Only in the sense that my dogs originated from Ireland! I have 2 Kerry Blue terriers. I am sure there are others on here with Irish as they have put pictures in of them.
no but i think my next dog might be - i really like the look of them! Do you have one? If so what are they like? i have heard good things and i am used to terriers so i understand how they can be at times!
Well, I am biased because I've had 2 (now sadly both passed away) and I do the breed rescue in the north of England. But, if you want a totally biased opinion... they are amazing, brilliant, wonderful dogs - probably one of the greatest breeds in the world! and now for the objective opinion: ;-) they are strikingly good looking terriers, but to keep the coat looking really good takes a lot of work: to keep the coat looking presentable and functioning as a weatherproof barrier takes about 3 minutes a day with a wire dolly brush plus 2 good stripping sessions a year; to have a rubbish coat and an unhappy dog, do nothing and then turn up at a groomer's once a year and get it all shaved off Contrary to popular mythology, they do actually shed their undercoat as much as any other breed and the outer coat varies incredibly between dogs. Some dogs have a really harsh, crinkly outer coat which practially detached itself naturally when it is ready to come out, but these dogs can be born with very sparse undercoats, so they can appear to have bald patches. The other extreme is dogs that have coats that are quite soft and difficult to hand strip in places. Sadly, the dogs you will see in the show ring are seldom (if ever) in full coat, so you have no idea what texture or usefulness the coat would have if you wanted a working dog! Another myth - 'all irish are unstable with other dogs and enjoy fighting' :twisted: Well, yes, they don't tend to back down if another dog shoulder-barges them or challenges them, but they are no more likely to pick a fight than any other dog and like any other breed, so much depends on sensible handling and soclialisation. They are incredibly loving with people and very trainable, with consistency and lots of fun and games thrown in. However, they do not take at all kindly to being forced to do anything and some (not all) can be rather over-sensitvive and highly strung - coupled with the fact that most Irish Terriers are born with a Phd in Emotional Blackmail and Manipulation of Humans, we do get too many calls from owners who have come a cropper when the dog hits between a year and 18 months old. This is often because they have made a few fundamental errors - which they might arguably have 'got away with' had they chosen a less bright and sensitive breed. 1) They fell in love with the idea of owning a sort of 'retro -stuffed dog on a trolley-look-ginger-dog-with-a-funky-beard' rather than being enamoured by the idea of a large (for a terrier), fast, agile hunting machine (ooops!) 2) They bought a pup from a litter bred by someone who was not prepared to brief them about the 'cons' as well as the 'pros' and was unable to offer any decent advice on training or potential problems because either a) they were churning out puppies for the money and had so many dogs, they didn't have the time or inclination to actually get inside the brain of an Irish and find out what makes them tick - or b) they thought it would be 'nice' for their pet to have a litter, regardless of where the pups went and despite their not having a clue about the traits of the breed, because theirs happened to be a very laid back, placid animal with no drive to hunt at all. 3) :? this is the one that really grates with me.....they had a silly, outdated notion that because their dog was 'Irish' that he would grow up to be a loveable, charming but rather dim rascal. This means all the puppy-things that puppies do to learn about life like chewing, peeing, more chewing, pushing the boundaries to find out what is acceptable - got excused as the dog being a 'Thick Mick' or even laughed at and encouraged. It's easy to label your dogs as 'headstrong' if you can't be bothered to put in the work! 4) Dog reaches maturity regarding at least one person in the household as a rather lovely, interactive, squeaky toy who he can play with whenever he likes and however he likes - but always on his terms. In fact, some dogs become absolute despots because they haven't read the text books and still believe that rewarding good behaviour from their 'human-toy' with cuddles and licks and waggy tails is not enough - no! a snarl, a snap and legging it out of reach can also work wonders;-) As I am sure you can see then, it's the same old story for Irish as it is with many other breeds and crosses. I've trained Irish in agility (non-competitively: just to give him something else to do) and to the gun. Irish compete in caniX, agility, obedience, flyball; work on shoots, as PAT dogs, tracking deer and there is even a UK bred Irish working as a search and rescue dog in Austria. If you want a dog that you can put a lot of work into and get a lot out, then please do consider one! They have a remarkable empathy with people and work best when there is a sort of mutual adoration society-thing going on with their handler If you want to have a chat about them or are considering a rescue, then do get in touch with one of the breed clubs. I could bang on about them forever - but I hope that helps!!!
Man - that was a lot of information but i have to say i enjoyed reading it - i always like to speak to people who actually own a particular breed before going any further as they seem to really know their breed. you can read breed outlines as much as you like but sometimes you just need to talk to someone who has hands on knowledge. my new dog (had him 4 months) is a rescue terrier and he has a lot of traditional terrier traits and some baggage as well. he is just over a year and i am his 4th owner and he has fear aggression and a nipping problem, he doesn't ever bite but when he gets excited he nips a lot ... his attitude to dogs is not great either! but with weekly training in class and training from me at home he has made leaps and bounds. I already know that when the time is right i want to get him some company and i like Irish terriers and for me a rescue is the way to go so thank you for your post it has been really helpful! Sam
Thanks When you decide the time is right for an Irish, do get in touch. From what you have posted, you would be a very welcome addition to my Rescue List You sound far too sensible to rush into acquiring an Irish, but in the meantime, if you did venture along to any of the breed shows, just to have a good old nosey at a few together, you will find we are a friendly bunch. We have a Ginger Fun Day in Lancashire on 5th September - which is why I started posting on Dogsey - details in the General Dog Chatter section. All dogs are welcome, regardless of breed and it would be a great place to meet some really knowledgeable folk without and ask all the questions to want, as well as meet lots of Irish who live as family pets.
the Irish is a fav. of mine. I have met only one, tho I've done TONS of research on them. I think they are the most amazing, versatile,and intellagent breed out there.... in fact My Oliver seems to be crossed with one, tho it may be my wishful thinking, he has alot of the same traits, physical and personality, as the Irish. If I ever bought a dog, it would be an Irish. there are none in rescue here in Canada (that I can find), as they are very rare here, which also means they are a healthy breed. I've always adored terriers, and the irish seems to be the epitomy of the terrier!
I've just seen Ollie on another thread and he definitely looks like an Irish x Lab - not that I have ever actually seen one, but he definitely has a look about him! I did hear of an accidental IT x Lab litter over here once. I bet they were amazing dogs. I will post some pictures of the Ginger Fun Day up when it's all been and gone, so you can have a bit of a transatlantic drool;-)
Ha ha! yes I would love to see pics! I am constantly drooling over pics of them, and am very envious of people who own them. I've never seen an Irish x Lab either... it could be schnauzer too, but Irish is the right size, and he's fiercely territorial, extremely trainable, (as long as you dont repeat too much, he can learn anything) he's protective, goofy, and entertains himsely in the way of intellegent dogs... something I WONT like LOL. He has a harsh wiry coat that I hand strip, a strong lean body, with his legs slightly shorter than his body, and the glittering, mischevious terrier expression. He has been alot of work, but sooo worth it, as any good Terrier should be!
