Abominable Irish Snow Dog

   I always thought that Ireland was the land of Leprechauns and green fields. The green isle always made me think of endless summer or at the very least no winter. Hence, Irish Wolfhounds come from Ireland and therefore should not have a great affinity for Winter.
   When we first decided to get a Wolfhound we looked up everything about them. We read up on the history of the breed and discovered that the breed almost died out in the eighteen hundreds. In order to revive them they were supposedly cross bread with Borzoi, Great Dane, Scottish Deerhound and English Mastiff. This breeding program resulted in the dog we currently love and cherish.
   Since we got some real snow this last week I am starting to question the breeding. It appears that several dog breeds were missing from the pool of dogs that was used. I our case it seems that Husky, Malamute, Samoyed and Chinook may have been in the mix. Once Luna is out in the snow there is no getting her back. The deeper the better. She regularly attempts to simulate a snow plow with her head. You can tell where she has been by following the furrow in the snow. Getting her back into the house in the morning is rarely accomplished without the best of treats.
 

  This week we are getting Luna ready for the Elora Gorge Kennel Club show in Waterloo on Boxing day. She is looking really great. And just in time her stacking is starting to set in. All of us are excited about how she will do.

Wolfhound Slam

Wolfhound Slam and Other Unique Behaviour

Well before we start i'll give you a brief update on Pixie, at last writing she looked like this. 

In the week since the photo was taken she is bask to walking and was seen running down the hallway on at least two occasions. No help of course from our vet. It turns out the vet gave us terrible medication that ended up making Pixie worse. 

  But now on to the cool stuff "The Wolfhound Slam". Have you ever noticed your wolfhound playing with a soft toy and then out of the blue they pop up and slam down with their front paws. The force involved is significant. I'm talking bone crushing, house shaking pounces. When Luna does it you think there is a small earth quake going on. 

   On to other weird behaviour. All of a sudden we are completely out of squeaky toys. For some unknown reason Luna has decided that all squeakers need to be surgically removed. This in itself is not bad but the incision exposes the soft cotton interior. This cottony white stuff is an affront to any self respecting wolfhound and must be utterly destroyed. The end result is no more stuffed toys and a daily vacuuming of the family room. 

 Well thats it for another week. Enjoy your pets.

Weekend Visit

Snow, Tiffany and a small dog tragedy

The first big snow in the region and Luna appears to have lost here mind. Every time she passes the door she rings the bell to get out. She just can't get enough of it. During our first trip to the park after the snow the young girl didn't know which way to turn, the snow was everywhere. It looked similar to "tail chasing" just on a much bigger scale. The snow was everywhere and Luna wanted to get to all of it. For me it meant sixteen weeks of obedience wasted. It took the better part of ten minutes to get her back on a lead. All in all, lots of fun and laughs for us since the snow arrived.
 Our favourite daughter showed up just in time for the weekend. Happiness and bliss throughout the household, including the resident monkey Luna. Luna fell in instant love with her new toy. The weekend was highlighted by continuous wrestling, hugging, kissing and the ever present Luna fangs. 

Lastly this weekend Pixie ended up getting under Luna's feet. It happened very suddenly, but by the time we reacted the damage was done. Pixie ended up at the vet for x-rays. Three hours and several botched x-rays later we received the prognosis of "we should take her to the specialist because it might be broken". 500 dollars to get the assistant to wrap Pixie's leg in cotton batting and add some athletic tape to keep it in place. Even though the vet was surprised that Pixie did not appear to be in pain he insisted that we get her some pain and anti inflammation medication. I think we are changing vets. 

A Weekend of Dog Fun

Finally the United Kennel Club show in Saint Lazare. This was the first show where our mentor Kyreen wasn't in attendance. We are all excited and a little nervous. Luna received an excellent grooming from Sue and was ready to go. Head, neck and back never looked better. As usual she was as calm as can be. All afternoon people came by and were completely impressed by how calm and well

behaved our Luna was. It was no surprise however that Luna was again successful. She finished as "Winners Bitch" which sounds bad, but is actually good. I thought she could have taken Best Puppy in Breed but an eight month old male Wesley; although no better than Luna was several sizes larger. We had a great day all the same and are looking forward to the next chance to show off our girl.

   The rest of the weekend was spent in the yard getting ready for winter. Blowing leaves, putting up fence around our fruit trees and covering bushes in burlap. This is a annual routine around here. This year however we have Luna as an active helper. This was the first time for her and oh was she helpful. I was surprised to learn that Luna was an expert with leaves, fencing and burlap. Her paws are ideally proportioned to undo leaf piles and redistribute them around the yard. As for burlap, she was born to handle burlap. I would wrap a bush and Luna would gladly hold the other end. Usually she would apply just enough pressure to unravel whatever I started. Needless to say it took a little longer to finish this year. I'm sure in the spring she will be just as helpful putting everything back to the way it should be.

