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Standar / Points of Merit

Some standars of excellence

General Appearance

 

The Irish Wolfhound is the largest and tallest of the galloping hounds, it combines power and swiftness with keen sight and in general appearance, very muscular, strongly though gracefully built, movements easy and active, head and neck carried high, the tail carried low with a slight upward sweep towards the extremity

Body

Chest, very deep. Breast wide. Back, rather long than short. Loins arched. Belly well drawn u

 

Neck

Rather long, very strong and muscular, well arched, without dewlap or loose skin about the throa

Feet

Moderately large and round, turned neither inwards nor outwards. Toes well arched and closed. Nails very strong and curved.

 

Forequarters

Shoulders muscular, giving breadth of chest, set sloping, Elbows well under, turned neither inwards nor outwards. Leg, forearm muscular and the whole leg strong and quite straight

 

Hindquarters

Muscular thighs and second thighs long and strong as in the greyhound, hocks well let down and turning neither inwards nor outwards.

 

 

Head and Skull

Long, the frontal bones of the forehead very slightly raised and very little indentation between the eyes. Skull not too broad. Muzzle long and moderately pointed

 

 

Movement

Easy and active

 Coat

Rough and hard on body, legs and head, especially wiry and long over eyes and under jaw.

 

  

Information

Elizabeth Murphy's

 

Movement in the Irish wolfhound

 

The Standard of Excellence for the Irish Wolfhound calls for movement to be easy and active - an extremely brief and deceptively simple description. What does easy or active mean? The fact that movement is placed as high as third in the List of Points in Order of Merit shows the importance that should be placed on correct movement by all judges of the breed.

Movement in the Irish Wolfhound is subject to most of the faults encountered in other breeds and because of the overall size of the dog any problems appear magnified. A Wolfhound that is dishing, toeing-in or paddling as he comes towards you is difficult to miss, as is one who weaves or is cow-hocked when viewed from behind. Some deviation from typical movement is not quite so obvious. Pacing, when both legs on the same side move together, completely alters the outline of the hound and produces a rolling gait, but often neither handler nor judge notice that the hound is not trotting correctly. A short striding hound may look active or rather he looks busy in movement with legs (and often handler!) appearing to move very quickly - but he is going nowhere. At the chase he will tire more easily than his longer striding companion.

Many Irish Wolfhounds look impressive standing, but on the move the head drops and juts forward. The head and neck carriage of a Wolfhound should be naturally fairly high, but not high and back as appears to be the case with some other breeds. Too many judges seem to think that a flat or flatter top-line is acceptable or even correct, but the hound with the correct arch over his loins and well developed and strong hindquarters should hold his top-line on the move in the show ring.

An Irish Wolfhound with the correct conformation should move correctly. He should stand facing you with legs parallel, but to maintain his centre of gravity and his balance when he moves, he will place his feet closer to the centre line of his body. This convergence will increase the faster the dog moves, but in the show ring should only be slight as the dog is moving at a collected trot.

Watching a Wolfhound moving in profile allows the judge to assess what should be a long, easy stride, with the front foot perfectly timed to move out of the way of the approaching back foot without any overlap and watching movement front and rear will show any deviation from a straight line of travel.

If he is correctly made, with well developed muscle, he will move smoothly and efficiently almost without any apparent effort - but make no mistake about it - a free moving Irish Wolfhound can cover ground like no other breed. In the show ring, at the trot, he may be impressive, but we should never forget what he was originally bred for and that, essentially, he remains the largest of the hunting and galloping hounds.

 

Copied from the Irish Wolfhoundklub of Ireland

 

 

 

The Irish Wolfhound
The standard of excellence and Net of points in order of merit.

