I am very interested in knowing more about this fantastic breed, I am considering owning one in the near future. Prey drive - how much of a problem is this? I have 3 cats. I also have a Ute and they have High prey drive although with mine she has great recall and can be called back. Health problems - What should I be looking out for? I know bloat can be an issue with large dogs, but what else do I need to be aware of? How big a house do you need?
Hi there! I have a Wolfy! and a very beloved part of our lives he is too. Ok i have found that he has very little prey drive (but to be honest that is in comparison to the terriers). And lived happily with our cat until it passed away earlier this year. I think the problem is that they are such a big dog though that you do have to be super dooper careful because even if they mean to "play" wioth something they can accidentally do a lot more damage than they mean to. They are also able to get to a lot more things than most dogs e.g. we had some sparrows who have always made their nests in our garage - they have now sadly moved as our Wolfie was big enough to get up on his hind legs and nudge the nest around (he was jsut interested in what was going on but you try telling that to a sparrow who feels like his house has had an earthquake from the big monster). If you have a Ute and you have coped with their prey drive a wolfie shouldn't be any worse. I would SERIOUSLY stress though that training is PARAMOUNT with them. Simply because they are so much bigger they can scare the bejeesus out of other people unintentionally and like i said get their paws and noses into things you would never normally have had to think about. Health problems wise - you are right, bloat can be an issue (as with al big dogs). Be aware that a WH puppy should receive limited exercise for the first 18 months as it can damage their developing frames. Also be aware that like many large dogs they have a comparatively short life span - 7-8 years normally. They really are BIG dogs. I would highly recommend that you go and meet a few (respected and recommended) breeders and maybe a few shows so you really can see them in action and ask a few more people about their experiences. I am not trying to lecture but simply for their size they are a big commitment but ours is the most loving and faithful companion i could ever wish for. He is truly the epitomy of a gentle giant. I do think you need a pretty big house and preferably good sizze grounds as well (particularly when strenuous walks are out of the question for the firs 18months). Iw ould post some pics but as i have said before i lost the data cable - reordered one from ebay and that doesn't work either. Think i need some software or something. Anyways, i will stop wibbling on. I LOVE my wolfie - pm me if you want to chat about anytthing WH related. Hope i have helped a little!
Would you say that they enjoy living as a pack? Training isn't an issue, lots of experience with dog behaviour issues and training, very well read, had to be with my Ute ..lol. Both my older dogs have joint problems, so we don't do massive long walks, but because we live in a village near the sea, we do have some beautiful ones. Thank you for you advice x
Hell yeah! Mine LOVES absolutely LOVES his doggy companions and more than anything loves being part of a family pack - humans and doglets! I have always joked that we have both ends of the scale - small terriers at one end and a giant wolfhound at tthe other. The funniest thing is that although obviously we are the pack leaders, within the doggy pack, the terrier bitch is alpha dog and the wolfie is probably last!!! he is such a gentle soul. And just like the terriers don't realise how small they are, he doesn't realise his size. He will try and curl up in your lap!!!
Oh and i will warn you - personal top tip - wolfies LOVE sofas. Don't get a wolfie if you give a damn about nice furniture.
I agree with them loving the sofa- we have had three and they all loved sitting on the sofa, although we had two sisters once and they enjoyed destroying the sofa then sitting on all the pieces mine never had much prey drive although we had three girls so dont know if that makes a difference, we had 3 cats and a litter of kittens when we had our first and she was fine, chasing the odd squirrel over the park but not with the intention of catching them just enjoying a run, and they all loved being with our other dogs. One other thing to remember is that they can reach onto all the kitchen counters without jumping up so anything tasty is gone in seconds!!!
Thats funny we had yorkies when we had the wolfhounds and the terriers were definately in charge too.
They are fantastic dogs its just a shame they have such a short life span our oldest was only 7yrs and they leave a massive hole in your heart but i think i will get another in the future as they are lovely.
You could do a lot worse than speak to 'Fran' although I've noticed that she's not on Dogsey much these days. Her own Bribiba Wolfhound site is really good - you can find it here. http://www.irishwolfhounds.eu/ It includes info on: 'So you want a human' 'So you want a Wolfhound' 'FAQ'
Well I got my little girl, she is 9 weeks old and was a rescue pup, her name is Tara and there are photos posted in Pictures.
