Irish Wolfhound Puppies & How To Find a Breeder
If you are looking to obtain a puppy, please submit the Irish Wolfhound Puppy Questionnaire. Please know that I receive a number of queries on a regular basis and it may take some time to respond.
Before you submit the Questionnaire please be aware that we require any and all prospective IW owners to own a MINIMUM of one acre of land to have a wolfhound. Of this one acre, at least half an acre (not including the home) must be unwooded and fully secured which is necessary for galloping, stretching, twisting and turning. We will not consider any home with less than a MINIMUM of one acre of land.
This minimum area is non-negotiable for many reasons. Importantly, the area allows the galloping hound the freedom to stretch out his legs, to leap and release energy. This is key to his development, both physical and mental. Strong, hard muscles are essential to proper maturation and longevity as well as protecting the body from unwarranted injuries, particularly for a massive IW frame. Secure exercise provides valuable mental stimulation and simply, it is good for his psyche or soul, mind and spirit. His personality and character can develop to its full potential which is critical in a powerful, giant hound in that he must be even-tempered and well adjusted. Area’s less than this are unfair and incompatible for such a galloping hunter who was bred for and loves to run.
Before you fill out the Questionnaire I ask that you review my website thoroughly, regardless if you have or had an Irish Wolfhound in your life. I receive many inquiries telling me they have owned or currently have an Irish Wolfhound, but as it turns out, some of these people do not have the appropriate acreage and or fencing for such a giant, galloping breed. Unfortunately, these people had obtained their Irish Wolfhound from an indiscriminate breeder who neither required or cared if the sighthound had suitable and secured land to run.
My website is for education and not for marketing.
I do not sell puppies online. As a conscientious, breeder with an exclusive, boutique breeding program we do not market puppies. I am a heritage, preservation breeder who breeds for myself on a limited basis, and to improve upon the quality hounds we have. What is more, I do not indiscriminately provide information concerning the availability of or costs for a puppy because we believe that this information is appropriate for a much more personal discussion. I am neither a "Show Mill" breeder with multiple litters annually having several “show quality” puppies available for sale nor a commercial mass supplier of puppies. Only occasionally do we have a puppy available to place in an excellent home.
Why bother reading this website?
Of relevance, my site includes facts and information on nearly every Irish Wolfhound topic and provides details and awareness on the ordinary and inordinate expenses associated with the breed; the sighthound breed traits, required fenced acreage for galloping and stretching, related health issues, to name just but a few. Also, I have found most general inquiries about Irish Wolfhounds are soon answered after the participant peruses the valuable information published on my website. A site which has required a significant amount of time and effort on my part to create to educate the public about this grand breed.
When obtaining an Irish Wolfhound puppy I strongly urge you to do so cautiously and keep handy these invaluable tools during your search. These include the Irish Wolfhound Club of America (IWCA) "Puppy Buyers Guide," and "So You Want to Own an Irish Wolfhound" brochure. You should read through the accompanying codes of conduct. As longstanding members of the IWCA and most importantly as breed custodians, the IWCA Standard of Behavior for Breeders is very necessary and I expect all breeders should ascribe to it as well.
Valuable Tools:
Brochures, Guides, and Breeder's Standard of Behavior
Regrettably, the breeds Parent Club, the Irish Wolfhound Club of America, does not police members to verify if they are abiding by the Standard of Behavior for Breeders, despite that the IWCA Board of Directors had generated this document to educate and guide the public. It is a very necessary Guide which on its merit serves as a basic outline of the fundamental standards of behavior members are expected to abide by while propagating the noble Irish Wolfhound. However, in no way does this limited declaration set forth the high standards that respected, ethical breeders strive to maintain.
As an illustration, this document allows for puppies to be placed at the age of 10-12 weeks. This age is the lower limit but you should know that nearly all reputable, long-standing breeders place their wolfhound puppies at a minimum of 12-weeks of age. In fact, some of our seasoned older breeders may "run on" or hold on to the pups until 15-weeks or later.
