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Irish Wolfhound

A tall grey brindle Irish Wolfhound with a rough coat and beard, standing beside a kneeling person.
Photo by Canarian, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons .

The Irish Wolfhound is a rough-coated sighthound of great size. The FCI standard calls it the largest and tallest of the sighthounds and places its origin in Ireland, where these hounds were used into the 17th century to hunt wolves, wild boar, and deer.

“Tallest” needs a source. The AKC describes the Irish Wolfhound as the tallest of all AKC breeds and lists a male minimum of 32 inches. The FCI and the Royal Kennel Club set a lower male minimum, 79 cm, and also describe a taller average as a goal. Those are breed-standard figures. They are not the height of a record-holding individual.

Quick facts

Height

AKC minimum: 32 inches for males and 30 inches for females. FCI desired minimum: 79 cm for males and 71 cm for females. The same FCI text says it is desired that males have a minimum average height of 86 cm. Royal Kennel Club minimum: 79 cm (31 in) for dogs and 71 cm (28 in) for bitches, with dogs aimed at an average of 81–86 cm (32–34 in).

Weight

FCI minimum expected at the minimum height: 54.5 kg for a male of 79 cm and 40.5 kg for a female of 71 cm, rising as height rises. Royal Kennel Club minimum: 54.5 kg (120 lb) for dogs and 40.9 kg (90 lb) for bitches. The AKC lists 120 pounds for males and 105 pounds for females. The female figures are not the same across these sources.

Coat

Rough and hard on the body, legs, and head. Hair over the eyes and the beard is especially wiry. Recognised colours in the FCI standard are grey, brindle, red, black, pure white, fawn, and wheaten. For the directory filter, this rough coat is grouped as medium: it is not the Dane’s short smooth coat, and it is not a long silky coat.

Lifespan

6–8 years, as listed by the AKC.

Origin

Ireland, in the FCI standard.

Recognising the breed

Look for a long, level head, a moderately pointed muzzle, and small rose ears set on high. The beard and the wiry hair over the eyes are part of the rough coat, not a trim.

The FCI standard asks for good length of leg, a back longer than the height at the withers, and a long tail carried low with a slight curve. The outline is a large rough sighthound, not a square mastiff.

A smaller, lighter “sport” type is rejected by the FCI standard. Size is part of type, but the minimums above are still minimums. A dog at the minimum is inside the standard. A dog far above it is one individual.

Temperament and activity

The FCI standard describes a gentle, kind, loyal hound, friendly with people and other dogs, and uses the line “a lamb in the home and a lion in the chase.”

Read that as an ideal in a breed standard. It does not mean every Wolfhound is safe with every dog, or that a pet will behave like a hunting hound. Upbringing and the individual decide the dog you actually meet.

The job in the standard is a sighthound of great size: room to stride matters. A growing dog this heavy should have its exercise set with a vet, because the standard’s size is not a training plan.

Grooming

The coat is rough and hard rather than silky or curly. Brushing takes out loose hair. The beard and the hair over the eyes, which the standard calls especially wiry, need a look so they do not stay tangled or cover the eyes.

This is not the daily coat work of a Shih Tzu or a Bichon Frise. It is also not a hairless or single short coat like the Great Dane.

Similar breeds

  • Great Dane

    The Dane is smooth and short-coated, with a long narrow head and a nearly square body. The Wolfhound is rough-coated, bearded, and longer in the back than it is tall. Compare their shoulder heights in the tallest dog breeds guide before treating either minimum as a typical pet.

  • Deerhound

    The FCI describes the Deerhound as resembling a rough-coated greyhound of larger size. Its minimum desirable height is 76 cm for males and 71 cm for females, below the Wolfhound’s desired male minimum of 79 cm. There is no Deerhound profile on this site.

  • Saint Bernard

    The Saint Bernard is a broader, heavier mountain dog, usually white with red, with a deep muzzle and either a short or medium double coat. Its FCI male minimum is 70 cm, lower than the Wolfhound minimums above.

Discovery guides

Sources