Irish Wolfhound

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Irish Wolfhound
Irish Wolfhound
FCI Standard No. 160
  • Group 10: Greyhounds
  • Section 2: Wire-haired greyhounds
Origin :

Ireland

Alternative names:

Irish Wolfhound

Withers height:

Male: min. 79 cm
bitch: min. 71 cm

Weight:

Male: min. 54.5 kg
bitch: min. 40.5 kg

List of domestic dogs

The Irish Wolfhound or English Irish Wolfhound ( Irish : cú faoil ˈkuː ˈfˠiːlʲ ) is an FCI recognized dog breed from Ireland ( FCI Group 10, Section 2, Standard No. 160 ).

Origin and history

The exact origin of the Irish Wolfhound is not known. Archaeological finds show that there were large greyhound-like dogs over 70 cm as early as 7000 BC. In Ireland / England and Wales . The breed is already mentioned in ancient Roman sources ( Quintus Aurelius Symmachus , 391 AD): Symmachus thanked the seven Irish dogs sent in a letter, which had caused a stir at the performances and games in Rome and wrote: "All of Rome saw them with astonishment and imagined that they must have been brought here in iron cages."

The Irish Wolfhound had its most successful period in ancient and medieval Ireland before the introduction of firearms and was to hunt on wolves and other big game used. His property was then reserved for the high nobility . Reports of large greyhounds from Ireland appear in various ancient legends , including the following forms:

“I would like to offer you a male that I got from Ireland. He has huge limbs and as a companion can be equated with a man who is ready to fight. In addition, he has a human mind and he will bark at your enemies but never your friends. He will tell from everyone's face whether he is up to good or bad against you. And he will leave his life for you. "

- Brennu Njáls saga , Iceland , around 1000 AD

In the 16th and 17th centuries it was widespread in England and was mainly used for hunting wolves and bears . The advent of firearms eventually led to the extinction of the wolf in England and Ireland, as a result of which the wolfhound no longer had a special purpose and became increasingly rare. In the middle of the 17th century, Oliver Cromwell issued an export ban from Ireland to save the last stock.

Irish Wolfhound as the mascot of the Irish Guards
The hunt
Two Irish Wolfhounds coursing with rugs and muzzles

In the middle of the 19th century, Capt. George Augustus Graham introduced the breed, set a breed standard and crossed the few surviving specimens with Deerhounds , Great Danes , Borzoi and a few other breeds. This gave rise to the Irish Wolfhound as we know it today.

After the population of the breed had increased between 1860 and 1914 and some exports of breeding animals to the European continent and North America had taken place, the number of dogs was greatly reduced by the food shortage and rationing in the First World War . In the interwar period , the population recovered , and the breeding also extended to continental Europe , with most of the litters still falling on the British Isles and North America. The Second World War caused another drop in the population , and it was completely extinguished on the European continent. After the Second World War and into the 1960s, the population recovered only slowly, with breeding still largely concentrated in the Anglo-Saxon region. An exponential increase in the breeding population has been observed worldwide since around 1965 , and since the 1970s the breed has also been bred with increasing frequency in continental Europe.

description

The minimum shoulder height required in the standard is 79 cm for males and 71 cm for females. In males, an average shoulder height of 81–86 cm is aimed for, few reach a shoulder height of over 100 cm. He is considered to be the largest breed of dog in the world. His hair is rough and hard. The standard colors are gray, brindle, red, black, pure white, fawn or any color found in the Deerhound . Its small ears are worn like a greyhound and are called rose ears .

use

The Irish Wolfhound is a gentle giant and therefore, despite its imposing size, mainly a family dog. It can live out its origins as a sighthound for hunting in cross-country races ( coursing ) or on the racetrack in sighthound races .

Health

Like most giant breeds, Irish wolfhounds have a shorter life expectancy compared to small dogs - the average age in the literature is between 6.5 and 10 years, although the few scientific papers available on the subject place the average age in the lower range of this margin.

According to a study (Egenvall 2005), 72 percent of all wolfhounds live to be at least 5 years old, 37 percent live to be 8 years old, and only 9 percent of all wolfhounds live to be 10 years or older.

Due to their generally rather stoic nature, wolfhounds can also suppress painful symptoms for a long time. As a result, diseases are often only recognized at an advanced stage, which in many cases can worsen the chances of recovery.

In addition, there are various hereditary diseases and at least partially hereditary dispositions in the breed. The most common of these are:

The veterinary literature describes further hereditary diseases and dispositions:

Occasionally, hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid ) is mentioned as a race problem. However, according to Purdue University's Veterinary Medical Database, Irish wolfhounds have a two-thirds lower risk of developing the disease compared to the overall dog population.

Like all greyhounds , Irish Wolfhounds have a lower tolerance to anesthetics compared to other dogs . The doses are to be reduced accordingly.