What is the correct age to place an Irish Wolfhound puppy? What is the difference between an 8 or 9 week-old IW puppy and a 12-week old puppy?
It is difficult to believe, but we are aware that many disreputable individuals are placing Irish Wolfhound puppies at 8-9 weeks of age now. As a puppy buyer, you need to understand that these actions are abhorrent, intolerable and are likely to cause problems or have adverse consequences for new owners. Why?
Irish Wolfhound puppies require the constant interaction, socialization, stability and reprimanding that littermates and their Dam provide. Lacking this litter socialization can permanently affect a dog’s behavior. Temperament is one of the most crucial characteristics of a giant, hunting Sighthound, one who is extremely athletic and powerful. Any Irish Wolfhound MUST be well-adjusted, confident and sound in mind, body, and soul. If not, there could be grim consequences in the future. An 8-week old IW pup has NOT yet received all the benefits of these now lost precious influences and processes of learning. The socialization that occurs with the Dam and littermates up to 12-15 weeks teaches the puppy how to play along with meaningful limits of acceptable or tolerable roughhousing, to name just a few invaluable lessons.
If a pup is removed from its litter and placed at an early age of 8-weeks, it can also suffer the consequences of early disconnection, detachment and be prone to separation anxiety and many other serious, behavioral issues. Please read my Blog article "Prospective Wolfhound Puppy Buyers Beware" on this subject to understand more about this utterly unacceptable and very risky practice of placing pups at 8-9 weeks of age.
You should understand that Irish Wolfhounds mature, physically and mentally, at a different rate than almost all other breeds. Despite their phenomenal physical growth over 18 months, their mental maturity is much slower than other breeds. I do not refer to intelligence, but that of their mental development from puppyhood to adulthood with its wisdom, sensibilities, and discrimination. Just ask any unknowing Wolfhound puppy owner who mistakenly believed their 12-month IW was mature enough to leave loose in the home while they ran errands. Upon entering their home, the drapes are no longer hanging on curtain rods, or the couch is ripped apart, or a hole appears in the Sheetrock wall. These are just a few real-time examples of what can happen. Do not allow any Breeder to tell you it is safe to place an IW puppy at 8-9 weeks of age!
The Breeder has puppies from an 8-year old female IW. The unethical breeding of old or veteran dams.
As a prospective IW puppy owner, let us compare a scrupulous breeder to an unethical breeder. The age in which a female Irish Wolfhound should be bred which is declared in The Standard of Behaviors for Breeders as:
"Breed only those bitches that are in excellent health, generally between the ages of 24 months and 6 years."
An unprincipled breeder or dog broker whose primary concern is profit will breed an older Irish Wolfhound dam, 7 or 8 years of age, regardless of the possible harm and danger to the female wolfhound. Reflect on the reality that wolfhounds are deemed Veterans at six years of age in the U.S., and in Canada. In foreign countries, the Veteran age is reached at seven years. Breeding an Irish Wolfhound female at such a veteran age is rarely done over the age of six except for exceptional circumstances and only by highly experienced, seasoned breeders. Those would include a Dam who previously whelped a litter (no more than twice in her lifetime), who was a superb instinctual mother, and that she had excellent health and vigor. Even then, doing so at this age is rarely done and only to perpetuate a specific and jeopardized bloodline by the "old-guard" breeder.
Please, never allow any individual(s) to persuade you that breeding a Veteran dam is acceptable.
The exploitation and commercialization of the Irish Wolfhound breed.
CAUTION: Never purchase a puppy over the Internet or on the phone. The Wolfhound has become a favorite victim for dog brokers and profiteers due to its appearance, size, nobility, and gentleness with people.
Honest, well-respected conscientious breeders are aware that there is an increasing number of fraudulent people mating Irish Wolfhounds and selling puppies. They are calling themselves "Breeders"; however, do not be fooled. Highly motivated by profit, these indecent racketeers are only Dog Brokers mating dogs for financial proceeds, some may produce just a few litters over time, but the majority are producing several litters annually.