  1. General appearance: The Irish Wolfhound should not be quite so heavy or massive as the Great Dane, but more so than the Deerhound, which in general type he should otherwise resemble. Of great size and commanding appearance, very muscular, strongly though gracefully built, movements easy and active; head and neck carried high; the tail carried with an upward sweep with a slight curve towards the extremity. The minimum height and weight of dogs should be 31 inches and 120 pounds; of bitches, 28 inches and 90 pounds. Anything below this should be debarred from competition. Great size, including height at shoulder and proportionate length of body, is the desideratum to be aimed at, and it is desired to firmly establish a race that shall average from 32 inches to 34 inches in dogs, showing the requisite power, activity, courage and symmetry.
  2. Head; Long, the frontal bones of the forehead very slightly raised and very little indentation between the eyes. Skull, not too broad. Muzzle, long and moderately pointed, ears small and greyhound-like in carriage. Bite, scissors ideal, level acceptable.
  3. Neck: Rather long, very strong and muscular, well arched, without dewlap or loose skin about the throat
  4. Chest: Very deep. Breast wide.
  5. Back: Rather long than short. Loins arched.
  6. Tail: Long and slightly curved, of moderate thickness, and well covered with hair.
  7. Belly: Well drawn up.
  8. Forequarters: Shoulders muscular, giving breadth of chest set sloping. Elbows well under, neither turned
    inwards nor outwards. Leg. Forearm muscular, and the whole leg strong and quite straight.
  9. Hindquarters: Muscular thighs and second thigh long and strong as in the Greyhound, and hocks well let down and turning neither in nor out.
  10. Feet: Moderately large and round, neither turned inwards nor outwards. Toes, well arched and closed. Nails,
    very strong and curved.
  11. Hair: Rough and hard on body, legs and head; especially wiry and long over eyes and under jaw.
  12. Colour and markings: The recognized colours are grey, brindle, red, black, pure white, fawn, or any colour that appears in the Deerhound.
  13. Faults: Too light or too heavy a head, too highly arched frontal bone; large ears and hanging flat to the face; short neck; full dewlap; too narrow or too broad chest; sunken or hollow or quite straight back; bent forelegs; overbent fetlocks; twisted feet; spreading toes; too curly a tail; weak hindquarters and general want of muscle; too short in body; pink or liver-coloured eyelids; lips and nose any colour other than black; very light eyes.

 

 

Irish wolfhound club of Ireland
Est. 1925
Code of ethics

  1. It is the duty of all Irish wolfound owners to ceep their hounds under contreol at all times.. To keep them well exercised and in good health and endeavour to further promote the image of the breed and it’s equable temperament.
  2. Officers and Committee members of the Club should always be ready to do their best to help members with any queries or problems.
  3. Advertising by members must be factual. Members should refrain from making unfair or untrue statements about the dogs or practice of others.
  4. It should be impressed upon buyers that they should contact the breeder in the event of any problems with the puppy. Breeders should make every effort to be of assistance in these circumstances.
  5. Each purchaser of an Irish Wolfhound puppy should be provided at the time of sale, with a pedigree, diet sheet and information about training, worming and inoculations.
  6. Before breeding a litter consideration should be given to type, temperament, health and soundness. Aggressive dogs are not satisfactory as pets or breeding stock.
  7. All breeding should be aimed at the improvement of the breed. Members should do all in their power to discourage breeding from clearly inferior specimens.
  8. No member should breed a litter unless he has time and facilities to devote proper care and attention to the rearing of the puppies and the well being of the dam. No member should provide stud services unless satisfied that the owner of the bitch has such time and facilities available. Members should allow their males to be used only if certain that both dog and bitch have something to offer towards the improvement of the breed, not just for stud fees. They should be prepared to assist in finding suitable homes for the puppies.
  9. No member should breed a litter unless he is reasonably sure of finding homes for the puppies. No puppies should leave the breeder before the age of eight weeks at least. No bitch should be bred until physically mature.
  10. No puppies should be sold to dealers, pet shops, laboratories, security firms or as security guard dogs or to persons known to sell puppies to any of the above. Nor should stud services be provided to such persons. Knowledge of such sales should be reported to the committee. It is recommended that no puppies should be sold to areas overseas that do not have similar standards of animal welfare to our own. If in doubt, check with the Club.
  11. Prospective buyers of puppies should be screened for suitability and should be advised of the characteristics of the Irish Wolfflound as a breed. The breeder should encourage the prospective owner to feed the puppy correctly and endeavour to monitor its progress and encourage the owner to keep in touch with the breeder, who should be prepared to take back any hound whose home may no longer be able to cope or to contact the Club ’s Rescue Service.
  12. Members should only sell animals, which to the best of their knowledge are in good health at the time of the sale.
  13. Breeders should only sell directly to permanent homes. Members should not buy puppies from other breeders for re-sale or assist in sales in any other way for financial gain. This exempts stud fee puppies.
  14. All members are encouraged to test for liver shunt before sale.

