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Irish Wolfhound

The breeds · sighthound · sighthound

AKC Hound · UKC Sighthound & Pariah · FCI standard 160

Irish Wolfhound.

FCI 160 utilization: up to the end of the 17th century used for hunting wolves, wild boar and deer in Ireland; FCI classes it Group 10 sighthounds, Section 2 rough-haired, without working trial. IWCA: hunting by sight and chase is what the breed was bred and historically used for. RKC: a dog of gigantic size with the speed and strength to see off wolves that threatened livestock. AKC breed page: wolf hunters able to dispatch a wolf in single combat. Wikipedia: today used by coursing hunters who value its ability to dispatch game caught by swifter sighthounds..

Breed sets the odds. The parents set the dog. Every number here shows its source, its spread and how sure we are. Nothing on this page is a prediction about one dog.

9.9YRMedian lifespan9.2 to 11, measured on real dogs.
0INHeightdogs null, bitches null. An ideal from the standard, not a range.
89–-InfinityLBWeight, all linesbreed dogs 120 lb; breed bitches 89.3 lb.
2.5+ HRSExercise, every dayMore than 2 hours per day (RKC). RKC size band: extra large; large garden and large house. IWCA: the ideal home has fenced property big enough for the galloping natural to a sighthound.. The constraint most homes get wrong.

The body

What the breed is built like. Registry standards give an ideal, not a range.

Height at the shoulder

dogs 31 to 34 in · bitches 28 in

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1950

Minimums only: no source prints a maximum for bitches, so high is left empty. Conversion cm / 2.54.

Weight

dogs 120 lb · bitches 89.3 lb

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1950

Minimums only. Low is the lowest minimum printed (FCI 89.3 lb; UKC 90 lb); AKC asks for 105. The three disagree by about 15 lb and all stand. Conversion kg x 2.2046.

Coat

Rough and hard on body, legs and head; especially wiry and long over the eyes and on the underjaw (UKC, AKC). Recognized colors: gray, brindle, red, black, pure white, fawn, and any color found in the Deerhound (AKC, UKC); FCI 160 lists grey, brindle, red, black, pure white, fawn and wheaten, with white markings only on fore-chest, toes and tail tip. RKC: only the rough coat exists today (the breed was once smooth or rough).

Breed clubUnited Kennel Club, 2009

UKC and AKC text; FCI 160 differs on colors (adds wheaten, restricts white). RKC history line for the rough coat.

Shedding

Shedding 3 of 5 (AKC breed page trait score)

Breed clubAKC

AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.

Heat tolerance

3 of 5 · Rough, hard coat on body, legs and head, wiry over the eyes and underjaw (AKC, UKC, FCI). RKC coat length: medium. A very large, heavy hound.

DerivedAKC breed standard, 1950

Derived from the coat (rough, medium length, one coat described = 3). The scale is coat-only and does not account for body mass. No measured data.

How long they live, and what they cost

Measured on real dogs, with the sample and the spread. Never a guess.

Median lifespan

9.9 years (9.2 to 11)

MeasuredMcMillan KM, 2024

UK pet dogs. Teng 2022 (VetCompass) does not include the Irish Wolfhound. The AKC and RKC lines are shown beside the study and not used to set low/high.

The dog at home

What the breed asks of a day. The first thing most homes get wrong.

Exercise need

More than 2 hours per day (RKC). RKC size band: extra large; large garden and large house. IWCA: the ideal home has fenced property big enough for the galloping natural to a sighthound.

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC band 'More than 2 hours per day' = 150 min by the ruled mapping. RKC also lists the breed as a vulnerable native breed. AKC rates energy 3 of 5 (AKC band), which is lower than the RKC band; both appear in the energy row.

Energy

AKC rates energy level 3 of 5, mental stimulation needs 3 of 5, trainability 3 of 5 (AKC's own bands). RKC puts exercise at more than 2 hours a day. FCI 160: a gentle, kind, loyal hound, friendly toward people and other dogs, 'a lamb in the home and lion in the chase'. IWCA: calm and dignified with the family at maturity, sensitive, and unsuited as a guard or watch dog.

Breed clubAKC

AKC bands are an owner-audience summary. Temperament lines are the standard's and the club's own words.

Grooming load

3 of 5 · More than once a week (RKC; coat length medium, sheds). AKC coat grooming frequency 2 of 5, shedding 3 of 5, drooling 2 of 5 (AKC bands). IWCA: clippers and trimmers are not used; no part of the dog should look styled.

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC band 'More than once a week' = 3 on the 1-5 scale. AKC's 2 of 5 is lower; both stand.

The work

What it was built to do in the field, and what a test or trial asks of it.