Typically, these Dog Brokers have minimal knowledge or concern for the IW breed's major health concerns nor the disease's ancestral genetic mode of inheritance. They have little interest in phenotype and correct skeletal structure, nor do they breed for longevity and temperament. They exploit the Irish Wolfhound breed's essential goodness and famed disposition for profit with one or more exclaiming that they quit their full-time employment because they were making so much money selling IW litters!
Typically, Dog Brokers or Backyard Breeders have substandard breeding programs. They lack selective specimens and they will use unethical breeding customs and policies. Beware slick websites marketing IW's! Verify the authenticity of the Breeder by asking for references and do some research on them. Please read through the broad sample questions I provided below in the section, "When interviewing a Breeder.....". Decide on several questions to ask of the Breeder before committing to any new puppy.
Remember, not everything promoted on the Internet is what it seems. Consider a website showing Wolfhounds running through green fields and IWs lying around on dog beds inside someone's home. Sounds idyllic, but in many cases, these websites are deceptive. I receive phone inquiries from people who have visited such locations and go on to describe entirely different environments. Many savvy Dog Brokers employ Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and keyword marketing to increase their visibility so they can rank higher in search results. They also attempt to blend in with respectable Breeders websites. Brokers usually provide manufactured or ghost testimonials from previous puppy buyers, and on occasion if a smart Buyer attempts to speak with a reference, it can be a "set-up." To increase the Broker's credibility, several promote they are members of one or more Irish Wolfhound Clubs, they require puppy purchase sales agreements, and proclaim they place their pups at 10-12 weeks of age. But do they?
Because of my popular website, I have heard, first-hand, stories from duped Buyers. For example, a puppy buyer interviews a “Breeder” who initially states that all puppies go to their new home at 12 weeks of age. The puppy buyer commits to this Breeder (usually requiring a deposit) and the Buyer anxiously waits for that time when they can pick up their long-awaited IW puppy. Unexpectedly, when the pup is approximately 8-weeks of age, the puppy buyer receives a call from this so-called "Breeder" who is saying there was an emergency (illness or death in the family) or yet another pretext, and that the Buyer needs to come and pick-up their 8-week old puppy, immediately. If not, the puppy must be sold to another buyer, and the Buyer may or will lose their deposit!
Yet another scam that I am aware of is the above scenario combined with the "bait and switch." One case involved a puppy buyer who visited her chosen “Breeder” and their breeding operation. The Buyer reported that they were permitted to pick out a male pup at around four weeks of age (something nearly all reputable Breeders would never allow) and the Buyer discreetly took photographs of that puppy. The Buyer kept in touch with the Breeder while the young pup grew and made plans for both she and her husband to return to pick him up at 12-weeks of age. One day she received a call from the Breeder who announced that they had to go out of town, unexpectedly, and she the Buyer only had a small window of time to arrange to pick-up their puppy. The baby pup was only eight weeks of age. The Buyers arrived after a 12-hour drive and, curiously, saw there were many other puppies still present. Wasting no time, the Breeder handed them over a female puppy to which they reminded the Breeder they were getting a male. Then the Breeder handed them a male pup. The woman who had previously taken photos of her chosen male pup stated this was not the puppy she selected. The Breeder argued, telling her she was wrong. The woman revealed her photos, which depicted a different male pup, and only then did the Breeder relent.
What really happened? Firstly, while dealing with a Breeder who is well-respected and conscientious, it is common practice for that Breeder to pair a puppy with their new owners based on personality and lifestyles. For example, some IW pups may have a more sensitive or quiet personality who would not flourish in a busy, noisy environment with children. But pairing does not appear to be a motive in this incident — it could potentially have been a "bait and switch." Not a conventional bait & switch for "buying up" to a higher-priced puppy but rather, substitution of a lesser quality puppy from a litter that was neither displayed or shown to the Buyer on their initial visits.
What typically happens is that on their first meet & greet visit with the Breeder, the Buyer(s) are originally shown a Dam with a litter of puppies who appear bright, active, of good weight, having outgoing personalities. However, when the Buyer returns to pick-up a puppy from this litter they are unknowingly sold a puppy from an altogether different litter. One that the Buyer had not previously seen. These puppies may be of lesser quality in vigor, substance, shape, soundness, and personality. I have even heard of a Dog Broker who put the same Dam in with another female's litter to perpetuate the scam.
