Wolfhound: 9 Months

Riagan is now 31" at the withers. She's lean and strong, well over a hundred pounds, and dense. She can bound through and over high snow at rapid speeds. She is a baby in an adult body.

Her mind is keen. She is naturally submissive. We taught her to lie down on command easily the first time we tried. She responds very well to hand-signals.

We feed her a little over 6 cups of food a day. If she eats more, she throws it up.

She is very good with strangers and children. She has never shown a bit of aggression.

The only issue we've had with her is she chewed the sole of my brand new Uggs and she's so damn big! Last month we removed the large leather couch from the living room to make space for her. When she lies out in front of the fire, she takes up about five feet or more of space. She makes our house seem small. Now I see why only royalty owned them in the golden-olden days. You'd need a castle to house them.

But she doesn't seem to know she's big. She still has these sweet puppy eyes and big goofy mannerisms. She comes begging with Maggie, the lab, (who now looks no bigger than a Chihuahua to us), and, though she towers over Maggie, she sincerely believes she's the baby sister.

I take showers with her every week. We have one of those removable heads that you can take down and move around. She knows to come in, sit down, and get a bath, and she's really pretty good at it.

The thing I love most about her is the way she makes me feel. She has this crazy, intense loyalty to us--she won't leave the bedroom until we're out of bed, for instance. She'll jump on the bed and lay down over us and paw/claw our faces, but she will not leave until we go with her. (Imagine a 6 foot, 120 pound dog jumping on your bed!!) She stays by our side when we're working the property. She makes me feel safe. It's like I have this huge bodyguard with me at all times. She has this fierce loyalty and protectiveness (always looking way out on the edges of the property for intruders) yet this big heart and gentle spirit. I see why some people consider them spirit guides--they do seem to want to guide and protect you through life.

If you're going to raise an Irish Wolfhound puppy in your home, you'd better be a laid back person. Everything a puppy does naturally is done by an IW, but on a much larger scale. If you can't handle a small puppy, please do not get an Irish Wolfhound. IWs are not for all people, they are for special people....like us. I say this jokingly, but it's true. If you don't that have that special quality to roll with the flow, fly by the seat of your pants, tolerate chaos, you are not Irish Wolfhound material.

Walking Wolfhounds

First, I have to say, Riagan has the honor of having been the easiest dog I have ever trained to heel. It never felt like work.

The breeder at Laloba Hounds sent a very large, self-compiled notebook with Riagan when she came to our home. In that notebook she had a section on how she and her husband preferred to walk their wolfhounds in the early processes of training. Their method distributed pressure throughout the chest rather than solely on the neck.

So, when we walked Riagan, we used a horse lead draped over her right shoulder and collected up on the other side. It was a sort of chest halter--when she'd move forward out of the heel position, I'd pull her whole body back by my side.

Today was the first day I switched to the choke collar. Half of her walk was with the chest halter--the other half solely with the collar alone. The collar, therefore, was not the main method--it was only a reminder to come back.

It only took Riagan a couple of reminders, after that, she could be called back verbally with a very gentle, "Riagan, heel," and no pressure to the neck or chest. She walked with a slack lead the whole way--even past barking dogs and loud trucks.

All and all, she has had very little walking training of any sort since we're cautioned not to over-walk young hounds. But as she enters her sixth month and we are, more and more, in public on a leash--and she is, more and more, leviathan, there is a particular need to walk nicely and not yank mama's arm off. (No yanking here).

Which leads me to my overall conclusion (and Wolfhound owners will not be surprised by this)--

Wolfhounds are SMART.

Wolfhounds Love Kitties

Don't wake the sleeping Giant! She's only six months, but watch out when she's full grown. Note to coyotes: avoid our property!



We have a Wolfhound who loves her Kitty Sisters. Here she is running with her puppy sister, Maggie, to the barn to see the rest of her family.



Kitty: What big paws you have...

Wolfhound: All the better to pet you with.

Kitty: What a big nose you have...

Wolfhound: All the better to tickle you with.

Kitty: What a long tail you have....

Wolfhound: All the better for you to chase and play with...

Kitty: My, what big jaws you have.

Wolfhound: All the better to kiss you with.



Note to Coyotes: Wolfhounds love kitties.

Irish Wolfhound in The Washington State Governor's Mansion: Archival Photos

(Old article on Irish Wolfhounds--Governor Daniel J. Evans of Washington and his dog Peggy. Click on picture to read larger image. Peggy with Gov. Evans and family below)

Riagan is almost six months now and looking more and more like a pony. Her appetite has also increased.