 

This amended Code of Ethics including those motions passed at the IWC of I AGM 2000

Copied from the Irish wolfhoundklub of England

STANDARD OF EXCELLENCE

(as amended at the 1981 Annual General Meeting)

General Appearance

The Irish Wolfhound is the largest and tallest of the galloping hounds, it combines power and swiftness with keen sight and in general appearance, very muscular, strongly though gracefully built, movements easy and active, head and neck carried high, the tail carried low with a slight upward sweep towards the extremity.

Head and Skull

Long, the frontal bones of the forehead very slightly raised and very little indentation between the eyes. Skull not too broad. Muzzle long and moderately pointed.

Eyes

Dark

Ears

Small Greyhound like in appearance

Bite

Scissor, level is, however permitted.

Neck

Rather long, very strong and muscular, well arched, without dewlap or loose skin about the throat.

Forequarters

Shoulders muscular, giving breadth of chest, set sloping, Elbows well under, turned neither inwards nor outwards. Leg, forearm muscular and the whole leg strong and quite straight.

Body

Chest, very deep. Breast wide. Back, rather long than short. Loins arched. Belly well drawn up.

Hindquarters

Muscular thighs and second thighs long and strong as in the greyhound, hocks well let down and turning neither inwards nor outwards.

Feet

Moderately large and round, turned neither inwards nor outwards. Toes well arched and closed. Nails very strong and curved.

Movement

Easy and active

Tail

Long and slightly curved, of moderate thickness and well covered with hair.

Coat

Rough and hard on body, legs and head, especially wiry and long over eyes and under jaw.

Colour

The recognised colours are grey, brindle, red, black, pure white, fawn, or any colour that appears in the Deerhound.

Weight and Size

The minimum height and weight of dogs should be 31 inches and 120lbs, of bitches 28 inches and 90lbs. Anything below this should be debarred from competition. Great size including height at the shoulder and proportionate length of body is the desideratum to be aimed at, and it is desired to firmly establish a breed that shall average 32 to 34 inches in dogs, showing the requisite power activity and symmetry.

Faults

Too light or heavy a head, too highly arched frontal bone, large ears, ears hanging flat to the face, short neck, full dewlap, too narrow or too broad a chest, sunken, hollow or quite straight back, bent forelegs, over-bent fetlocks, twisted feet, spreading toes, too curly a tail, weak hindquarters and a general want of muscle, too short in body, pink or liver coloured eyelids, lips and nose any colour other than black, very light eyes, coat soft or wooly.

Note

Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.

List of points of merit

1. Typical The Irish Wolfhound should not be quite so heavy or massive as the Great Dane, but more so than the Deerhound, which in general type he should otherwise resemble.

2. Great size and commanding appearance.

3. Movement easy and active.

4. Head long and level, carried high.

5. Forelegs heavily boned, quite straight, elbows well set under

6. Thighs long and muscular, second thighs well muscled, stifles slightly bent.

8. Body long well ribbed up, with ribs well sprung and great 7. Coat rough and hard, specially wiry and long over the eyes and under the jaw. breadth across the hips

9. Loins arched belly well drawn up.

10. Ears small and greyhound-like in carriage 1

11. Feet moderately large and round, toes close, well arched.

12. Neck long, well arched and very strong.

13. Chest very deep, moderately broad.

14. Shoulders muscular, set sloping.

15.Tail long and slightly curved.

16. Eyes dark.

Note

The above in no way alters the "Standard of Excellence", which must in all cases be rigidly adhered to, they simply give the various points in order of merit. If in any case they appear at variance with the Standard of Excellence, it is the latter which is correct.

 

Rana & Nemo

For more information:

 

Information about irish wolfhound

Norwegian / English

Om Irsk Ulvehund

Ulvehunden er en mynde og ble opprinnelig brukt til storviltjakt, bla. på ulver (derav navnet), og mange har stadig en del jaktinstinkt og vil i åpent terreng jage alt, hva der beveger seg. Den er bygget til å løpe hurtig og langt, hvilket dens elegante kurvede linjer og lette spenstige bevegelser avslører.
 