On occasion a savvy Buyer may sense something is afoot. The Dog Broker or Backyard Breeder claims this was the same litter the Buyer viewed previously saying that all IW puppies coat color will darken or lighten and that pups experience growth spurts, which will affect their weight and that pup’s personalities can go through phases. Some of what the Breeder said is correct about coat color, and growth stages can affect the distribution of weight but 12-week old IW pups are usually always well-rounded and not thin. Regardless, the puppy(s) being sold are not from the litter the Buyer was initially shown. Perhaps they are not as active and bright, nor as friendly, not plump, have dull coats, and have eye discharge, and are somewhat sluggish. Since most Buyers are at a disadvantage because generally, they cannot gauge and identify puppies apparent weaknesses nor can they rate a litter's overall quality, they do not listen to their gut telling them that something is wrong or different. Determinedly, the Buyer is emotionally committed and goes ahead and purchases the puppy.
When I am finally consulted, the new IW owner is frustrated with the health issues and or are very worried about the behavioral problems they are observing as they rack up huge veterinarian bills. The Breeder will not return their calls for help, or often will feign ignorance about ever having that health or temperament problem. For me to assist these people, I ask for all the details surrounding the purchase. The common thread in each story is that they picked up the puppy at 8-9 weeks of age. The second most prevalent common denominator is that the Buyer did not research the so-called “Breeder’s” reputation and level of experience within the reputable IW community. Lastly, many did not even bother to visit the Breeder's kennel!
You should always try to visit the Breeder’s home and kennel to confirm that the puppies appear well-socialized in a pleasant, home environment. Expect or anticipate staying for one or more hours — not a 15-minute visit and then you are shown the door. Ask yourself if the breeder appears to have the disposable income to properly care for this giant, special-needs, high maintenance Wolfhound breed whose medical care, high-quality food and exercise takes money and time? Are the hounds well-exercised, and if they live in kennels, are the accommodations very clean without urine and waste odor? Did you see the Wolfhounds being exercised while you were there? Ask to see where the puppies are raised and inquire how long the Dam was with them? Ordinarily, a well-tempered Dam will be patient and willing to mingle with their offspring. For example, my Dam’s hang out with their puppies even at 12-weeks of age onward. In contrast, I have received reports about a dog broker who sells quite a few IW puppies annually who removes the puppies from their Dam at 2 weeks of age! Doing so is both outrageous and cruel, not too mention the detrimental effect on the temperament and personality development of such young babies. These could be ticking time bombs.
Unfortunately, Buyers such as yourselves are unwittingly supporting these immoral individuals with your money. You must be your own advocate! The consequences for your purchasing puppies from indecent, indiscriminate, disreputable people will follow you or even haunt you for years. Medical bills in the multiple tens of thousands of dollars for constant trips to the vet for issues such as repetitive diarrhea and IBD, skin & coat issues involving allergies, poor eaters, skeletal defects such as Elbow & Hip Dysplasia, Luxation of the Patella, Eye Diseases PRA and Cataracts, Cranial Cruciate muscle tears requiring very expensive surgeries, concerning behavioral issues and so on. Even if you have Pet Health Insurance, you have an annual limit or cap the insurance policy will cover. You could reach your cap in two days with a giant breed. I had an IW owner contact me for a pup after he lost his best buddy to Bloat and the Veterinary Bill was $16,000!
Remember, always practice great discretion when interviewing breeders, even if they are members of the IWCA Parent Club Breeders Directory.
When interviewing a “Breeder” or person who has a litter of pups, here are a list of questions and topics to discuss:
First, familiarize yourself with the common health problems by reading my webpage Irish Wolfhound Health Concerns. Make yourself familiar with Osteosarcoma, Lymphoma, Dilated Cardiomyopathy and Ventricular Premature Contractions, Bloat/Gastric Torsion which are the leading causes of death in our breed.
