What is it like to live with an IW ?
Living with an Irish Wolfhound is exciting, rewarding, demanding and a lesson in life.
Seeing your puppy for the first time, watching your IW strut-her-stuff in the conformation ring, and watching your IW at a full gallop are all exciting. Also “exciting” is having a dog with a tail that will clean off any surface under 30-inches high;, having a dog who not only can counter surf, but look into the kitchen sink while keeping four-on-the-floor; and, having an 80 pound puppy who thinks she should follow the Aussie puppies over the back of the couch !
The affection and trust that you earn from your IW is a great reward. As with any intelligent creature that chooses to share our world, your IW needs love, needs to know what the rules are and needs to know that you will take care of them when they can not. When your IW is sitting with you and looks you in the eyes you can see their gentle soul and almost read their thoughts (but watch out for the tongue !).
Owning, or more accurately, being owned by an IW is very demanding. A puppy is a puppy, but realize that by the time you puppy is old enough to come home with you it is as large as many adult dogs. All puppies must be protected from their own curiosity (and baby gates will NOT stop an IW puppy after about 10 weeks of age!), they should be provided exercise without over doing it, and be introduced to the human-world rules. The IW is a deep-chested dog and therefore is one of the many breeds that are at a higher risk for torsion (commonly called “bloat”). Your challenge is to feed and exercise responsibly to minimize this risk and avoid an emergency run to the Vet. Your adult IW will likely be able to stand and look over a 5 foot wall / fence and will weigh as much as many adult humans. Making sure that the training and physical barrier are both solid enough to keep this giant sight hound in the yard when a rabbit runs by is an engineering demand.
Your IW is a lesson in life, as is any dog. You accompany the puppy, adolescent, adult and senior citizen through all of life’s joys and trials. You must be fair, consistent and supportive and in return you will get unconditional love. You will also realize that they are with us all too short of a time and that one of life’s lessons is that life is finite. Make the most of what you are given !