The Irish Wolfhound has got a strong desire for compagnionship. Don't think you spoil your pup taking him by your side, day and night. He just left his Mum, brothers and sisters, the house he knows, the rest of the pack, ... even the cat to end up in a different environment  with different people. It is quite normal he cries after you left us (some do, some don't). When picking him up, make sure you got some fresh water, doggiebags, a blanket, a banana (if you don't have to drive too far, otherwise a meal), wet wipes, a bowl with you. Take him on your lap in the car.

 

When coming home, first carry him to the place in the garden where (in future) you want him to pee and put him down. Speak to hem "Do a pee!' ... It's not silly, but very usefull later. Mine pee and poeh on command.  Call him over to show where his drink will always be, and his bed and let him discover the house, the garden. His bed has to be his safe place where he can rest. I have kiddies matrasses spread throughout our house and car, functioning as doggiebeds. They lie on a small platform (so off the ground). They're not expensive to buy (in the Turkish shop) and my Irish like them. They don't get attached to one in particular, they keep swopping beds. We tape a plastic around them so they're easy to wash off. This is necessary not to ruin the matrasses, when they have wet pâws and go on their beds or the female is on heat or they puke. You can simply use thick plastic from tableclothes or the lining they put on the bottom of a pond does fine as well.Then we put a clean quiltcover over them, we can change and wash. It works! Make sure it's not in a drafty or wet place. Teaching him to lie on a matras and not bounce down on a hard floor will also prevent him getting bursitis (swollen, like fluid in the elbow(s)) . When he would (some are wilder lying down than others), please phone me first, don't let the vet drain the liquid out!!!

Regularly pick him up and take him to his 'pee'-spot. Tell him to produce one and if he does there be overjoyed, clap your hands, ... Pups usually pee after a nap, a meal, a play. So try to be one step ahead. I ask you to pick him up because if you don't he probably produced one before arriving at the toilet-spot. When you pick up a pup he doesn't pee or stops peeing (in the wrong spot).

 

Feed him in time.

Remember at that age a pup still eats 4  (sometimes 5) times a day. Just weigh him daily (after 1 month weekly) and he should gain about 2 - 2,5 kg /week). Don't panic if one week he hasn't. There can be periods he gains less or is sick and doesn't gain at all.

So up to when he's 12 à 14 weeks: four times a day.  Ater: untill the age of half a year: 3 times a day. After the age of 6 months: twice a day to be continued for the rest of his life. Once a day is too much food for his stomach and could cause bloat.

                          8.00  : puppymilk, or porridge or ricepudding (all based on goat's milk!)

                          12.00: dry food (your breeder used Eukaniba large pup) soaked in lukewarm water and some canned meat or                                                 deepfreeze    (f.ex. The brand Duck sells different ones) or tinned fish.  After a while use less and less

                                      lukewarm water so the  kibble is still hard.

                         16.00: Weetabix, banana, yoghurt + a bit of dry food

                         20.00: meat or fish or chicken + rice (or pasta) + potatoes + various veg (broccoli, white cabbage,

                                     carrots, ...) > boiled, no spices! + some dryfood (how much depends on their weight, info on the bag)

 

If the pup doesn't finish its meal, you might be offering too much or too soon. Take it away, offer it again in half an hour.

 

Don't leave food out to serve again. Water should always be available. Never give the pup milk! It can only drink lactose free.

Put his food on a stand his height.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don't feel tempted to give table scraps at all. He can have a treat, but don't exagerate. Treats shouldn't be his main meal! Don't give human cookies, they contain too much sugar.

1 hour before and after the meal: don't play, don't walk him yet. If you do this could lead to bloat (stomach torsion).

Never change his food too abruptly (he might get stomach problems if you do)  but gradually, over a week.

Keep your Wolfhound in good shape, measuring his food, feeding him twice a day. If you think he might be overweight, give him the eye and hand on test. First look down at him. You should be able to see a waist. Place your hands on his back, thumbs along the spine, fingers spread downward. You should be able to feel but not see his ribs, without pressing too hard. If you can't he needs less food and more exercise!

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Some foods which are edible for humans, and even other species of animals, can pose hazards for dogs because of their different metabolism. Some may cause only mild digestive upsets, whereas, others can cause severe illness, and even death. The following common food items should not be fed (intentionally or unintentionally) to dogs. This list is, of course, incomplete because we can not possibly list everything your dog should not eat.

 

Items to avoid                                                                     Reasons to avoid

Alcoholic beverages                                                        Can cause intoxication, coma, and death.

Avocado                                                                             The leaves, seeds, fruit, and bark contain persin, which can cause

                                                                                            vomiting and diarrhea.