Ask what health testing does the breeder perform on all the puppies? Breeders are urged to perform health testing before puppies go to new homes for diseases such as:
Portosystemic Shunt: Breeders should screen all of their puppies for portosystemic shunts using a bile acid test at approximately 9-10 weeks of age before the pups are placed in a new home.
A Full protocol Bile Acid testing includes:
*-pre-prandial Fasting blood test (blood sample is taken before feeding)
*-post-prandial blood sample test (blood sample is taken two hours after feeding)
Click here for critical information on liver shunt testing available in my Health Concerns page. Suffice to say that such testing should be performed at least 9 weeks of age, up to 16 weeks of age and is customarily ALWAYS at the Breeder’s expense. It is NOT the new owners responsibility to screen their puppy.
Cardiac auscultation: All puppies’ hearts should be listened to by a veterinarian, using a stethoscope, to check for heart defects before they go to their new homes.
Ask to meet the mother of the puppies and, if possible, the father. Ask for pictures and health information on both parents and grandparents and tests results. Ask the following important questions:
Has the breeder continuously performed annual Advanced Cardiac Screening on all their hounds, especially the ones they have mated, by Board Certified Veterinary Cardiologists? Buyers should understand that screening and testing a Wolfhound just once is pointless as advanced cardiac screening needs to be performed annually from the age of 2 years and upward. Some people only have Cardiac auscultation done by a general veterinarian which is only a basic step for identifying heart disease. Only annual Advanced Cardiac Screening can detect arrhythmia’s and Ventricular Tachycardia. Advanced Cardiac Screening must include EKG, Echocardiograms, and even a 24-hour Holter Monitor (ambulatory). Every conscientious Breeder performs annual advanced heart screenings even if they do not have current hounds with heart disease! If a Breeder indicates that they do not then this should be a concern for you. The repercussions might be that your beloved companion can die a premature death from cardiac arrest. Please read my Blog article called Cardiovascular Disease in the Irish Wolfhound
Many Breeders screen their adult wolfhounds for bone diseases such as Hip Dysplasia and Elbow Dysplasia. Has this breeder done so?
Have the Sire and Dam had their eyes screened for Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA)? Find out more on my Health page.
Ask if the Breeder has obtained a Risk Analysis on the breeding for Epilepsy, PRA, Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD), Portal Systemic Liver Shunt (PSS)? What was the risk percentage results? Many Breeders utilize disease risk ratings prior to breeding.
Has Epilepsy occurred in their breeding stock? If so, in how many hounds and in what generation(s)? Currently, a wolfhound carrier or producer 7-generations back in the pedigree is generally believed to be an acceptable distance.
Has the Breeder produced Megaesophagus? If so, are the puppies related to this Wolfhound? An individual contacted me who told me that he imported an IW puppy from Ireland who was diagnosed with Megaesphagus. The owner finally euthanized him at 4 years of age from pneumonia complications caused by the disease which is an enlargement of the esophagus resulting in weak to no muscular motility to push any food or liquid down into the stomach. As such it necessitates that the animal must eat in a vertical position so the food enters the stomach via gravity. It is a terrible way to live and die.
Is the breeder active in the National and/or Regional breed club? Does the breeder attend National and Regional Specialties? How familiar is this breeder with the history and purpose of the Wolfhound? Does he/she participate in conformation exhibition, lure coursing, and/or obedience? Does he/she ascribe to the IWCA Code of Ethics and Standard of Behavior for Breeders? Has the breeder attended Irish Wolfhound Breeder Education programs at these National and Regional Specialty Shows? Keep in mind that simply because a breeder exhibits dogs at conformation shows DOES NOT define them as reputable, conscientious dog breeders. You can exhibit dogs and still be a puppy mill or backyard breeder.
Does the breeder stand behind the puppies he/she places? Will he/she take a puppy back or adult hound without questions if, for any reason, you are not able to keep it? Is the Breeder receptive to and are you able to freely call with questions about feeding, grooming, or health concerns? Can he/she give you information about regional clubs and dog activities you might enjoy with your new puppy?
