My wife and I have had Irish Wolfhounds for the past 27 years. Sadly, I had to put down my wolfie yesterday. It is so difficult to have such wonderful gentle dogs that have short life expectancies. I have had three wolfies. All were marvelous pets. Incredibly calm and loving. Very good with children. My first one died of cancer at 7 years of age. The second one was from a top breeder in Ireland that lived past 11 years and died of old age. Sadly, my last one died at 8 years and 8 months from cancer in his jaw. We spent a small fortune trying to save him but it proved hopeless. The pain of losing these dogs is immeasurable. I don’t know if we will get a fourth one. I must say that we have truly loved all three. Wonderful loving dogs with such a gentle nature. When they are healthy they are regal and a joy to observe in their natural state of play. Sadly, the true heartache of losing them has taken such a toll on me and my family. I would recommend that anyone considering these magnificent dogs carefully check the health histories of the the breeding parents. Cancer seems to be a common issue. It has taken two of my three wolfies. If my wife and I decide to get another one we will very carefully investigate the health statistics from the breeder that we choose. I don’t believe that the breeder we had for our second wolfie, who was in Ireland, still produces litters. I would certainly seek one from them. I will deeply miss the one we just lost. He used to literally sit in my lap and seek affection. He would howl with joy when I came home from work each night. He was always with us and as we moved about the house and found a place to rest nearby. It has been a true blessing to have had them in our lives. But the pain of losing them at such young ages, relative to other dog breeds, has taken an emotional toll on us. But the joy they gave us was immeasurable.

Irish wolfdogs are the philosophers among the dogs. Never met a more relaxed dogbreed.

I was at a dog park when a wolfhound came up to me and leaned against me for about 5 minutes all the while my little dog was barking at him but the barking didn’t bother the wolfhound at all. He had such a soft and gentle energy.

I had the pleasure of meeting a Irish wolfhound mix. In the single evening I spent with him at a dinner party, he came to me for scritches and cuddles frequently and when another dog a guest had brought was aggressive and protective of its owner had snapped and growled at me, the Wolfhound immediately and calmly walked inbetween us blocking my face with his body from the attack of the other dog. I was forever then in love with the Irish Wolfhound. We had just met only a few hours ago, and he was already protecting me. I was so honored to be shown so much affection by such a beautiful giant dog.

I grew up beside the old Jameson Whiskey house in Ireland and the owners had four huge Irish Wolfhounds. one was reputed to be the biggest ever of the breed and were in the Guinness book of records for the tallest dog. They were so gentle and friendly!

Had two IWs in the '80s. Perfect, perfect dogs. My only hesitation in parenting them again is the short lifespan. Heart-breaking.

My wolfhound was the sweetest little thing. picked her up from a corner puppy cage at a Houston Shelter. she was about 12 weeks old, and weighed all of 12 pounds. she had just been spayed, was skin and bones and her head was shaved and wounded by another dog. she bonded hard to me when i picked her up and sat with her. 2 years later and she is still my sweet girl.

Irish wolfhounds are some of the sweetest dogs around. I worked at a dog boarding kennel and the only dog breed I would go into the pen to play with the dog on my off time was the Irish Wolfhound. They are gentle giants and love to be affectionate.

My vets wife who was a vet tech calls these dogs heart breakers. Due to the short life span. She absolutely loved her sweet boy!!

Years ago I worked for a few months as a postie between student terms. I was warned about houses with vicious dogs and to be on my guard. Whilst delivering to a large house with a drive I hadn’t spotted the Irish wolfhound in the grounds, after posting the letter I turned round and unexpectedly faced this huge dog, my knees turned to jelly but it was the most gentle and friendly animal imaginable. We became “friends” after that and he always gently greeted me whenever I visited again.

Years ago, we had a next door neighbor with a sweet Irish Wolfhound named June Bug. June Bug was besties with our yellow lab, Jasper. She would hop our six foot fence from a sitting position on the other side. It was amazing to see.

