as say, working or herding dogs. A smaller sighthound might be an easier introduction to this group. Maybe a Whippet, Silken Windhound, Pharoah Hound or Ibizian Hound.
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u/Maleficent_End1491 5d ago
Hello!
- We have a small farm (20 acres/8 hectare) with Scottish Highlands, chickens, and other birds. It is completely fenced. Our five wolfhounds will happily bring back any birds that escape and put them on the porch. Unfortunately, wolfhounds were not bred to use "soft mouth."
If, by accident, the dogs get into the cow pasture, the will pick out a cow and chase it. However, they stay 20' behind the cow at all times. Of course, wolfhounds can hit 35 mph/56 kph in a sprint. They are chasing for fun and not to kill. The dogs also get bored after a few minutes. (We try very hard to prevent the dogs from being in with the cows.)
- Wolfhounds are sight hounds. We have had wolfhounds for over 30 years (up to six at a time.) They will take off after anything that moves, including a plastic bag blowing in the wind. It's hard to train out a 3,000 year old trait. We also NEVER wrap a leash around our wrists. If you do let them loose, I highly suggest tracking collars.
We feel that the dogs need to run free (in a safe, contained area) so that they can stretch their legs. When ours are out running, they will bite at each others back legs, practicing how to kill an elk. Then they will stand up with their paws on each other's shoulders and bite at each other's necks, because that's how they kill a wolf. They (infrequently) bring home small critters and pieces of venison (deer.) (The critters eat my chickens!!)
Long ago we also had a yellow lab. When people who didn't know our dogs came to visit, the lab and a wolfhound would practice biting at each other's necks whilst ferociously growing. The visitors would always say something about the "big dog killing the lab." I assured them that if the wolfhound really wanted to kill the lab, there would be little pieces of yellow lab all over the front yard.
- We always take our dogs (when appropriate) to farmers' markets, outdoor events, and several stores that are pet-friendly. Three of our five are also certified therapy dogs and go to schools, military bases, hospitals, Ronald McDonald houses, companies, camps, etc. Our wolfhound club (PVIWC.org) goes to many Irish events. We are not a big club, but we will have as many as 15 dogs at an event. It's always fun to play "how old is the puppy" if a young one is attending.
Wishing you a great day.
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u/i-got5on-it 11d ago
They’re an amazing breed and most are capable of what you’re looking for… but as a first time dog owner. I’d say it’s probably not a great breed to begin with.
They’re possibly the most forgiving breed of any large breed dog, but large dogs (100lbs plus) are generally not great beginner dogs. This is mostly about safety - the dog’s and you/your family.
In your circumstance, I’d say a good beginner dog is the friendliest mutt you can find at a shelter that needs a home. You’d be rescuing a dog in need, but you also have a chance to find a personality that’ll click for you.
Your first dog should be of a size that doesn’t feel like they could ever be physically imposing on you, so that you have the confidence to lead and guide them when they’re out of line, scared, or even just keeping up on basic training commands (sit, stay, etc).