Irish Wolfhound

Huge all around: for his character, for the size, for the courage

  • 75%
  • 70%
  • 45%
  • 50%
  • 20%

10-12 years

We know the continental Celts kept a greyhound probably descended from the greyhound first depicted in Egyptian paintings.Like their continental cousins, the Irish Celts were interested in breeding large hounds. These large Irish hounds could have had smooth or rough coats, but in later times, the rough coat predominated possibly because of the Irish climate.The first written account of these dogs was by a Roman Consul 391 A.D. but they were already established in Ireland in the first century A.D. when Setanta changed his name to Cu-Chulainn (the hound of Culann). Mention is made of the Uisneach (1st century) taking 150 hounds with them in their flight to Scotland.Irish hounds undoubtedly formed the basis of the Scottish Deerhound. Pairs of Irish hounds were prized as gifts by the Royal houses of Europe, Scandinavia and elsewhere from the Middle ages to the 17th century. They were sent to England, Spain, France, Sweden, Denmark, Persia, India and Poland.In the15th century each county in Ireland was required to keep 24 wolfdogs to protect farmers' flocks from the ravages of wolves. The Cromwellian prohibition (1652) on the export of Wolfhounds helped preserve their number for a time but the gradual disappearance of the wolf and continued demand abroad reduced their numbers almost to the point of extinction by the end of the 17th century.The revival of interest in the breed accompanied the growth of Irish nationalism in the late 19th century. The Irish Wolfhound became a living symbol of Irish culture and of the Celtic past. At this time, one determined enthusiast, Capt. G A Graham, set about obtaining some of the few remaining hounds of the Wolfhound type that could still be found in Ireland, and with the use of Deerhound blood and the occasional outcross of Borzoi and Great Dane, he eventually achieved a type of dog that bred true in every generation.The results were ultimately accepted as a legitimate revival of the breed. The Irish Kennel Club scheduled a class for Irish Wolfhounds at their show in April 1879, and a club was formed in 1885.The Irish Wolfhound now enjoys once again something of the reputation that it had in the Middle Ages. Wolfhounds are now owned and bred in fairly large numbers outside of Ireland.
He is a gentle and easy to train dog.He prefers wide open spaces, although he easily adapts to domestic life as long as he is kept fit.He tends to choose one member of the family, although he is always lovely with all. Absolutely reliable with kids, though his size should be kept into consideration to avoid possible issues.
GENERAL APPEARANCEThe Irish Wolfhound should not be quite so heavy or massive as the Great Dane, but more so than the Deerhound, which in general type he should otherwise resemble.Of great size and commanding appearance, very muscular, strongly though gracefully built, movements easy and active; head and neck carried high; the tail carried with an upward sweep with a slight curve towards the extremity.Great size, including height at shoulder and proportionate length of body, is the desideratum to be aimed at, and it is desired to firmly establish a race that shall average 32 inches (81cm) to 34 inches (86cm) in dogs, showing the requisite power, activity, courage and symmetry.BEHAVIOUR - TEMPERAMENT"Lambs at home, lions in the chase".
  • Head

    Long and level, carried high; the frontal bones of the forehead very slightly raised and very little indentation between the eyes
  • Head - skull region

    Skull: Not too broad
  • Head - facial region

    Muzzle : Long and moderately pointed.

    Teeth: Scissor bite ideal, level acceptable

    Eyes: Dark

    Ears: Small, rose ears (Greyhound like in carriage)
  • Neck

    Rather long, very strong and muscular, well arched, without
    dewlap or loose skin about the throat.
  • Body

    Long, well ribbed up.

    Back: Rather long than short.

    Loins: Slightly arched

    Croup: Great breadth across hips

    Chest: Very deep, moderately broad, breast wide.

    Ribs: Well sprung

    Belly: Well drawn up.
  • Tail

    Long and slightly curved, of moderate thickness, and well
    covered with hair.
  • Forequarters

    Shoulders: Muscular, giving breadth of chest, set sloping.

    Elbows: Well under, neither turned inwards nor outwards.

    Forearm: Muscular, heavily boned, quite straight
  • Hindquarters

    Thighs: Long and muscular

    Stifle : Nicely bent

    Second thigh: Well muscled, long and strong

    Hocks: Well let down and turning neither in nor out
  • Feet

    Moderately large and round, neither turned inward nor outwards. Toes, well arched and closed. Nails, very strong and curved
  • Gait / Movement

    Movements easy and active.
  • Coat - hair

    Rough and hard on body, legs and head; especially wiry.

    Hair over eyes and beard especially wiry.
  • Coat - colour

    The recognised colours are grey, brindle, red, black, pure white, fawn or any colour that appears in the Deerhound.
  • Size and weight

    Desired height : averaging 32 inches (81cm) to 34 inches (86cm)
    in dogs.

    Minimum height : Dogs 31 inches (79 cm).
    Minimum weight : Dogs 120 pounds (54.5kg).
    Minimum height : Bitches 28 inches (71 cm).
    Minimum weight : Bitches 90 pounds (40.5 kg).
  • Faults

    Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog.

    • Too light or too heavy a head.
    • Too highly arched frontal bone.
    • Crooked forelegs; weak pasterns.
    • Weak hindquarters and a general want of muscle.
    • Too short in body.
    • Back sunken or hollow or quite straight.
    • Large ears and hanging flat to the face.
    • Twisted feet.
    • Spreading toes.
    • Short neck; full dewlap.
    • Chest too narrow or too broad.
    • Tail excessively curled.
    • Nose of any colour other than black.
    • Lips of any colour other than black.
    • Very light eyes. Pink or liver coloured eyelids.
  • Disqualifying faults

    • Aggressive or overly shy dogs.
    • Any dog clearly showing physical of behavioural abnormalities.