De alminneligste fargene er gråbrindle (tigret) og hvetefarget (sandfarget), men svart, rødbrindle og rødgylden forekommer også. Pelsen er middelslang og stri.

 
 Ulvehunder er meget selskapelige og liker seg ikke alene. Når man anskaffer seg en ulvehund, tror man, at det er en hund, man har fått - og oppdager senere, at den er mer enn det. Det er ikke uten grunn den har en fortid som høyt verdsatt følgesvenn gjennom tykt og tynt for irske og britiske konger og adelsmenn. Det er stil og personlighet over den store iren, den kjenner sin egen betydning

Den anser seg for et likestilt familiemedlem og betrakter en plass i sofaen, sengen og ved bordet som en selvfølge - med mindre den fra starten får en vennlig og konsekvent måte blir gjort klar, at visse ting er absolutt forbudt. Den skammer seg heller ikke over å stjele en ubevoktet biff og blir fornærmet, hvis den føler seg irettesatt eller kommandert. Den vil gjerne være med å bestemme farten i de hjemlige anliggender, herunder den fart, hvor og når den kommer - eller ikke kommer - når den blir ropt inn .

Ulvehunder skal behandles med kjærlighet og respekt - da gir den begge deler tifold tilbake.

Litt historie:

Rasen er kjent som verdens største hund.Vi har å gjøre med en  gammel og edel rase som i ættesagaene blir omtalt som "hunden med menneskehjerne".

Forskerne har funnet skjelett av de første hundene som er helt fra 7500 År f.Kr. Hvordan de egentlig så ut, vet vi ikke med sikkerhet, vi vet bare at de var store. Etter funn av en avbilding fra Tizyn i Hellas, som ble ødelagt 468 År f.Kr., ser vi en hund med hode på høyde med førerens skulder. Først fra år 273 f.Kr., da Delfi ble herjet av Kelterne, finner vi den nærmere omtalt. Ulvehundene finnes avbildet på relieffer, malerier og smykker. Deretter finner vi rasen omtalt År 39 e.Kr. i et brev fra Symmachus til sin bror Flavianus som da var i England. I dette brevet takker han for de 7 ulvehundene han hadde mottatt. Han skriver bl.a. "De er større enn føll og vakte skrekkblandet beundring hvor de viste seg". Vi merket oss at 7 var det vanlige antallet når hundene ble gitt i gave til høyutstående menn. På dette tidspunktet fantes det mange varianter av rasen. Alle var store, men ellers av varierende utseende.

Ulvehundens hjemland, Irland, har utallige beretninger om rasen gjennom sin historie. Ulvehunden ble brukt i store flokker som kamphunder. I historien om kong Cormac er det flere beretninger om Finn, som var fører for kongens hundehær, 300 voksne og 200 valper, og hans hund Conbec. Vi vet også at det i slaget mot romerne ved Hadrians mur ble brukt store ulvehundeflokker. Hundene stod for stort mannefall blant romerne, og enda i dag finner vi i dette området steder som bærer navn etter hunder og deres førere.

Den kanskje best kjente historien om en irsk ulvehund er om hunden Gelert, som ble gitt som gave til Llewellyn, Prince of Wales, av kong John av England rundt år 1210. Prins Llewellyn dro på jakt, og lot Gelert være hjemme for å passe på familiens lille baby. Da prinsen kom tilbake, fikk han se Gelert med blod rundt munnen, og i den tro at hunden hadde drept barnet, grep han sverdet og hugget ned Gelert. Da først fikk han se en død ulv like ved, og hørte babyen småpludre fornøyd. Gelert hadde drept ulven og reddet barnets liv. Full av anger befalte prins Llewellyn at det skulle reises en statue av Gelert, og hundens navn er blitt husket opp igjennom århundrene.