Bones from fish, poultry, or other meat sources       Can cause obstruction or laceration of the digestive system.

Chocolate, coffee, tea, and other caffeine                   Contain caffeine, theobromine, or theophylline, which can cause                                                                                                                     vomiting and diarrhea and be toxic to the heart and nervous systems.

Citrus oil extracts                                                             Can cause vomiting.

Fat trimmings                                                                   Can cause pancreatitis.

Fish (raw, canned or cooked)                                         If fed exclusively or in high amounts can result in a thiamine (a B

                                                                                            vitamin) deficiency leading to loss of appetite, seizures, and in severe                                                                                                             cases, death.

Grapes, raisins and currants                                          Contain an unknown toxin, which can damage the kidneys. There have

                                                                                            been no problems associated with grape seed extract.

Hops                                                                                   Unknown compound causes panting, increased heart rate, elevated

                                                                                            temperature, seizures, and death.

Human vitamin supplements containing iron            Can damage the lining of the digestive system and be toxic to the other

                                                                                            organs including the liver and kidneys.

Macadamia nuts                                                              Contain an unknown toxin, which can affect the digestive and nervous

                                                                                            systems and muscle.

Marijuana                                                                          Can depress the nervous system, cause vomiting, and changes in the

                                                                                            heart rate.

Milk and other dairy products                                       Some adult dogs and cats may develop diarrhea if given large amounts of

                                                                                            dairy products.

Moldy or spoiled food, garbage                                    Can contain multiple toxins causing vomiting and diarrhea and can also

                                                                                            affect other organs.

Mushrooms                                                                      Can contain toxins, which may affect multiple systems in the body, cause

                                                                                            shock, and result in death.

Onions and garlic                                                             (raw, cooked, or powder)Contain sulfoxides and disulfides, which can

                                                                                            damage red blood cells and cause anemia. Cats are more susceptible

                                                                                            than dogs. Garlic is less toxic than onions.

Pits from peaches and plums                                        Can cause obstruction of the digestive tract.

Raw eggs                                                                           Contain an enzyme called avidin, which decreases the absorption

                                                                                            of biotin  (a B vitamin). This can lead to skin and hair coat problems. Raw

                                                                                            eggs may also contain Salmonella.

Raw meat                                                                          May contain bacteria such as Salmonella and E. coli, which can cause

                                                                                            vomiting and diarrhea.*

Raw potato

Rhubarb leaves                                                                Contain oxalates, which can affect the digestive, nervous, and urinary

                                                                                            systems.

Sugary foods                                                                    Can lead to obesity, dental problems, and possibly diabetes mellitus.

Table scraps (in large amounts)                                    Table scraps are not nutritionally balanced. They should never be more                                                                                                         than 10% of the diet. Fat should be trimmed from meat; bones should not

                                                                                            be fed.

 

Tobacco                                                                             Contains nicotine, which affects the digestive and nervous systems. Can

                                                                                            result in rapid heart beat, collapse, coma, and death.

Yeast dough                                                                      Can expand and produce gas in the digestive system, causing pain and

                                                                                            possible rupture of the stomach or intestines.

Xylitol (artificial sweetener)                                            Can cause very low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), which can result in                                                                                                               vomiting, weakness and collapse. In high doses can cause liver failure.

 

*We suggest that people considering a raw diet for their pet educate themselves thoroughly regarding the safe handling and preparation of raw ingredients, and the proper balance of nutrients required to maintain their pet's health.

http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/ss/slideshow-foods-your-dog-should-never-eat: on this site you find a slide show about the foods your dog should never eat!

 

The following is also interesting information concerning 'food' for your pet.

 

When buying dry dog food, make sure you first take a close look at the ingredients. The first and main ingredient must be meat (muscle meat) or chicken,lam, ... , otherwise there are not enough good animal proteins in it. If it says grains as a first ingredient, forget it. If the 2nd and 3rd ingredient is meat as well, even better.

So your bag of food will contain a high value of proteins (25%-30%). The calcium shouldn't be higher than 1,9%. Make sure it doesn't contain any conservatives like ethoxiquine, BHT, nor BHA cause they were taken ot of human consumption a long time ago because they cause cancer.

When they say meat and animal by-products are part of the ingredients, then the food is of low quality, containing slaughterhouse waste and it will lack the good proteins!

Dry food as described above, tested and approved off is for example: Acana, Wolfsblut, Power of Nature Contry Chicken, Fish4dogs complete, etc.

 

As said before, I give mine half dry food half home cooking and hope for a long life because of a healthy diet.

 

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Since your Irish lives in the house, make them used from small to get a bum wash with hot water and a bit of Isobetadine or Dethol. It's a good thing against catching any bowel bacteries as well.

I daily, sometimes every other day wash their faces and beards with a face cloth and warm water, after their penis, vagina and then their rear. You can cut the hair short under the tail, about the size of a cucumber slice. That will make your job and his smells much better!

I never wash my dogs with shampoo. Out of experience I know they go more smelly when you do. I do use a cleansing liquid that you don't have to rince off (like Mustela for babies, but they also sell one in the pet store), or a nice and natural perfumed spray, you can buy in pet stores and used before brushing or where necessary a dry shampoo (powder) with vanila. I clean out their ears three times a week with cotton wool and alcohol disinfectant. Do not poor alcohol in his ear but moisture the cotton wool with it and clean all that you can see when you lift his ear. Put your nose in it and smell. When it smells bad and you see lots of dark brown dirt (like wet coffee), he might have an infection.

 

Although a pup's hairdo doesn't need it yet, brush him regularly to get him used to the brush and the action being examined. Try to find time daily. or 3 to 4 times a week. Whilst doing you can perhaps see little cuts or nasty teaks.

Irish Wolfhounds get plucked, never cut, never shaven! The only places where you can use a scissors is around his bum. You keep the hairs short there, under his tail, for hygiene. Also to thin out the hair of the feet you could use a thinning scissors.

Pluck excess hair from the ears gently, with your thumb and forefinger and never taking too many hairs in between your fingers. You pluck in the same direction as the hairs grow. If you want to give it a go, you'll find trimming plans (what to do first, ...) on the net.

 

Normally being regularly treated with Advantage Combo or Frontline (in summer every month-2months in a country with a milder climate, and every month in a hot climate  they sell different boxes depending on their weight. You'll find out it's cheaper to purchase on the net than in your local chemist. Or you can use Stronghold which takes care of bugs and worms.

The pills to kill worms come in different brands with the most known Drontal (1 treatment), Catizel or Panacur which you have to give 3 days in a row. Use a different brand regularly.

I dewormed the pups at 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, 8 weeks. Afterwards you have to do it every month/2 months (keep an eye on his pooh) untill they're half a year old. After that, every three months.

 

Take your pup to your vet within 24 hours after arriving home. Just to get used being examined without  feeling ill.

 

 

Your breeder started socializing your pup as soon as it was born, you have to continue the good work.

Get him used to a vacuumcleaner, sounds of other machines, make a list at home and take him for a new experience every day. Up to when the pup is 12 weeks it'll absorb every good experience as a sponge and when coming across some of them  later in life, it won't fear them.

So: take him on a bus, tram, to a fancy fair, a pub, another crowdy place, fireworks, a market, a building site, a  skating place, into the busy city centre, at a sporting competition with people shouting, etc. and make sure the experience is a fun one. He can't walk far yet but you can carry him around. Take him anywhere you can! 

Watch it! Don't take your pup up to doggie fields yet where it is full of pooh.

Don't forget: he hates being at home on his own. When the time comes you can't carry him anymore and he's still a pup who can't walk far, you can make a puppy carrier. You don't use it so long but the time you do it's worth it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When a pup is tired don't force him to walk further. If necessary sit down and relax a bit before proceeding your way.

Also invite people to your house, kids, adults, foreign people, ....

Take him to obedience classes, a great way of socialising as well!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Irish Wolfhounds love coming on holidays. We take ours every year. We rented a house, stayed at family (in England), stayed in a hotel, stayed in an appartment hotel, but most of the times we took the tent and went camping. they're the best co-travellers you can imagine. When driving a fair distance, you don't even notice they're in the back of the car. When going to a warmer climat, they might not eat good the first three days, but after they got acclimatized and know what to do to stay cool (for example: dig a pit on the beach, go swimming, ...).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You have to make sure you give them the place and opportunity to have a few dips a day. When the temperature was very high, I took mine for a cold shower at  lunchtime, the hottest part of the day. 

Irish Wolfhounds aren't particularly known as swimmers, but three out of four of mine swim and the fourth loves the water as well, but doesn't go deeper than up to where she can stand. Offer the opportunity to swim and make it a fun experience. My youngest swam at 12 weeks of age! Another one was almost one year when he proudly swam circles and he's the first to jump the deep with me. There is nothing more pleasant than swimming with your Wolfies in summer.

 

When you play with him you can let him win sometimes but not all the time otherwise he might think he'll be able to dominate you. Some pups might bite too hard in their game. A wee trick: stick one of your fingers stretched in the back of his throat the moment he bites too hard, repeat a few times when necessary. The pup doesn't like that feeling and will get the message not to bite so fierce during the playing.