More and more, she ventures out towards the horses (probably in search of horse manure--her new favorite thing), but she is very cautious. They tend to ignore her. I researched this whole thing about dogs preferring to eat manure--and, apparently, it's perfectly normal. Just try to keep them away from it--you can't. Riagan seems to like it more than our Lab, Maggie. I have no idea why.

We are still having the issue with her jumping on people when they arrive. I don't think it's abnormal for dogs to do this when they're super excited about guests, but she's too big to allow it to happen. We've taken to keeping her on her leash when guests arrive, letting her say hello politey, then taking her off to our bedroom until she settles down a bit.

They say most IWs don't bark, but Riagan does. I think she's learned it from Maggie. If she sees something going on up the road or neighboring property, she begins to bark--very deep--not very loud--as she remains in the "sit" position. She doesn't always do it, but occasionly does.

Her teeth came in great with the upper canines and lower canines clearing the gum line nicely and allowing the jaw to sit nicely when closed. She didn't have any crowding. A good bite with a dog like an Irish Wolfhound--who have a very long, narrow jaw, is an awesome genetic trait, and one which I'm very thankful she has.

The conformation of her legs is also quite nice--they don't bow in our out when looking at her from the back. This gives her beautiful forward movement.

Almost to month 6 and time for the Rabies shot!

Irish Wolfhound People

Here's an article my parents collected back when we had Mish.

As I was looking online for IW articles the same day I scanned these, I came across a review of the book, Sight hound, by Pam Houston. Since then I ordered and read it, and I also ordered a DVD of an interview with her and footage of her dogs.

Her book is, admittedly, about 87 percent non-fiction, but listed as fiction. Her first Irish Wolfhound really was named Dante (like the IW of the story) and, we can suppose, many of the events are true.

I'm not familiar with any writer today who showcases an Irish Wolfhound with so much respect and admiration for the breed. After having grown up with Mish in the 70's--our first IW--I can relate like only IW people can.

Believe it or not, and I know this is a stretch of the imagination, but there are people who look at Riagan and think she's uglyish (or so I'm told)--they don't get the whole Irish Wolfhound thing at all. So, I've come to think we are a special group of individuals--blessed with the ability to appreciate the otherness of this breed. You have to look past the big, lanky, shaggy, beastly exterior to see their innate nobility--their quiet loyalty, their deep need for togetherness with their human. And this is something you either get or you don't get.

If you're a prissy type-A, IWs may not be your dog. It's no exaggeration, their big paws are like monster trucks running over your carpet. Kiss "clean" good-bye. And, their height gives them a rare ability to peek into your grocery bags as you're walking to your door--and, sometimes, to nab out of those bags what they find agreeable. Or, at the very least, to rip the them as you try to yank them away from their long jaws.

I do miss clean carpet--and the SD card for my camera that I'm pretty sure Riagan ate--pictures and all, but I'm a sucker for my dog. She just has to tap/pound/maul me with her big paw (her way of asking for attention) and my heart melts.

Riagan, Irish Wolfhound pup: Five months

Getting Bigger.

Riagan finally lost her baby teeth and got her permanent canines.

She's still loosely put together, lanky, and easily injured. Yesterday, she was running circles around the tree as fast as she could when one leg slipped out from under her and she landed hard on it. She has favored it a little since then.

She is braver than she was--moving further out in the pasture and exploring.

Also, she has an attitude like she is one of us. She seems to think we are all seamless rather than she is a dog and maybe, just maybe, beneath the humans here. I really don't think that thought has ever crossed her mind. The Dog Whisperer probably wouldn't be happy with us. But, so far, she shows no aggression. I can take away her food, her raw bones, anything, and she won't bat an eye. She has NEVER shown a bit of dominance or aggression toward any human. She just doesn't see any division between us. We are, in her mind, simpatico.

Old Irish Wolfhound Newspaper Article

This is an article that was sent to my parents back in the '70's. Funny, isn't it?

Life with a sighthound is unique. Whereas, most dogs rely primarily on their ears and are always hearing things far off, the sighthound relies primarily on her eyes.

This morning, I sat in the grass and watched what Riagan watched. First a flock of birds in the sky. Then, her head turned and trekked a hawk who glided high and quiet above us. I'd never have noticed him myself, but she locked in a steady gaze.

What did she see that I didn't? Could she make out the pattern on his feathers, the look in his eye? I only saw his shape.

What does the world look like through the eyes of a sighthound?