2 year old Irish wolf hound

[zac595]

@cathryne A trainer once told me that this is a calm dog's way of telling a hyper dog to chill out; mother dogs do it to their puppies.

 

[ifyoubelieveme]

@cathryne This story just makes me laugh a little bit. Just the mental image of it with the little dog in its mouth. I'm possibly going to hell.

 

[internetimm568]

@ifyoubelieveme I know how you feel. I hate small dogs. They're nothing but annoying lite noise makers that bite.

 

[apzimmermann]

@internetimm568 I like them.

 

[ifyoubelieveme]

@internetimm568 Yeah, small dogs always hate me and I hate them right back. Except for some exceptions of course.

 

[kevo_77]

@ifyoubelieveme Do you ever plan on taking a photo of yourself with him like Van Morrison on the cover of Veedon Fleece?

 

[ifyoubelieveme]

@kevo_77 No probably not. He sucks at getting his picture taken he will just walk towards the cameraamd get way too close for a good picture.

 

[rburge4]

@ifyoubelieveme More pics!

 

[ifyoubelieveme]

@rburge4 I put a couple more up.

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@ifyoubelieveme He looks like a sweety. Does he have that hunter instinct? When I took riding lessons they had two of these at the stables, they'd chase down anything they could... And then look at us dumbly when they caught it, like "now what?"

 

[ifyoubelieveme]

@imagebeastmarkbeast Haha no he is just a big baby. He never chases after anything.

 

[onlyjesussaves]

@ifyoubelieveme Sweet! My friend has a IW who is also 2 years old. I have watched him grow up since she brought him home. You should post some pictures of your dog as a puppy, they are very interesting around the 2-6 month age. Like they look almost like normal dog size, but retardedly lanky. It's funny that Subie (my friends dog) was the same weight and taller than my 2 full grown border collie mixes when he was just 12 weeks old. I remember cradling him....never again will that be possible, haha.

Did Merlin have really soft fur when he was a puppy before the wireyness grew in? The IW I knew was like a totally different color and texture of hair for the first several months. He was like a tan brindle color with a very smooth soft coat but now he is that shaggy grey.

 

[ifyoubelieveme]

@onlyjesussaves Merlin was softer and his fur was a lot shorter and darker than it is now. I will post puppy pictures in the morning because it is getting late and I am going to bed.

 

[onlyjesussaves]

@ifyoubelieveme Cool. Let me know when they are posted so I remember to come back and look! If I was going to have a giant breed dog it would probably be the wolfhound or deerhound (rather than a dane or saint--the danes I know are almost all really skittish and weird about strangers despite socialization, and saints are just way too much fur for me to even think about). I love their look, the shaggy beard gets me every time I like big dogs but something around the 90 pound size would be more perfect for me, so like half a wolfie, lol.

 

[ifyoubelieveme]

@onlyjesussaves The deerhound that won that dog show a little while back was only like 80lbs. Maybe they are more your size, and they live longer I think.

 

[return2sender]

@ifyoubelieveme Sight hounds are bigger than all of us no matter the pounds.

 

[ifyoubelieveme]

@onlyjesussaves I put two baby pictures up. Sorry for the wait!

 

[braydeno]

@ifyoubelieveme Besides having to put food up, what is it like having one in the house? Assuming run of the house.

Do they smell? Oily fur usually has an odor.

What about watchdog type qualities? Bark at strangers walking by the house or at the door?

Are they competent swimmers?

How are they with toys? My setters have a tendency to destuff all toys handed over.

Thanks for doing the Q&A. I have been interested in the IW for a long time and once I find that perfect house with a big yard I will be getting one.

 

[ifyoubelieveme]

@braydeno Yes my dog pretty much gets whatever he wants including the beds and sofas. His fur can smell if he hasn't had a bath in a whil which sucks during the winter because we do it in the back yard. He never ever barks and almost any website will say that wolfhounds make terrible watchdogs haha. I don't know about most but the water scares Merlin, probably because when he was little it was winter and we were by a small river and I snuck across (via bridge) and he thought he would jump through the river. It was deeper than he thought. I buy him toys with the stuffing already out so we don't have stuffing everywhere.

 

[zavollen]

@ifyoubelieveme food consumage?