I love my Wolfhound, it was definitely a struggle raising him but the best experience. He's 4 years old now and his name is Mowgli. He's HUGE but thinks he's a lap dog of course. Lol

When I walk out in the park with Holly, our Irish Wolfhound girl, everybody feels invited to come and to hug her or asks questions about her. Its funny though the first impression was that people changed the sidewalk for not passing this huge dog 😄 She is quite huge for a 3 year old wolfhound girl. Almost 90 cm shoulder height. Me and my two sons are addicted to her🐺

Wolfies are the best. Mine is 7.5 years old now, and he is the best thing to ever happen to me. We always have people stop to meet him and get his picture everywhere we go.

I visited Brad Pitt’s home in 1997 (he wasn’t there-our friend worked for him) and he had FIVE of these dogs! They were massive!

Those dogs are huge!! The puppies are absolutely adorable!!

I live in the Scottish Highlands and have on several occasions had the pleasure of meeting both wolfhounds and their cousins the Deerhound, both have been extremely amiable, and happy, I am 4ft 10ins so it is no problem to them to put their paws on my shoulders and give me a kiss. They are beautiful

I am completely in love with these dogs - but then I am Irish.

The real sad thing about Irish Wolfhounds is their life expectancy which could be as little as six years.

My neighbor had an Irish Wolfhound. He was the sweetest dog I have ever met and he LOVED other animals.

I have always loved this breed. They are stunning 🙏🏼☮️💚

12:24 The puppies are gorgeous. This is my first time seeing the puppies. These Wolfhounds are majestic.

I had once an encounter with one of these giants. I had an invitation to a house in the forrest, not knowing about the Irish Wolfhound there. When I was walking towards that house suddenly a huge grey shadow came running towards me in the half dark of the trees and I gulped. But then I found out how friendly these fantastic dogs can be in the right hands. ❤🐈‍⬛

My favorite breed, but they don't live long enough. Our IWH/German Wirehair mix is at 14 years old now!

A couple in Munich walks 2 huge males. My male lab loves them and always joins them and walks with them. Huge and amazing creatures

I have a Pyrenees laying beside me in my bed as I write this. I have had what I thought was a big dog, a Rotti, and my son had Labs and Boxers. My Harlow makes thenLab look small. Can’t imagine the size of these. I am always overwhelmed when I see a Dane or a Wolfhound. They are beautiful and majestic. Wonderful advice and video.

They are Beautiful Pups. I will always miss "Buddy"

Such big beautiful dogs! The puppies are the cutest puppies I’ve ever seen

Story of the Irish wolf is also the story of the forests that disappeared from the 17th century to the 19th. Both Britain and Ireland lost a lot of forests to build ships. The western parts of both islands would have looked much different, and how people made a living would have been much different. There's a sad poem called The Lament For Kilcash that describes some of the change, and how forests provided much more for them than a bare landscape could. Love these videos.

❤ Love Irish woolf hound. My sister has a mix of Irish woolf hound and German rough-haired hunting dog. He is so huge and very gentle and playful ❤

I’ve seen this breed at a dog beach here in Tasmania, and they look like they run in slow motion! Absolutely amazing!

My neighbor has 4 wolfhounds. So many people think he's walking miniature ponies

My grandma got herself a wolf dog from the local animal shelter. Was such a sweethart but completely oblivious to her size which let to some hilarious situations.

Irish Wolfhounds are not a dog breed, They're a LIFE STYLE. 😳

I’ve only known a few Irish wolfhounds and they were definitely gentle giants. Didn’t seem to have a protective bone in their body. Not prone to fight with other dogs. Even other dogs that are giving them the stiff leg attitude. They are one of the few giant breeds that I would consider owning, mainly because they’re so easy-going. I’ve owned lots of large breed dogs but never a giant breed.

I’ve had 13 IWHs, and one now. Great video on being EXTREMELY cautious exercising before 12-18 Months. Their bones are really even touching at first, they lag. We rescued most but did have two puppies and boy, it was a lot of work.

🐾Such a beautiful, big breed!🐾

If i ever wanted another giant breed, my choice had always been an Irish wolfhound. Thanks for featuring it.

It amazes me how puppies are soooo smol and so cute, and then they become so huge and majestic.

When I was in my teens my parents got a puppy. Supposedly shepherd mixed with border collie. We still have no idea if the people we got him off of were aware of his actual breeding or not. He was predominantly irish wolf hound, we discovered as he grew. He was an completely sweet natured gentle giant that we constantly compared to the dog in the book "Hairy Mcleary from Donaldson's dairy" If the opportunity came up I would gladly bring another wolfhound into the family.

