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Irish Wolfhound




Irish Wolfhound


by. Nolvyhindarto,S.Si_Encartablog_Animals


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Irish Wolfhound


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An Irish
Wolfhound

Other names

Cú Faoil

Country of origin

class="Hyperlink__Char">Ireland





[hide class="collapsebutton10__Char">] class="Normal__Char">Traits







[show class="collapsebutton10__Char">] class="Normal__Char">Classification
and standards



class="Hyperlink__Char">Dog (Canis lupus familiaris)



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 The Irish Wolfhound ( class="Hyperlink__Char">Irish: class="Normal_0020_0028Web_0029__Char">
Faoil
, Irish pronunciation:  class="ipa1__Char" style=" color: #0000FF;">[ˈkuː ˈfˠiːlʲ]) is a class="Hyperlink__Char">breed
of domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris), specifically a class="Hyperlink__Char">sighthound.
The name originates from its purpose ( class="Hyperlink__Char">wolf hunting)
rather than from its appearance.If their connection to the class="Hyperlink__Char">Celtic
dogs used at the sacking of Delphi during the Iron Age is accurate,then
their name derives indeed from that of the earliest class="Hyperlink__Char">bohemian
tribes
from central Europe. class="Hyperlink__Char">[1]
Irish Wolfhounds are the tallest dog breed on average[1].






class="Heading_00202__Char" style=" text-decoration: none;">Contents


[ class="Hyperlink__Char">hide]



  • 1 class="toctext__Char" style=" color: #0000FF">Appearance

  • 2 class="toctext__Char" style=" color: #0000FF">Temperament

  • 3 class="toctext__Char" style=" color: #0000FF">Health

  • 4 class="toctext__Char" style=" color: #0000FF">History

  • 5 class="toctext__Char" style=" color: #0000FF">References

  • 6 class="toctext__Char" style=" color: #0000FF">Further reading

  • 7 class="toctext__Char" style=" color: #0000FF">External links




 


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 Appearance


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A female wolfhound


class="Normal_0020_0028Web_0029__Char" style=" text-decoration: none">The most distinguishing physical feature of the Irish Wolfhound is
its great size. Built like a very muscular greyhound, the Irish
wolfhound male can attain the stature of a small class="Hyperlink__Char">pony.
Its large, long head tapers to a medium point and is held high. Ears
are small and stay close to the head except during moments of intensity.
Strong shoulders, a muscular neck, a deep chest and a retracted abdomen
give the dog its characteristic body shape. Paws are large and round.
The tail is carried between the legs, curving slightly upward. The coat
is rough, shaggy, wiry and especially bushy over the eyes and under
the jaw. The Irish Wolfhound is graceful with an easy yet powerful gait.
Historically these dogs had to not only possess speed but endurance,
allowing them to follow their prey and hunt it down. They had to be
hardy enough to withstand being injured whilst using their own brute
force to bring the prey down. The modern representation of the breed
appears to be a dog capable of doing just that. Generally breeders aim
for a height range of 85 to 95 centimeters (34 to 38 inches) at the class="Hyperlink__Char">withers
in males, 50 to 80 centimeters (30 to 35 inches) for females. Generally
acceptable weight 46–70 kg (101–154lbs). The recognized colors are
gray, brindle, red, black, pure white, fawn or any other color that
appears in the Deerhound.[2]


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Temperament


class="Normal_0020_0028Web_0029__Char" style=" text-decoration: none">An easygoing animal, they are usually quiet by nature. They
should not be territorially aggressive to other domestic dogs but are
born with specialized skills and it is common for hounds at play to class="Hyperlink__Char">course
another dog. This is a specific hunting behaviour, not a fighting or
territorial domination behaviour. The Irish Wolfhound is relatively
easy to train. They respond well to firm, but gentle, consistent leadership.
The Wolfhound of today is far from the one that struck fear into the
hearts of the Ancient Romans. Irish Wolfhounds are often favoured for
their loyalty, affection, patience and devotion. Although at some points
in history they have been used as watchdogs, unlike some breeds, the
Irish Wolfhound is usually unreliable in this role as they are often
friendly toward strangers, although their size can be a natural deterrant.
That said, when protection is required this dog is never found wanting.
When they or their family are in any perceived danger they display a
fearless nature.


