Irish
Wolfhound History
The
breed is very old, possibly from the 1st century BC or
earlier, bred as war dogs by the ancient Celts, who called
them Cú Faoil. The Irish continued to breed them
for this purpose, as well as to guard their homes and
protect their stock. Regular references of Irish Wolfhounds
being used in dog fights are found in many historical
sagas - Cuchulain's favourite, Luath was slain by a southern
chief's hound, Phorp.
While
many modern texts state Irish Wolfhounds were used for
coursing deer, contemporary pre-revival accounts such
as Animated Nature (1796) by Oliver Goldsmith are explicit
that the original animal was a very poor coursing dog.
Their astonishing size, speed, and intelligence made
them ideal hunting animals for both wild boar and wolves,
and many were exported for this purpose. They were perhaps
too ideal, as the boar and wolf are now extinct in Ireland.
The Irish Wolfhound has been recorded as being exhibited
in ancient Rome to some excitement, and mention is made
that they so amazed and terrified the Romans that it
was seen fit to only transport them in cages. There exist
stories that in the arena, the original Wolfhound was
the equal of a lion. It has also been shown that when
hunting animals, the wolfhound would bite the neck and
crush the spine, killing the creature.
During
times of conflict with England, it was not uncommon for
Wolfhounds to be trained to take armoured knights off
of their horses, thus allowing an infantry man to move
in and finish the kill if the Wolfhound had not done
so already.
Due
to a massive export into various countries as a gift
for royalty and a ban that allowed only royalty to own
such a dog, the breed almost vanished in the middle of
the 19th century. Captain Graham rebred the Irish Wolfhound
with the Deerhound, Great Dane, Borzoi and other breeds;
this saved the breed, but had the inevitable effect of
altering its appearance, most noticeably leaving the
Irish Wolfhound with alternative colours such as brindle
(inherited from the Great Dane) as before they were mainly
grey in colour. The ancient breed (often referred to
as the Irish Wolfdogge in contemporary accounts) was
available in both a smooth and rough coated variety.
Descriptions of its appearance and demeanor, as well
as the method of its use place it closer to the flock
guardians in appearance than the modern breed. It is
clear that the dog was not always the giant of today
and it has been suggested that the Wolfhound was part
of the make up of the Kerry Blue Terrier.
The
Wolfhound is sometimes regarded as the national dog breed
of Ireland but in fact no breed has ever been officially
adopted as such. The Wolfhound was historically a dog
that only nobles could own and was taken up by the British
during their rule in Ireland. This made it unpopular
as a national symbol and the Kerry Blue Terrier was adopted
by early Irish Nationalists such as Michael Collins.
Today, however, the Irish wolfhound is by some margin
the best known Irish breed outside the dog world.
Think
carefully before you purchase an Irish Wolfhound pup.
They are not like owning an average dog, due to their
large size and abundant energy and keen need to be with
their people. They will take up a great deal of space
in your home and can be hard on delicate knick-knacks
on your coffee table and shelves. Only specialist kennels
can accomodate them, so traveling without your dog will
depend on your ability to find a good caretaker.
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