    N.B.:
    • Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.
    • Only functionally and clinically healthy dogs, with breed
    typical conformation should be used for breeding.

Irish Wolfhound

Grande in tutto: nel carattere, nella stazza, nel coraggio

  • 75%
  • 70%
  • 45%
  • 50%
  • 20%

10-12 anni

Questa razza ha origini recenti ma è una sorta di recupero, di razza “ricostruita” per assomigliare al mitico “Irish Hound”, estinto, risalente forse al primo secolo A.C. o anteriore.Originariamente era allevato come cane da guerra dagli antichi Celti che poi passò nelle mani degli abitanti delle terre di Irlanda continuando ad essere sia da guerra ma imparando anche a fare il cane da guardia, per proteggere la casa e gli allevamenti.Verso la fine del XIX secolo grazie al capitano scozzese George Augustus Graham, che incrociò esemplari di Deerhound con esemplari di Alano Tedesco e di Borzoi Russo, venne finalmente riconosciuto come una legittima rinascita della razza.
È un cane gentile, tranquillo, intelligente e facile da addestrare.Ha la tendenza ad affezionarsi ad una persona sola anche se è molto dolce, amorevole con tutti i membri della propria famiglia; ama giocare con i bimbi e prendersi cura di loro anche se bisogna fare attenzione per la grande mole dell'esemplare. È impavido e grande abbaiatore.Si adatta alla vita domestica anche se preferisce ampi spazi aperti dove poter fare tanto movimento e tenersi sempre in forma.
ASPETTO GENERALEL’Irish Wolfhound non dovrebbe essere pesante o massiccio come l’Alano, ma deve esserlo più del Deerhound, al quale d’altra parte assomiglia in generale.Di grande taglia e aspetto imponente, molto muscoloso, di costruzione forte ma aggraziata, movimento sciolto e attivo; testa e collo portati alti; la coda portata con una spazzola verso l’alto, con una leggera curva verso l’estremità.La grossa taglia, includendo l’altezza al garrese e la proporzionale lunghezza del corpo, è lo scopo da raggiungere e si desidera fermamente di mantenere una razza che stabilisce una media di 81 cm fino a 86 cm nei maschi, mostrando la potenza richiesta, attività, coraggio e simmetria. COMPORTAMENTO - CARATTERE"agnello in casa, leone a caccia"
  • Testa

    lunga e orizzontale, portata alta. Le ossa frontali pochissimo rilevate, e piccolissima rientranza fra gli occhi
  • Testa - regione del cranio

    Cranio: non troppo ampio
  • Testa - regione del muso

    Muso: lungo e moderatamente appuntito

    Denti: ideale la chiusura a forbice – accettata la tenaglia

    Occhi: scuri

    Orecchi: piccoli, a rosa (portati come il Greyhound)
  • Collo

    piuttosto lungo, molto forte e muscoloso, ben arcuato, senza giogaia o pelle lassa alla gola.
  • Corpo

    lungo, con costole ben cerchiate
    Dorso: piuttosto lungo che corto

    Rene: leggermente arcuato

    Groppa: molto ampia fra le punte iliache

    Torace: molto profondo, moderatamente ampio; petto largo

    Costole: ben cerchiate

    Ventre: ben retratto
  • Coda

    lunga e leggermente ricurva, di spessore medio, e ben fornita di pelo
  • Arti anteriori

    Spalla: muscolosa, obliqua, dà ampiezza al torace.

    Gomiti: ben sotto il corpo, non rivolti in fuori né in dentro

    Avambraccio: muscoloso, di pesante ossatura, perfettamente diritto
  • Arti posteriori

    Cosce: lunghe e muscolose

    Ginocchio: ben angolato

    Gamba: ben muscolosa, lunga e forte

    Garretti: ben discesi e non deviati in fuori né in dentro.
  • Piedi

    moderatamente larghi e rotondi, non rivolti in dentro né in fuori. Dita ben arcuate e chiuse. Unghie molto forti e ricurve
  • Andatura

    movimento sciolto ed energico
  • Mantello - pelo

    ruvido e duro su corpo, arti e testa; specialmente irto sopra gli occhi e alla barba.
  • Mantello - colore

    i colori riconosciuti sono grigio, tigrato, rosso, nero, bianco puro, fulvo (color daino) o qualsiasi colore ammesso per il Deerhound.
  • Taglia e peso

    Altezza desiderata nei maschi, da 81 ai 86 cm
    Altezza minima nei maschi: 79 cm
    Peso minimo nei maschi: 54,5 Kg

    Altezza minima nelle femmine: 71 cm
    Peso minimo nelle femmine: 40, 5 kg
  • Difetti

    Qualsiasi deviazione da quanto sopra deve essere considerata come difetto e la severità con cui verrà penalizzato deve essere proporzionata alla sua gravità.
    - Testa troppo pesante o troppo leggera
    - Osso frontale troppo arcuato
    - Arti anteriori torti; pastorali deboli
    - Posteriore debole e una generale carenza di muscolatura
    - Corpo troppo corto
    - Dorso insellato o concavo o completamente diritto
    - Orecchi larghi e pendenti piatti contro i lati del muso
    - Piedi storti
    - Dita divaricate
    - Collo corto; piena giogaia
    - Torace troppo stretto o troppo ampio
    - Coda eccessivamente ricurva
    - Tartufo di qualsiasi altro colore del nero
    - Labbra di qualsiasi altro colore del nero
    - Occhi molto chiari; rime palpebrali rosa o color fegato

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  • Irish Wolfhound
  • Afghan Hound
  • Deerhound