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 Health


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An Irish Wolfhound puppy


class="Normal_0020_0028Web_0029__Char" style=" text-decoration: none">Irish Wolfhounds don't live long lives. Published lifespan estimations
vary between 5 and 10 years. class="Hyperlink__Char">Dilated
cardiomyopathy
and class="Hyperlink__Char">bone cancer
are the leading cause of death and like all deep-chested dogs, class="Normal_0020_0028Web_0029__Char" style="
color: #0000FF;">gastric torsion
(bloat) is also common;
the breed is also affected by hereditary intrahepatic class="Hyperlink__Char">portosystemic
shunt
.[3][4]


class="Normal_0020_0028Web_0029__Char" style=" text-decoration: none">In a privately funded study conducted under the auspices of the Irish
Wolfhound Club of America and based on an owner survey, Irish Wolfhounds
in the United States from 1966 to 1986 lived to a mean age of
6.47 and died most frequently of bone cancer.[5] A more recent study by the UK
Kennel Club puts the average age of death at 7 years.[6]


class="Normal_0020_0028Web_0029__Char" style=" text-decoration: none">By the age of 8 months, Irish Wolfhounds appear adult, and
many owners start stressing them too much. Outstretched limbs and irreparable
damage are the result. Wolfhounds need at least 18 months to be ready
for lure coursing, running as a sport, and other strenuous
activities. It takes almost two years for the wolfhound to fully grow.[ class="Hyperlink__Char">citation needed]


class="Normal_0020_0028Web_0029__Char" style=" text-decoration: none">Wolfhounds should not receive additional supplements when a
good dog food is used. It is generally accepted that they should be
fed a large breed puppy food until 18 months old and then change to
a large breed adult food. Most breeders today recommend that they not
be supplemented to slow their rapid growth.


class="Normal_0020_0028Web_0029__Char" style=" text-decoration: none">Irish Wolfhounds are one of the tallest of dog breeds so they are
well suited to rural life, but their medium energy profile allows them
to adjust fairly well to suburban and urban life as well, provided
they receive appropriate exercise.


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 History


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Irish Wolfhound running


class="Normal_0020_0028Web_0029__Char" style=" text-decoration: none">The breed is very old; there are suggestions it may have been brought
to Ireland around 3500 BC by early settlers, further genetic testing
may help clarify a point of origin. These dogs are mentioned,
as cú (variously translated as hound, Irish hound, war dog, wolf dog,
etc.) in Irish laws, which predate Christianity, and in Irish literature
which dates from the 5th century or, in the case of the Sagas, from
the old Irish period - AD600-900. The word "Cu" often became
an added respected prefix on the names of warriors as well as kings
denoting that they were worthy of the respect and loyalty of a Cu. Ancient
wood cuts and writings have placed them in existence as a breed by 273
BC. However there is indication that they existed even as early as 600
BC when the Tectosages and class="Hyperlink__Char">Tolistobogii
Celts sacked Delphi. Survivors left accounts of the fierce
Celts and the huge dogs who fought with them and at their side. They
were mentioned by Julius Caesar in his treatise, class="Hyperlink__Char">The Gallic
Wars
, and by 391 BC, they were written about by Roman
Consul, Quintus Aurelius, who received seven of them as
a gift to be used for fighting lions, bears, that in his words, "all
Rome viewed with wonder." Wolfhounds. Bred as war dogs by the ancients,
who called them Cú Faoil. The Irish continued to breed them for this
purpose, as well as to guard their homes and protect their stock. Regular
references of Irish Wolfhounds being used in dog fights are found in
many historical sagas— class="Hyperlink__Char">Culain's
favourite dog, Luath, was slain by a southern chief's hound, Phorp.
Cúchulain, a name which translates literally as "hound of Culain",
gained his name when as a child, known then as Setanta, he slew the
ferocious guard dog of Culain forcing him to offer himself as a replacement.
Only kings and the nobility were allowed to own the great Irish hound,
the numbers permitted depending on position. They were much coveted
and were frequently given as gifts to important personages and foreign
nobles. Like the nobility they served, the hounds were often bejeweled
with chains and collars studded with precious gem stones and metals.
Wolfhounds were the companions of the regal, and housed themselves alongside
them.