What a laid back bunch!

I rescue retired greyhounds but when I lost my sweet Topi, I rescued Daphne. She is a deerhound/whippet mix and just pure love and joy. Thank you for this lovely video!

I have had two irish wolfhounds myself amazing dogs mine were both males and never took them for a long walk for 18 months the only sad thing is there life span are so short but they are the best dog's in the world

The beautiful and magnificent Irish wolfhound

They are cute, cute, cute and wow what a pack. Loving them.

The ones I encountered had such a gentle personality.

This is a great video. Thoroughly enjoyed every minute. Such a knowledgeable and interesting breeder. She obviously loves the breed, and is right to be protective of their well-being.

As always!!, My favourite program podcast!!, A big thanks to you, your team and all those beautiful Angles!!

I live in Southwestern Ontario, Canada and there are 3 of them in my area. One is from Alberta, and the other two are from this province. My German Shepherd plays with one of them regularly and it's funny to watch given how tall she is comparatively and I have a pretty large boy. She always comes up to me and looks me straight in the eyes, nose to nose. Wonderfully socialized and confident.

I was honored to personally develop a wonderful relationship with an Irish Wolfhound whose "Mom" was recognized locally for rescuing the giants- -primarily Great Danes. She kept a photo scrap book of each individual dog and one day it occurred to me the birthdays were mostly in the single digits, on the 3 Wolfhounds she talked about with so much love. The last time I saw Morgan she was rising 9yo, but so happy to see me, however difficult it was to stand on 4 legs. My dogs have always been small rarely over 15#, so this experience was a once in a lifetime. Aside from their enormous size is the greatness of their gentle spirits that make them so special.

I've only seen one Irish Wolfhound in person. A lady in the neighborhood had one that I would see occasionally on a walk. Sweetest dog ever.

Wolfhounds are my favourite I have not owned on myself but my bro-inlay has had them for decades. H just got a new pup and he is so friendly and funny , great dogs , never aggressive in my experience.

This is the tip I used for my doberman girl as a puppy no full on running till she was a year and a half and her skeletal structure had developed and strengthened 👌🙏😊

Them and great danes are such gentle giants (those I meant anyway, were very friendly).

What beautiful babies and stunning adults. This is the breed that I would love to get if I ever decide to get a dog just due to their temperment.

Hi Anneka, If you're looking for more rare native and emdangered breeds, I would suggest the Smooth Collie, there are only about 40 to 80 registered puppies a year, they are an amazing breed, even though they are classed as being the smooth version of a rough collie most people who have had both breeds or have met both breeds would say they are different. It's certainly a breed most people wouldn't hear of (people usually think a smooth collie is a smooth coated border collie which it isnt) and one which is a sensible choice for a lot of people and their families. Mine unfortunately died at a 11 months and I am waiting for my second pup to come along. Once again they are amazing dogs which are certainly need more exposure! I hope you see this and will do a episode on them.😊

Thank you for sharing info about this lovely breed . Ive never seen the puppies

this is incredible interesting for me as I am playing with the thought of getting an wolfhound, having a GSD right now... so thx for this, very helpful!

One of my favorite dog breeds ♥️

Beautiful animals thanks for sharing ❣️

They’re gorgeous dogs. Super sweet.

Hello Anneka, it's a good thing that these wolfhounds are naturally gentle with people since they grow to be so huge and are like giant teddy bears.

I grew up with an IW and she was the most amazing dog. We were blessed to have her for 10 years, which is really remarkable for the giant breeds.

My George is half black lab and half Irish wolfhound. He has the energy level of a lab but every thing else about him is IW. I’ve worked hard at training him for the last year and, for the most part, he obeys but he’s so stubborn! George is a true and faithful friend.

❤❤❤❤I love this breed. In love with them. Thanks 4 ur videos. Dog lovers really enjoy ur channel and ur enthusiasm

i agree they are indeed very rare to see. i dont remember actually seeing one. like ever. only on pictures or online lol. so freaking cute they are as puppies as well. good lord. amazing breed. so big and majestic. :)

I saw my first IW at a dog show. Thirty-five years later, I got my boy when the time and circumstances were right. Finn died at 10 1/2 years and I still long to have him back. He's been gone for over 5 years; I can't bring myself to get another.