Try to gauge if the Breeder is knowledgeable about the genetic mode of inheritance for diseases because every person mating dogs should have a basic understanding of genetics. Does the Breeder have experience with the primary diseases affecting our breed which do not have a confirmed mode of inheritance such as Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM), **Atrial Fibrillation (AF), Premature Ventricular Contractions (PVC), Osteocarcinoma and/or Lymphoma, or other fairly new exotic diseases like Immune Mediated Diseases? If the breeder tells you they have never bred a wolfhound who was diagnosed or had any problems with any of the above diseases then a huge red flag is being waved at you and you better take notice!! **Atrial Fibrillation is now believed to passed by a parent to it’s offspring. So, if a dog is diagnosed with AF then one or both of it’s parents also had AF.
Update on Cancer studies (see my DogBlogMusings Post) showed that a unique form of bone cancer that strikes Irish Wolfhounds at a young age (less than 5 years old) is highly heritable with 65% of disease development attributed to genetic factors. Future studies will explore the specific genetic mutations that contribute to this form of cancer.
You’d be surprised that some club member breeders have no idea about the genetic diseases that appear in carrier or affected hounds contained in their pedigrees. Ignorance is blissful, especially when the puppies are placed in companion homes, and you as the new owners are footing huge medical bills in the multiple thousands or tens of thousands of dollars.
Ask them to evaluate the puppies and tell you why they are show or companion quality. Are “companion quality” puppies sold with limited registrations and/or spay/neuter agreements? If they cannot describe or demonstrate with proficiency the virtues and faults of the puppies then they have no idea what they are doing which is another red flag!
Does the breeder provide information on the risks/benefits and timing of spaying/neutering Wolfhounds? Does their information concur with the information I have provided on my Ballyhara website Spay/Neuter Concerns?
Are the puppies well-socialized in a pleasant, home environment? Does the breeder appear to have the disposable income to properly care for this giant, special-needs, high maintenance Wolfhound breed? Medical care, high-quality food and exercise takes money and time.
Are the hounds well-exercised, and if they live in kennels, are the accommodations very clean without urine and waste odor?
Does the Breeder appear very knowledgeable about the breeds history, form and function instead of obtaining their knowledge just from the Internet? You’d be surprised as to the number of people posing as breeders who have no depth of knowledge of the breed, and who make so much money selling puppies that they brag they have quit their full-time jobs.
Remember, never allow a so-called Breeder to convince you that 8-9 weeks of age is appropriate for an IW pup to go to a new home. Read my DogBlogMusings article titled Caveat Emptor!
Conscientious Breeders will require a homesite visit first before placing any IW pup to confirm that you have above-ground, breed specific fencing and ample acreage for the Sighthound.
Remember, you MUST have patience until a well-known breeder has a pup available.
Keep in mind that there can be a remarkable and visible contrasts of quality of a wolfhound bred by, for example a Breeder such as myself, and Wolfhounds bred by various disreputable individuals who are simply mating hounds for profit. We refer to them as Dog Brokers. To illustrate, we placed a male Wolfhound yearling (15 months of age) in a companion home who currently had a four-year-old male Irish Wolfhound. Upon meeting the new addition, the extended family including the adult children were shocked at the difference between the two wolfhounds. The quality of my male was superior in size, the substance of his body, muscle tone, coat condition, head and expression as well as overall conformation and silhouette that the family were practically astonished. Naturally, this conclusion is the separation between myself, a qualified, conscientious breeder and the casual breeder with little to no canine husbandry skills or values.
If you have reviewed all the relevant material I have supplied and remain seriously and sincerely interested on obtaining a wolfhound puppy then, by all means, please fill out the Irish Wolfhound Puppy Questionnaire. Please be aware that we do not broker dogs by email, and we insist on speaking with you in a more personal manner of communication like the telephone and then most certainly, in person.
Always remember that:
The protection of this breed is an obligation one accepts with ownership of an Irish Wolfhound. The owner of an Irish Wolfhound will put the welfare of each of his or her Irish Wolfhounds above personal gain, profit and/or personal convenience.
