Have his bed and feeding station ready, which must be raised at chair height, (at least 18 inches) before you bring him home.  A soft bed in a quiet corner of the kitchen is a good place.  Have baby gates ready to keep him safely in one place, this way he can still see you and won�t be behind a closed door.   But be warned, he will howl pitifully that first night, and make you feel so bad, that you may end up with your new puppy in your bedroom.  I speak from experience, and am obviously a soft touch, but it was just for the first night.  Let�s face it; it must be pretty scary for your new baby.  Just make sure, its draft free and warm, but not close to direct heat.  Cover the bed with a blanket or rug that you can wash regularly.

He must always have a place to call his own, out from under your feet and any hazardous, where he can sleep comfortably, soft is essential.  Make sure he�s not on a hard floor, as puppies do just throw their heads down, so be warned.  Also as he grows, you must protect his elbows, otherwise he will develop bursitis, which will result in unsightly and painful swellings, easy to prevent, but takes months to cure.

 

Adult hounds MUST be fed at least twice a day, never one large meal to be eaten all at once.  This is to minimize the risk of bloat or torsion, a killer condition.  If a meal is missed, or goes uneaten, NEVER give a larger meal to compensate.  Read up well on the signs of bloat, it could save his life if you are alert to this condition.

kili (10 weeks)

Balin (26 weeks)

..Meet for the first time

It was love at first sight.

Be careful of their weight, they can become fat easily.  They are prodigious drinkers, so always make sure they have a very large, fresh bowl of water available at all times.  Clean the bowl thoroughly everyday, you don�t want any unwanted infections. 

 

Aim to groom your adult dog on a daily basis, and with luck your hound will be done two to three times a week.  Doing this gives you a chance to notice any small abrasions, ticks and cuts which can be difficult to see in a hound with a good coat.  Teeth, ears and toe nails need careful attention.  Try and touch your puppy�s paws and nails on a regular basis, as clipping those nails can cause a real problem if you don�t get them used to it early on.  Be VERY careful with puppy nails.  Also check their ears and teeth regularly to get them used to this too.  It will help your vet, and make showing a breeze.  Please read a good book, and make sure it�s specific to the breed.  A puppy kindergarten class is a great idea for early socialization and great fun!!!  I can guarantee your puppy will be the best behaved there, unless there is another Wolfhound pup around.  A little treasure that everyone one will be secretly jealous of.

An adult hound will take a considerable amount of your time every single day to keep him properly exercised and in good condition.  As a youngster he must be protected from persistent children who relentlessly want him to play.  He must have plenty of sleep and rest whilst growing.  Too much exercise can cause major problems as his bones grow.  Keep it consistent.  Not once round the block one night, and a two mile hike the next.  As I said, and can�t stress enough, get a good book on the breed, it will be money well spent, and could save you a fortune in the future.  And most importantly keep your hound, healthy, happy and prolong his all too short life.

 

Training your wolfhound is of utmost importance, it must begin immediately.  He must always believe that you are bigger and stronger than he is.  But don�t be a bully.  A Wolfhound does the things you ask of him because he dearly loves and respects you, and for no other reason.  Seek out a good training class, and go from there.  Socializing is very important, get all your friends to come round, especially those with young children (once all his injections are done), let him meet the postman.  Introduce him to strange things, like fire hydrants, loud noises, metal stairs, elevators, driving in the car.   http://www.irishwolfhoundssociety.co.uk/care.htm

 

If he will be using a dog ramp, get him used to it early on.  You might be temped to lift him in, BUT of course you won�t be doing that for long.  Remember that when you invite him on the couch!!!

 

Paws for thought!!

"something to remember, when in doubt as to how to treat a puppy, always proceed in the way you would with a young child, you will not go far wrong�

 

He must learn the words �NO� and �DROP IT�.  Never expect too much from your hound, he is a hunter, not a working dog.  You need him to come when called, stop when told, sit down on command and walk well on a lead.  As I said, they are hunters, so remember his instinct is highly developed, if it moves chase it.  So never trust your hound around live stock.  Never give them the opportunity, if you hound chases and kills stock, it can only be your fault.

The �STOP � DROP� command is well worth trying to achieve.  When training, make it sound like the world is about to drop on your head, and throw yourself on the ground, make him realize this is serious stuff without terrifying him.  It could save his life one day if his favorite ball rolls out into a road.  Don�t expect this to work if he�s chasing a fleeing creature.  Of course your neighbors may think you�re as crazy as mine think I am, but it�s a risk worth taking.

If you hound is not leashed, maybe he�s laying watching you in the front yard washing the car, or your doing some gardening, please always remember, (and I don�t care how well you think you have him trained, quite often they train you), anything that runs will be chased, squirrels, the neighbors cat/dog, a squealing child (they adore the sounds of happy children, and are drawn to them).  All these things will appeal to your hound.  Be aware!!  He will not notice that car racing down the road; he will only have eyes for that squirrel.

Make it a rule to NEVER have your dog unleashed within miles of any danger.  Some people say, never have your hound unleashed, which is a good rule to adhere to.  I am blessed in having hundreds of acres close by, away from any danger, so seek out these safe places if you must unleash your dog.  Doggie parks are a great way to exercise your dog and socialize at the same time.  However, always check out the local dog park for several weeks before taking your hound, to ensure that only well socialized and friendly dogs visit the park.

NEVER physically chastise your hound, he will loose confidence in you and may never forgive you.  A disapproving tone of voice is usually adequate, but if he is particularly bad, wicked or awful, (oh that can�t be) seize the loose skin each side of his neck, shake it and bawl him out face to face, your displeasure at his behavior is registered!

Also, I have found that very occasionally, whilst out on our long walks, Balin feels he really isn�t ready to go home and momentarily goes deaf (this could happen to you).  NEVER chase your hound that would be such a fun game.  But of course it�s not, and should be avoided.  I have remedied this for myself by simply driving off, obviously away from danger as if to leave him there (keep him in view at all times).  NOW you will see just how fast your hound can run!!  And makes him realize he is more tired than he first thought, and will quite happily go home.

Check out a vet ahead of time.  Make sure they are familiar with the breed.  Be aware that from time to time he will need veterinary attention, which can be expensive, and obviously yearly injections are necessary.   Generally speaking wolfhounds are not a sick and ailing breed, but the sick or injured hound does not make a good patient, and they are dreadful cry babies. Be careful of that long tail which can be easily damaged within the home on sharp corners.  The slightest scratch must never go untreated.  They are slow to heal and can easily become infected which can lead to amputation of part or even the whole tail.

Read up on all the health problems associated with the Wolfhound, these can be avoided with careful, sensible management.  But be aware that they can be costly.

You MUST have a large, FENCED yard.  Do not consider the electric underground type of fencing.  It is quite likely your adult hound would run straight through it in hot pursuit of a deer or squirrel.  And most important, they do not stop unwanted, and unsocialized dogs from invading your yard, and possibly hurting or even killing your pride and joy!!!

Of course always use the best brand of dried food on the market suitable for these large dogs.  You are what you eat.  Advice like this will be given to you at the time of purchase of your hound.

Something I sometimes forget.  Once your monster pup is fully grown, you won�t see him the way others do.  Always be aware of his enormous size, they can give strangers a huge fright, especially when they are off leash.  Of course they have no need to fret, but only you will know that.

And be warned, once you have shared your life with one wolfhound, it is almost inevitable that you will have two and will never want to be without one, or two, or three again�����