Irish Wolfhounds
Information about Irish Wolfhounds.
As its name would imply, the Irish Wolfhound was originally bred for hunting wolves. A sighthound, a dog that hunts by speed and sight as opposed to scent alone, the Irish Wolfhound is considered the tallest dog breed in the world. Despite the fact that certain individual great danes of greater height have been recorded, as a breed, the Irish Wolfhound remains the tallest.
The Irish Wolfhound may date back to the 1st Century BC and beyond, making it one of the oldest known dog breeds. They were bred as war dogs by the ancient Celts. Much later in history they were used for both wolf and boar hunting.
There are stories of Irish Wolfhounds being transported to ancient Rome in cages to be exhibited to an incredulous local population, and tales of them being trained to drag knights from their horses. For certain they came close to extinction in the middle of the 19th Century at a time when they were so highly prized that only royalty and nobility could own them.
Despite their enormous size, Irish Wolfhounds are gentle giants and ideal family pets, if a little clumsy. They are good with both children and other dogs. Their only major drawback is that like a number of large dogs, they tend to have a rather shorter lifespan than most dogs.
Find an Irish Wolfhound Puppy | Find an Irish Wolfhound Breeder | Irish Wolfhound Puppies for Sale
Compare Dog Insurance
|