Role

FCI 160 utilization: up to the end of the 17th century used for hunting wolves, wild boar and deer in Ireland; FCI classes it Group 10 sighthounds, Section 2 rough-haired, without working trial. IWCA: hunting by sight and chase is what the breed was bred and historically used for. RKC: a dog of gigantic size with the speed and strength to see off wolves that threatened livestock. AKC breed page: wolf hunters able to dispatch a wolf in single combat. Wikipedia: today used by coursing hunters who value its ability to dispatch game caught by swifter sighthounds.

Breed clubFederation Cynologique Internationale, 2026

FCI utilization line, IWCA, RKC history. The AKC page and Wikipedia lines are editorial colour. Wikipedia also notes zooarchaeology finds no dogs of Wolfhound size before about 1200 AD, so the 'wolf-killer' size is a later development.

Primary game

Wolves, wild boar and deer, in Ireland up to the end of the 17th century (FCI 160). RKC: wolves, until the wolf was extinct in Ireland by the end of the 18th century. UKC: valued as guardians, hunters and war dogs.

Breed clubFederation Cynologique Internationale, 2026

Historical quarry; no wolves remain in Ireland, so no current quarry is named by any registry.

Also used on

Open field coursing on live jackrabbits (NOFCA), lure coursing (AKC, ASFA), straight racing (LGRA), oval racing (NOTRA), AKC Coursing Ability Test (IWCA overview). Also obedience (IWCA). Wikipedia: used by coursing hunters to dispatch game caught by other, swifter sighthounds.

Breed clubIrish Wolfhound Club of America

IWCA overview lists the venues by organization; for racing, IWCA says Wolfhounds and Deerhounds are usually hand-slipped rather than started from boxes.

Search pattern

Sight hunter, chase and gallop: IWCA says hunting by sight and chase is what the breed was bred for, and that the chase is not his preoccupation today but remains his natural sport. In open field coursing the hounds run 2 or 3 at a time against live jackrabbits, in their own breed or mixed groups (IWCA). FCI 160: 'lion in the chase'.

Breed clubIrish Wolfhound Club of America

IWCA breed introduction and coursing overview. The traditional work against wolves and deer was pack or brace work by sight; no source read gives the number of hounds historically slipped.

Field trial standard

Lure coursing under AKC and ASFA: hounds of the same breed run up to 3 at a time over a loop of at least 600 yards, with titles by points. Open field coursing on live jackrabbits under NOFCA (2 or 3 hounds at a time, GPS collars allowed). Straight racing under LGRA over 200 yards, oval racing under NOTRA over 300 to 400 yards. AKC Coursing Ability Test for any breed. FCI 160: without working trial.

Breed clubIrish Wolfhound Club of America

IWCA overview, which names the organizations; the AKC, ASFA, NOFCA, LGRA and NOTRA rule books were not read, so title names and point schedules are open gaps.

How common the problems are

Evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock; the numbers are still the best there are.

Hip dysplasia

4.3% · 3,148 OFA hip evaluations, all data as served Oct 8 2026; 4.3% dysplastic (mild 2.6, moderate 1.5, severe 0.1); normal 95.4% (excellent 27.9, good 60.0, fair 7.5). OFA rank 187.

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

OFA's own current breed statistics. OFA submissions come from breeding stock and from owners who choose to submit, so the figure describes dogs whose owners submitted, not every dog of the breed. Hou 2013 / Oberbauer 2017 not re-read for this entry.

Elbow dysplasia

14.3% · 1,965 OFA elbow evaluations, all data as served Oct 8 2026; 14.3% abnormal (grade I 11.3, grade II 2.3, grade III 0.6); normal 85.5%. OFA rank 36.

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

OFA's own current breed statistics, same breeding-stock skew as hips. Elbows are the higher of the two figures for this breed. OFA also lists cardiac and other evaluations; only hips and elbows are carried here.

More

akc bands

AKC breed page trait scores (1-5): Energy Level 3; Mental Stimulation Needs 3; Trainability Level 3; Barking Level 1; Watchdog/Protective Nature 5; Good With Young Children 3; Openness To Strangers 3; Good With Other Dogs 4; Shedding Level 3; Coat Grooming Frequency 2; Drooling Level 2; Affectionate With Family 5; Playfulness Level 3; Adaptability Level 3.

Breed clubAKC

Fourteen AKC bands in one row; the selector reads each by name. Breed-club ratings: a tendency, never a measurement.

What to ask a breeder for

The health clearances the breed’s own club and registry name. Reference only: what to ask for, never a statement about any dog’s health.

No KENAI kennel lists the Irish Wolfhound yet. If you breed them, list your kennel free: it shows on this page and in the hunting dog breed finder, under every handler whose answers land on the breed.

How to read this page

Every value carries a label. Measured means peer-reviewed data on many dogs. Studied means peer-reviewed, smaller or indirect. Breed club means a club or registry states it. Editorial means expert opinion with no measurement behind it. Where two good sources disagree, both are shown and neither is averaged.

Published when the entry rests on the best information available from no fewer than three independent sources, checked by a second pass that did not write it. 11 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.

Also called
Cu Faoil, Wolfhound

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