About the name

The word Wolfshund is written with s in the Irish Wolfhound in German . It is different with the Czechoslovakian Wolfdog , where Wolfhund is written without an s , the reason is according to the FCI as follows:

  • Wolf s dog (with s) is a dog that hunts wolves or is wolf-colored, e.g. B. the Wolfspitz
  • Wolfdog (without s) is a breed in which a wolf has recently been crossed, such as B. the Czechoslovakian wolf dog.

The pseudo- English form of the Irish Wolfshound is often found in German-language literature . In English, however, the Irish Wolfhound is written without an s .

literature

Web links

Commons : Irish Wolfhound  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Theophil Studer: About dogs from the Crannoges of Ireland. (PDF; 103 kB) In: Announcements of the Natural Research Society in Bern. 1900, ISSN  0077-6130 , pp. 132-134.
  2. ↑ Erik Zimen : The dog. Descent - Behavior - Man and Dog (=  Goldmann . Band 12397 ). Goldmann, Munich 1992, ISBN 3-442-12397-6 , pp. 171 .
  3. ↑ Harry Walker: The Irish Wolfhound . In: Swiss Dog Stud Book . tape 6 , 1896, ZDB -ID 2137759-5 , p. 64–103 ( online [PDF; 4.4 MB ]).
  4. ↑ Breed Standard No. 160 of the FCI: Irish Wolfhound  (PDF)
  5. ↑ Hans Räber : Encyclopedia of the pedigree dogs. Origin, history, breeding goals, suitability and use. Vol. 2, Franckh-Kosmos, 1995, ISBN 3-440-06752-1 , The largest dog, p. 792.
  6. ↑ Cornelia Broschk (2004) Analysis of the population structure and population genetic investigation into the inheritance of dilated cardiomyopathy in the Irish Wolfhound . Hanover, University of Veterinary Medicine, dissertation, 2004
  7. ^ Margret L. Casal, Richard M. Munuve, M. Anne Janis, Petra Werner, Paula S. Henthorn: Epilepsy in Irish Wolfhounds. In: Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine . Vol. 20. No. 1, 2006, ISSN  0891-6640 , pp. 131-135, PMID 16496932 , doi: 10.1111 / j.1939-1676.2006.tb02832.x
  8. ↑ K. Junker, Th. SGAM van den Ingh, MM Bossard, JJ van Nes: Fibrocartilaginous embolism of the spinal cord (FCE) in juvenile Irish Wolfhounds . In: Veterinary Quarterly. Vol. 22, No. 3, 2000, pp. 154-156, PMID 10952446 , doi: 10.1080 / 01652176.2000.9695046
  9. ^ GT Wilkinson: Some Observations on the Irish Wolfhound Rhinitis Syndrome. In: Journal of Small Animal Practice. Vol. 10, No. 1, 1969, ISSN  1748-5827 , pp. 5-8, PMID 5814071 , doi: 10.1111 / j.1748-5827.1969.tb03982.x
  10. ↑ C. Clercx, I. Reichler, D. Peeters, K. McEntee, A. German, J. Dubois, F. Schynts, N. Schaaf-Lafontaine, T. Willems, M. Jorissen, MJ Day: Rhinitis / Bronchopneumonia syndrome in Irish Wolfhounds . In: Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine. Vol. 17, No. 6, pp. 843-849, PMID 14658722 , doi: 10.1111 / j.1939-1676.2003.tb02524.x
  11. ↑ DJ Gould, SM Petersen-Jones, CT Lin, DR Sargan: Cloning of canine rom-1 and its investigation as a candidate gene for generalized progressive retinal atrophies in dogs . In: Animal Genetics. Vol. 28, No. 6, ISSN  0268-9146 , pp. 391-396, PMID 9589581 , doi: 10.1111 / j.1365-2052.1997.00185.x
  12. ^ P. Clark, BW Parry: Survey of Irish Wolfhounds in Australia for von Willebrand's disease . In: Australian Veterinary Journal. Vol. 72, Vol. 10, p. 393, PMID 8599574 , doi: 10.1111 / j.1751-0813.1995.tb06179.x
  13. ↑ LN Owen: Calcinosis circumscripta (calcium gout) in related Irish Wolfhounds . In: Journal of Small Animal Practice . Vol. 8, No. 5, pp. 291-292, PMID 6068978 , doi: 10.1111 / j.1748-5827.1967.tb04553.x
  14. ^ C. Richard Dorn: Canine breed-specific risks of frequently diagnosed diseases at veterinary teaching hospitals. (PDF; 184 kB). AKC Canine Health Foundation. 200
  15. ^ MH Court: Anesthesia of the sighthound . In: Clinical techniques in small animal practice . Volume 14, Number 1, February 1999, pp. 38-43, doi: 10.1016 / S1096-2867 (99) 80025-5 , PMID 10193044 (Review)