I have three. All I walk offleash everywhere. Streets and trails. Most love them but of course a lot cross the street. Super affectionate and loyal. Im blessed.

Very interesting video, as always, thank you very much Anneka and very compliments!👍👍💪💪🥰

I just so happened to see an Irish Wolfhound for the first time in my life in downtown Lexington Kentucky 2 days ago.

Gorgeous dogs Anneka,they are so big😃🙌🏻🐾🐾🐾big likes on your video,thanks for sharing

We had 2 females a mom and daughter pair. They are such loveably stragglers 😂 they just chill, but they are not a aggressive dog when it comes to humans or guarding, high pray drive. They are so awesome and may be one of the best companions. 😮

My favorite dog in the whole universe! 💖💖💖💖💖

I could watch those dogs everyday beautiful

Every Irish Wolfhound I've met were the sweetest dogs. Always friendly and hungry.

OMG this landscape XO

I love the babies Austonley!!

Beautiful Dogs ❤

Amazing video

Whoahhhhhhh!!! Big beautiful Bois 😍😍🤗🤗....like Irish coffee 😊... Awesome vdo mam👍👍👏👏👏👏❤️

What a. Beautiful animal. The short lifespan of these big dogs is hard to handle.

I saw a guy with 2 of these in Cambridge once. Felt just like like Bloodborne, in day time

I remember when we took my daughter, as a toddler. to a pet store that let people bring their dogs in with them, and a costomer came in with her Irish Wolf Hound. Flat footed, the dog was at eye level of my daughter, seated in the shopping cart. The freindly animal came over to great her and she excitedly squeeled "Puppy" and gave its head a hug. Sweet animal. ❤

Yesterday I said goodbye to another beautiful friend. I named the first one Arras from the fortress of Blansko, the second Gerald from Rivia. I lived more than 16 years from both. It's extremely hard to get to the end, but the before is amazing. They are great and loyal partners!!!! It only hurts so much when they leave...

We own 3. When the get the zoomies, watch out! Furniture goes flying, trees are demolished and if distracted and crash into you at very high speed and send you flying. That said they are friends with anyone brave enough to come pet them. All the delivery guys come and spend 5 minutes with them to get some pets in

Замечательные, большие и такие милые существа. Очень ирландские мне кажется. Вижу первый раз. Спасибо из Санкт-Петербурга.

lindos esses cachorros.

Omg they are absolutely beautiful 🤩

Greetings from Chile (south America) , great videos , love the giant breeds We have a project , working Neapolitan Mastiff type. Thank you for your work. Cheer's

Beautiful Dogs

Hello Very beautiful video thanks 💚💚🌷🌷❤❤❤

My irish will be Best friends all time❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

Two things I love about this video: the noble dogs themselves, and their human's northern accent.

Such beautiful creatures……….Donna in Toronto

a 3 month old irish wolfhound stray had been wandering through my complex, when i took him in his ears were flooded with ticks and he was so dirty and wet. he's almost 7 months old now larger than a german shepard, happy and playful living alongside 3 cats. i will say the worst the cats have to deal with is his insistent nose booping when they walk by XD

My sister came eye to eye with one when they both met round a blind bend. My sister was very shocked and a bit scared as she was about 7! My Mum and the dogs owner had a good laugh though.

Even though I'm in Ireland I've rarely met one in person. You'll sometimes see them on farms or roaming around manor house type hotels where they charm the guests and act as a mascot around the place. But any I have ever met are very chill, happy to go for a walk with anyone who will take them and generally enjoy some gentle attention and affection.

At 6 mins to see 8 week old Rosa and Paddy was a clue as to how huge these dogs grow. One of the many large Majestic breed`s of the canine world. Slainte.

If you think Wolfhounds are big you should see Staghounds! Saw 7 of them walking through a Scottish village years ago. Two adults and five puppies with their owner. Boy are they big!

When my parents brought an IW puppy home, I thought it was full grown at first. It was a fun and gentle dog.