I

I Middelalderen ble rasen i større grad benyttet til jakt, spesielt til "coursing", dvs. at hunden innhenter og dreper byttet. Det ble jaktet på ulv, hjort, elg, hare, hønsefugler og ender. Opp gjennom Middelalderen ble rasen en "statusrase", og ble forbeholdt stormenn, adelige og geistlige. "Vanlige" borgere hadde forbud mot å holde rasen. På grunn av dens popularitet som gave, og sammen med dårlige tider, ble den en viktig eksportartikkel for Irland, noe som førte til at rasen holdt på å forsvinne

Rasen i dag

På 1800-tallet ble rasen gitt ny interesse. En kaptein ved navn G. A. Graham begynte tidlig på 1860-tallet å gjenskape rasen slik man mente den opprinnelig hadde vært. Sammen med major Garnier satte han i gang en bevisst avl. Det fantes ikke mindre enn 3 forskjellige typer av rasen i Irland, men ingen var slik deres opprinnelige forfedre hadde vært. Dermed måtte de beste tispene pares med Grand Danois, Skotsk Hjortehund og Borzoi.’ I 1881 hadde dette avlsarbeidet ført frem til dagens rase.

I 1885 ble det i England etablert en spesialklubb for rasen, og samme år deltok også rasen på hundeshow. Noe av det første klubben arbeidet med, var å fastsette en standard. Først etter århundreskiftet ble det fart i oppdrettsarbeidet. Store kenneler ble etablert rundt om i England, blant dem kan nevnes Catswold som Mrs. og Mr. Shewell startet i 1904, Kennel Felixstove i 1913 og Brabyns Kennel som ble startet 1 1923 av Capt. Hudson. En del av hundene ble eksportert til USA, og her fortsatte oppdrettsarbeidet under verdenskrigene. Etter 2. verdenskrig var rasen I fåtall I Europa, og de som drev med oppdrett så det som nødvendig å importere hunder i fra USA. Vi vet ikke sikkert når de første ulvehundene kom til Amerika, men i 1897 ble i alle fall de to første registrert i "Kennel klubben". Den første kennelen I USA var Kennel Almeside som Alma J. Starbuck startet i 1924. Samme år ble Kennel Kragwood startet av Mrs. Norwood.

Edelt hode-edelt hjerte-rolig-verdig og lojal."

For mer informasjon kontakt:
Kennel Vetterli
 
Hildegunn & Svein E. Fluge
Koløyholmen 54
5419 Fitjar
Telefon; 53 49 99 06 eller mob.90 67 33 51

 

History 

The breed is very old, possibly from the 1st century BC or earlier, bred as war dogs by the ancient Celts, 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 - Cuchulain's favourite dog, Luath, was slain by a southern chief's hound, Phorp.

While many modern texts state Irish Wolfhounds were used for 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 hunting animals for both wild boar and wolves, and many were exported for this purpose. They were perhaps too ideal, as the boar and wolf are now extinct in Ireland. 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. There exist stories that in the arena, the original Wolfhound was the equal of a lion. It has also been shown that when hunting animals, the wolfhound would bite the neck and crush the spine, killing the creature.

During times of conflict with England, it was not uncommon for Wolfhounds to be trained to take armoured knights off of their horses, thus allowing an infantry man to move in and finish the kill if the Wolfhound had not done so already.

Due to a massive export into various countries as a gift for royalty and a ban that allowed only royalty to own such a dog, the breed almost vanished in the middle of the 19th century. Captain Graham rebred the Irish Wolfhound with the Deerhound, Great Dane, Borzoi and other breeds; this saved the breed, but had the inevitable effect of altering its appearance, most noticeably leaving the Irish Wolfhound with alternative colours such as brindle (inherited from the Great Dane) as before they were mainly grey in colour. The ancient breed (often referred to as the Irish Wolfdogge in contemporary accounts) was available in both a smooth and rough coated variety. Descriptions of its appearance and demeanor, as well as the method of its use place it closer to the flock guardians in appearance than the modern breed. It is clear that the dog was not always the giant of today and it has been suggested that the Wolfhound was part of the make up of the Kerry Blue Terrier. The historical variety was famed for its loyalty, discernment, grave nature and aggression. In terms of temperament the modern breed has been greatly mellowed.[citation needed] Wolfhounds are often referred to as "Gentle Giants", and an historic motto of the breed is "Gentle when stroked. Fierce when provoked."

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 Kerry Blue Terrier was adopted by early Irish Nationalists such as Michael Collins.

Member of Norwegian Sighthound Club & Norwegian Kennel Club

In our breed we follow  the NKK's directive & ethical guidelines

 

Mail: svein.fluge@haugnett.no