Irish Wolfhound Puppies Blog

If you had a dog when you were a child, you will want your own children to experience the same positive feelings and you will get your children a dog. If you did not, you just have to read My First Best Friend to find out what an amazing thing a dog can be in a child’s life. Not only does a dog teach children responsibility, but it also helps them develop a healthy personality and a balanced emotional life.

However, bringing a dog into the family is not always a smart thing to do. You need to make sure that both the children and the adult members of the family are ready for a furry friend, otherwise someone is likely to get disappointed over time. You also need to make sure that you are selecting the right breed and you are treating your dog in a way that guarantees your children’s safety.

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I would say yes, if you would like to have a dog that looks like a ‘bear’ from the outside, but is really affectionate and sweet in the inside. The Irish Wolfhound makes a good companion as they can get attached to their family easily and usually greet everybody as a friend. They like other dogs and pets around them, as well as the children – but because of their size, the best is to never let them alone unsupervised. Apart from these, early socialization and obedience is a must to have the dog behave nicely.

The coat of the Irish Wolfhound is coarse and medium in length. The breed is an average shedder, therefore at least weekly brushing is advised. On the other hand, the beard of the dog must be cleaned daily to prevent diseases. They are prone to health issues like bloat or bone cancer and sadly, they have a relatively short lifespan (5-10 years).

Those who are planning to have a dog like this are usually aware of what they want, but I’d like to sum up the most necessary things you have to know. The Irish Wolfhound is one of the friendliest dogs on Earth, so it isn’t really good for protecting the house. But it is a perfect family pet, due to the fact that it’s calm and dignified personailty makes everyone fall in love… Those who choose this breed should face the fact that they are planning to live together with one of the largest dog breeds in the world, a breed that always needs to feel the onwer close. It is a common place, but true: this dog is a real “gentle giant”. Someone who had an Irish Wolfhound, won’t want to have any other breed…
When buying a puppy, it is very important to look around carefully to find the perfect breeder. This website can help you a lot in this, where you can only find healthy puppies, from reputable breeders.

Is it normal, anyway?!

Yes, it is. Just imagine the situation from the point of view of your Irish Wolfhound. He is part of the family, often treated as “the kid”, and then, suddenly, a new creature arrives and takes all the attention of his beloved family. It is quite similar to what older children feel, when a little brother/sister arrives. One of the differences is just that the dog can’t speak English

Actually, if we are aware of this ‘problem’ in advance, the situation can be handled, but it needs consciousness and to be started in time, long before the baby’s arrival. Let’s see how we can prepare our Irish Wolfhound for the new family member.

If your dog’s daily routine has to be changed with the baby’s arrival (it probably will), you should start changing the rules much earlier, giving him plenty of time to get used to the new set up. This way it isn’t going to be so sudden and shocking. If your Irish Wolfhound hasn’t really been trained before, it’s high time to start. He should learn at least a few commands, like sit, stay, etc. This way, he’ll be easier to handle.

Many families worry about their dog endangering the health of the child, so the best thing to do is to take your pet to the vet, get him checked and get some advice. Get your Irish Wolfhound used to the new smells, sounds in advance (blankets, lotions, toys). It’s also a good idea, that just after your baby was born, send home a blanket that the baby had been in, so your dog can experience the child’s smell in advance. It is very important to know that your  Irish Wolfhound will get a lot less attention from the mother, so when taking the baby home for the first time, the mother should greet the dog, so it is better if someone else is carrying the baby.

It is also a good idea not to leave them alone together at the first times, until your Irish Wolfhound feels comfortable with the baby, because, for example, it is very possible that the dog won’t tolerate the child’s crying very well in the beginning. You have to teach him that this is a normal sound, and you should motivate him not to bark (with treats, for example).

And the most important rule for last, maybe it seems too obvious, but it’s still worth mentioning: try to give as much attention to your Irish Wolfhound as you can. The point is that he has to feel that you do care about him. If you keep this in mind, most probably there will be no problem. You could also try Preparing Fido, which is an amazing collection of Baby sounds designed especially to get your dog ready for the arrival of the new Baby!

It is such a joy to see children playing with the family dog on a day when the family is all home together. However, little children are not to be left alone with the Irish Wolfhound. Due to the size of the dog, even as a puppy, they can be big enough to knock down little children during play and not in any aggressive manner. As children love to play “horsy”, unsupervised children may just jump on the backs and causing injury to the dog.

Take note that their backs were not made to carry heavy or even moderate weights.  Although strong as the breed is, they shouldn’t try pulling a cart with children on it. This will definitely cause more damage for their body structure is not made for drafting or carting work. So the bottom line is that older children are better playmates for they can discern what should or shouldn’t be done, and that all little children should have adult supervision.

If one is an outdoorsy type with a drive to engage in physical activity, then an Irish Wolfhound would be the best companion for these events! Originally breed as A fierce hunting dog, they nowadays enjoys staying nearby a fireplace with their owners while resting. If these are qualities that one likes, then here are more facts about them: they are very muscular and large with harsh and thick coats in white, black, gray. Necks are long and muscular as well as their backs. These dogs have an overall rustic appearance. For one to know more, the breed standard is available in various sources. By studying the standard, one can know what should be present in a quality dog. Armed with this knowledge, it can give one some confidence when sorting through bad and quality breeders. Read the rest of this entry »