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Irish Guards' mascot in parade dress


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Wolf hunting with wolfhounds


class="Normal_0020_0028Web_0029__Char" style=" text-decoration: none">While many modern texts state Irish Wolfhounds were used for class="Hyperlink__Char">coursing
deer, contemporary pre-revival accounts such as Animated Nature (1796) by Oliver Goldsmith are explicit that
the original animal was a very poor coursing dog. Their astonishing
size, speed, and intelligence made them ideal animals for both class="Hyperlink__Char">boar hunting
and wolf hunting, and many were exported for this purpose.
They were perhaps too ideal, as the boar and wolf are now extinct in class="Hyperlink__Char">Ireland.
Unlike the Russian Wolfhound ( class="Hyperlink__Char">Borzoi),
who were bred to keep a wolf at bay until the hunter arrived, the Irish
Wolfhounds were bred not only to hunt the wolf down, but to go in for
the kill. They killed wolves in the same way a cat kills a rat, by shaking
it until its neck snapped. The Irish Wolfhound has been recorded as
being exhibited in ancient Rome to some excitement, and mention is
made that they so amazed and terrified the Romans that it was seen fit
to only transport them in cages. During the English conquest of Ireland,
Wolfhounds were trained by the Irish for war, their job was to catch
armoured knights on horseback and separate them from their horses.


The
Wolfhound is sometimes regarded as the national dog breed of Ireland
but in fact no breed has ever been officially adopted as such. The Wolfhound
was historically a dog that only nobles could own and was taken up by
the British during their rule in Ireland. This made it unpopular as
a national symbol and the class="Hyperlink__Char">Kerry
Blue Terrier
was adopted by Irish Nationalists such
as Michael Collins. However, in recent years, the Wolfhound
has been adopted as a symbol by both class="Hyperlink__Char">rugby
codes
, which are organised on an class="Hyperlink__Char">All-Ireland
basis. The national rugby league team are nicknamed the Wolfhounds,
and the Irish Rugby Football Union, which governs rugby
union, changed the name of the country's A (second-level) national team
in that code to the Ireland Wolfhounds in 2010.


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 References



  1. ^ class="Hyperlink__Char">http://www.akc.org/breeds/irish_wolfhound/index.cfm

  2. ^ class="Hyperlink__Char">http://www.akc.org/breeds/irish_wolfhound/index.cfm

  3. ^ class="citation_0020journal__Char">Urfer
    SR, Gaillard C, Steiger, A (2007). "Lifespan and disease predispositions
    in the
    Irish Wolfhound: a review". Vet Q 29 (3): 102111. class="citation_0020journal__Char" style="
    color: #0000FF;">PMID 
    class="Hyperlink__Char">17970287 class="citation_0020journal__Char">.

  4. ^ class="Hyperlink__Char">http://www.ths.vetsuisse.unibe.ch/lenya/housing/live/publications/Diss_Urfer_2007.pdf

  5. ^ class="Hyperlink__Char">http://www.wolfhoundweb.com/breedinfo/health/longevity/bernardi.html

  6. ^ class="Hyperlink__Char">"Summary results of the Purebred Dog Health Survey for Irish Wolfhound" class="citation_0020web__Char">. Kennel Club/British
    Small Animal Veterinary Association Scientific Comittee. 2004
    class="printonly__Char">. class="Hyperlink__Char">http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/download/1577/hsirishwolfhound.pdf class="reference_002daccessdate__Char">.
    Retrieved 30 March 2010
    class="citation_0020web__Char">.


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 Further reading



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 External links



Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Wolfhound"













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