Got a new puppy this weekend

[DriftwoodSVT]

On Friday we drove to pick up our new puppy. I've been wanting this breed for 10 years, but they are incredibly rare and very expensive. We found a breeder in NW Texas and have been waiting, and a few months ago we were told they were expecting pups.

We decided to call her Keira (Kee-Ra) which is Irish for dark hair brown eyes. She's 100% purebred Irish Wolfhound, AKC registered and we have record of her linage back about 10 generations.

She's gonna be a big girl. 8 weeks old and she's already 35 lbs. Her dad is 160 lbs and her mom 140 lbs.

For those unfamiliar with Irish Wolfhounds, they are the tallest breed of dog there is. They were bred to kill wolves. Sadly, lifespan is only about 6-8 years.

Neither my wife nor I had ever seen one in person before seeing the parents on Friday. Absolutely massive. Words are hard to describe just how large they are.

We started with a private trainer on Saturday because we need to make sure she's used to a leash before she gets too big. The trainer has been training dogs for 30 years and said she's only seen 2 wolfhounds ever.

She will grow about 7 lbs a week until she reaches her full size.

And before the rescue advocates jump my ass for paying for a dog, we have a 7 year old Australian Shepherd that we rescued when he was 6 months old.

 

[Skitzerman]

Congrats on the new family member. Best of luck with her.

 

[joshcarp81]

That's our next dog after our wirehaired is no longer around. There's a guy local to me that is exmilitary and has one that's not full grown as a service dog. She is beautiful. It's a shame like you said about their lifespan though. Good luck with the pup! We just picked up our last rescue last weekend, she's a 6 month old beagle coonhound mix from what we can tell.

 

[TxCobra76]

Nice! That’s gonna be a big girl.


Sent from my iPhone using svtperformance.com

 

[PaxtonShelby]

Time to buy a BIG scooper...

 

[Skitzerman]

Time to buy a BIG scooper...

 

[DriftwoodSVT]

Time to buy a BIG scooper...

I have 2 boys and some shovels. They can figure it out

 

[72MachOne99GT]

Bred to kill wolves huh...I’ve seen a few pictures of those dogs, they’re basically horses.

Are they German? Austrian? Where’d the breed originate?

Also, we as Americans need to breed AntifaHounds...for obvious reasons.

 

[DriftwoodSVT]

Bred to kill wolves huh...I’ve seen a few pictures of those dogs, they’re basically horses.

Are they German? Austrian? Where’d the breed originate?

Also, we as Americans need to breed AntifaHounds...for obvious reasons.

WIKI doesn't really say their origin but mentions they fought side by side with the Celts: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Wolfhound

 

[72MachOne99GT]

I set my laziness aside and read a few links...sounds like they originated from (Surprise) Southern Ireland.

AKC site says they have a pretty good temperament, which is something I care more about now that we have kids than I did before.

She’ll eat you out of house and home right alongside your kids!

 

[DiB14-SAFD]

Beautiful, sweet dogs. Family in my area has a pair of them that we see at the pet store fairly regularly. I have an English Mastiff and at 130lbs she looks small next to the wolfhound.

 

[tones_RS3]

That's awesome man!
Congrats and enjoy. Nothing like having a dog in the home.

 

[Gr8fulmtnbiker]

congratulations...DOGS FTW! best of luck with her!

 

[Equalbracket]

Damn, 6-8 year life expectancy? That's like marrying someone with cancer, I kid I kid. Hope she* makes it twice that.

 

[Luviathan_5.0]

Congratulations! Cherish every day because the years will fly by. My pups are turning 8 and 6 and I can tell you it goes fast and seems each year went faster than the last.

 

[CobraBob]

Congratulations! She looks like a regular full-sized dog laying there on your lap.

For those who've never seen a full-grown Irish Wolfhound.....

 

[DriftwoodSVT]

It's rough being a puppy. She fell asleep like this, one foot half way in the water.

 

[tistan]

My neighbor had two. Cool dogs, but I could never get over the 6-8 year lifespan. That is a lot of heartache to deal with so often.

 

[Smm7PT]

On avg the Irish Wolfhounds are larger. But Danes have all the size records, as they are a truly massive dog, with proper European bloodlines. Mine aren’t that big though. 125lb Female 140lbMale.

My cousin has a Wolfhound, with the exception of appearance, they are basically the same breed.
They both are Easy to train despite what others may say, great temperament, very playful if you want them to be; but are quite content laying around on a couch all day.

My advice despite what any vet will tell you, don’t get a gastropexy. Our female has a perfect family history, yet after the gastropexy, she has herniated the site twice, now she has a tumor at the herniation site.
We never put our male through that procedure, we just don’t let him run for 1.5-2 hours after eating and he’s never experienced Bloat.

Congrats on the awesome pup! Large breeds are just the best dogs, too bad life expectancies are terrible.


Sent from my iPhone using svtperformance.com

 

[DriftwoodSVT]

Took this picture about 2 weeks back. It really shows her markings well: