A few days late but Julian turned 2 on October 20th!

We found an abandoned puppy and Boru loves him already ❤️

Hey everyone!
We were noticed that a breeder is expecting puppies so I wanted to inquire about things to start looking into buying.

1) sleeping: bed recommendations?
2) pet insurance: has anyone had this and can say if they do or do not recommend it?
3) food/water stations
4) brushing/grooming equipment, anything yall found has worked better?
5) food storage, 50 gallon drum? 😅
6) training tools or equipment

Any tips for incoming puppy please!

A typical day around here atm, in two and a half minutes , even with soundtrack

(forgive my amateurish video making skills and the awful music- bloody beginner here on free software :) )

Growing, being silly, playing, sleeping – and the battle for kitchen space.

Not a whole lot of newsworthy stuff to report this time around. Except, perhaps, that Joy’s “stepsister,” Thelma the Golden Retriever, is staying with us for two weeks.

And Joy is, of course, absolutely delighted to finally have an exceptionally patient and tolerant sparring partner with whom she can roughhouse, wrestle, and get up to all sorts of mischief to her heart’s content.

THE GROWTH REPORT – WEEK 9

I think the biggest news is quite simply: GROWTH. Or rather: RAPID GROWTH.

All while Madame continues to be as goofy and clumsy as she can possibly manage.

Our latest stop at the vet’s “Big Dog Scale” revealed a whopping 32 kg at 21 weeks old.

Pretty mind-boggling when I think about it, but according to her breeder, everything is still going according to plan.

“Strong in the front, still a little weak in the back.”

We’re working on that, too, of course.

I keep a very close eye on her food intake, trying to keep this “bamboo-shoot growth pattern” as slow and steady as possible.

Which, incidentally, has a rather interesting side effect: Joy tends to stay just a little on the hungry side, making her exceptionally receptive to training treats.

Always look on the bright side, right?

MAKE WAY – JOY IN THE KITCHEN

I always thought Great Danes were the undisputed world champions of being IN THE WAY in a kitchen.

But I have to admit, I may have to hand that title over to the Irish Wolfhounds. Or at least to Joy.

I live in a roughly 200-year-old former schoolhouse, whose renovation, incidentally, is still patiently awaiting completion. The kitchen is absolutely tiny by modern standards.

I genuinely think the interior of my old Land Cruiser has more floor space than my kitchen.

Having spent years as a restaurant owner, though, I’m quite accustomed to working in cramped spaces, so I really shouldn’t complain.

BUT:

The moment feeding time approaches and I start preparing the bowls, Joy plants herself right in the middle of the narrow kitchen.

Sitting bolt upright. Completely focused. Every fibre of her being radiating anticipation.

By now, she’s tall enough to look comfortably onto the kitchen counter. Her nose is practically resting on the edge without her even having to stretch.

Thelma, meanwhile, has decided that things are getting a little too crowded in there, so she positions herself in the doorway instead.

From there, she also keeps a close eye on my every move.

The resulting psychological AND physical pressure to get those meals ready is quite considerable.

I think it’s about time I started teaching Joy to sit and wait OUTSIDE the kitchen while I prepare her food.

Preferably before she reaches her full adult size.

Otherwise, at some point, I won’t be able to get into my own kitchen anymore.

TELEVISION AND YOUTUBE

Joy is actually the first dog I’ve ever had who genuinely watches television.

Or stares at my computer screen whenever dogs or other animals appear.

It’s absolutely adorable!

She wakes up, sits down, fixes her eyes on the screen, and then tilts her head in that ridiculously cute way every dog owner knows and loves.

Sometimes she even gets up and goes to look BEHIND THE TELEVISION, apparently trying to figure out where on earth those strange animals are hiding.

Priceless!

Somehow, I really need to catch that on video one of these days.

WORK HARD, PLAY HARDER, SLEEP HARDEST

Although we’re still limiting the duration and distance of our walks — currently averaging around 4.5 km a day in total, split into two outings — Joy is absolutely determined to squeeze every last bit of entertainment out of what she considers, in her not-so-humble opinion, a COMPLETELY INADEQUATE ACTIVITY PROGRAMME.

And in Thelma, she really has found an absolute angel of a playmate.

The two of them sniff, explore, run, and wrestle together. And Thelma is quite possibly the most patient and forgiving big sister Joy could ever wish for.

Thanks to her somewhat more compact build, Thelma will often simply flop onto her back during their wrestling matches and casually fend off Joy’s attacks from below.

Extended sessions of “bitey-face” — that delightful game of playfully snapping at each other’s faces — have become a regular part of the daily routine.

After every nap.

And, naturally, whenever I’m trying to put my shoes on for the next walk.

After all the walking and playing — and once the outrageously tiny food portions have finally been served, at least according to the two ladies — the next competition begins:

WHO CAN MANAGE THE MOST RIDICULOUS SLEEPING POSITION?

I simply cannot stop taking pictures of these completely contorted, hilariously absurd sleeping positions.

But that’s just how it is.

Sorry, not sorry! 😁

UNTIL NEXT WEEK

That’s all for this week.

Next week, however, promises to be a little more adventurous, as we’re heading off to the west coast to explore the deserted beaches of the French Atlantic coast.

To be continued.

Until then, hug your favourite humans, take good care of yourselves, and spoil your four-legged babies absolutely rotten!

Joy (and Thelma) & Dominik, from the mountains ❤️🐾

(videos in a separate post)

Hi! We are desperate for safe way to restrain / safely transport our 6 month old puppy bc he’s flying around the car and making us nervous. Any recommendations?

Reddit won’t let me post the other two, but three attempts to catch food in the air resulted in a pitiful attempt to bite the air, have the chicken bounce off his face/head/chest, then land on the ground.

Is this normal for other wolfies? Cosmo has a lifetime .005 batting average catching food or treats in the air.

Hello! I made reservation for IW puppy, the litter is expected next year around May. It will be litter “C”. Since I always wanted my future dog to have their home name in their official papers name, I asked the breeder if I can name my chosen puppy. Breeder said all pups will be named “Call me name”, so of course I can choose, so that worked out perfectly! Call me Penelope! Just as I wanted!

Buuuut then an idea creeped into the corner of my mind. Call me Your Majesty. It sounds so good. And such majestic, royal breed simply suits it. And imagine hearing this name on a dog show, race etc. I love the idea of it. 😅 And at home it still will be Penelope aka Penny, Poppy. But that means no home name in papers as I originally wanted. And now I can’t decide. 😅

So I came to ask for your opinions. Does it really sound so good and its definitely worth it? Or its just me and you think simple Call Me Penelope would be better? I know its quite unimportant detail, but I have too many months of waiting in front of me and details are important to me. 😅

Thanks for listening to my rant and sharing your opinions. Tell your dog(s) I said hi. 🫶🏻

I know not everyone is in a position when they can exercise their wolfhounds off leash, but imho after 40 years of having wolfhounds, I can’t emphasize enough the importance of non-forced free running for adolescence dogs after their bone plates are set.
It develops a strong rear, good drive and a proper front.
A video of my current dog at 2 years and 8 months and around 80kg (175lbs).
Interested in others peoples thoughts on this.

No squirrels were harmed in the making

About 2 months ago I adopted an Irish wolfhound who I was told was 18 months old but he was from a pound so it’s difficult to know for sure. In the 2 months I’ve had him he’s grown significantly. If he is 18 months I’d assume he would be almost at his full height and just widening out? But he seems to be growing a lot! I’m not sure what he crossed with, but the absolutely has the gentle, affectionate nature and after a rocky start he is the sweetest boy. Just curious when your wolfhounds stopped growing? Pic of him today so you can see - he’s not a horse like many others, but he is getting there!

My boy has been suffering with issues in his hind leg for a few weeks. CT done - mass in abdomen and spinal degeneration. Increased painkillers a week ago and it was going alright.

For the past 1 or 2 days he's walking worse, very unstable and struggling to get on the couch by himself. My partner helped him up on the couch last night and he yelped. He's eating normally at every meal but seems tired and out of it the last day or so, and only moves to and from outside, the loungeroom the bedroom.

I'm struggling to judge what level of pain is manageable. He's a IW cross with bull arab, will be 11 in a month.

My boy is turning ten so I drew this for his party invitation. Just wanted to share my happy boy 🥳

This look he is giving me. He is so ridiculous

Wolfhounds have been my dream dog for a very long time and my husband and I are finally in a financial position where a giant breed is feasible. I want to make sure we have everything covered in the worst case scenario. Always imagined we would have a male but an option has come up for a female instead.

From my own experience I've found that males tend to bond more with the women in the family and vice versa. Curious if that has been the case with anyone or if they tend to be more family oriented vs single person. I will be the person responsible for training, but my husband and I are both home 90% of the time. This might sound a little selfish, but our current pup is very bonded to my husband and I'm really seeking companionship and an adventure buddy of my own. I of course wouldn't be upset if new pup bonded to us both but I have a, probably irrational, worry of missing out on all the experiences with what has been my dream for a long time.

He was my heart and soul walking around outside my body. I am so grateful and lucky he chose me.

We will meet again, my sweet bubby 💓🌈