Haaaaallloweeeen 

   Yeserday was Halloween and boy did we have fun. I'm not sure who had more fun Luna, Pixie or me. Just in time for the festivities Luna reaches an intimidating 29 1/2 inches and 104 pounds. If people only knew what a big baby she really is. 

    Myself dressed as a vampire and Luna as a "Hell hound" (like if) and Pixie was sporting butterfly wings. Several Goblins, Ghosts and Vampires were taken aback when Luna appeared at the door. 

In the pictures we look really scary. Well, at least Luna looks scary. Especially those eyes, to a small person that could definitely be intimidating. I appear to be providing the comic relief.

   Luna and Pixie providing some impressive sound effects as 79 kids show up for the annual fright night candy collection. Our house was easily discernible. Along with our talking skeleton at the front door the wolf pack ensure everyone knew where we lived.

On a final note does anyone know when Luna will stop biting me. I'm getting tired of her using my arms as replica antlers. 

IrishWolfhound

Haha Luna’s having fun again

Tug -O-War

Every now and then you get to see something incredible.

Well yesterday night Pixie at all of 10 pounds decided that a tug of war with Luna at 105 was actually winnable. I would’t have believed it but Luna pulled, Pixie growled and next thing you know Luna backs away and Pixie is sporting a new rope. Laughter all around as the big girl just stood there and looked confused.

Next Saturday another opportunity for Luna to shine

Next Saturday is the United Kennel Club show in Saint Lazare. There are eight competing Wolfhounds and two baby puppies in the show. Luna will get to compete against one of her other siblings. We are all excited to see how she will do.

Raising Wolfhounds

We have heard all sorts of advise now about exercise and over feeding. There seems to be a great number of opinions on the right method. We are watching Luna closely and letting her determine how much activity is too much. To date she seems to have a pretty good handle on it. Once our girl gets a little tired she heads for her bed and phffff out like a light. We have consulted the Irish Wolfhound Club of America site to make sure Luna is the proper size for her age. And low and behold at 105 pounds she is in the middle of the range for a seven month old Wolfhound.

 

Rendez-vous Belleville

   After my last effort at an indoor event Luna was having nervous second thoughts about my ability to be her guide. Well she needn't have worried, after a brief talking to I felt ready to go. We arrived an hour early so I could spent the time studying the competition. Not that it would make a difference in how I performed. I was hoping that I could figure out what not to do by watching the pro's. We were up against our old nemesis Niela from Kaldoun. This time Luna and I came out on top. She ended up first and "Best Puppy in Breed". This resulted in earning Luna her very first point towards her championship. 

  Although we did well I still managed be surprised when we were called in to compete against Voodoo one of Bailey'Song dogs handled by Sara. It was the best of winners being compared and of course I had no clue again. I don't think it made a difference because Voodoo is a gorgeous Wolfhound.

   Today was the Halloween rehearsal for Luna and Pixie. 

Decked out as a Hellhound and a Fairy they both attracted a ton of attention at the local PetSmart.

Play! Play! Play! that is the highest priority for Wolfhounds

As you can see Luna is having a normal spoiled day. Sue (Mummy)  took her out for an afternoon play date at the park and Luna took advantage of every moment. At one point she was distracted by a noise (Squirrel Syndrome) in the woods and at full speed decided to investigate. After moments of anguish and some frantic calling she proved that all the effort we put in to "recall" is paying off.
   Frisbees and "Neila", two of the things Luna loves the most. During the our most recent visit to "Kaldaun", Luna and Niela were as completely inseparable. They rough housed the entire time, by the time we left to go home both dogs were exhausted. Luna ended up sleeping for the entire way home and for most of the next day.
   The other day Pixie finally noticed Luna's antler. Luna has only been chewing on it for three weeks now. Then , out of the blue Pixie grabbed it and decided it was hers. She then went on to protected it with her life. Luna couldn't get near it. Totally funny, how the monster 100 lbs dog backs off from the 10 lbs Yorkie when she shows her teeth.

Finally, tomorrow is luna's next show. We are headed to Belleville in the morning. Hopefully Luna will keep me in line and I don't screw it up.I will post an update on how we did on Sunday.
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Two weeks without a word out of Luna
Our fans must be quite disappointed

Luna's first trip to grandma's gave me a bit of a pause. Luna's big and mom's place is small. I wasn't sure if it would work out. It turned out to be a resounding success. 

   While we were in Kitchener we took Luna to a pet shop called Ren's. This was possibly the best pet store we have ever been in. All of the staff were friendly and attentive. As usual Luna got all the attention. At one point i think most of the store employees were on the floor with her. We got all the things we needed, stripping knives, new toys and some great ideas for the dog.

   Luna is continuing to grow at an amazing rate. Now, table and counter grazing has become a common activity. She has also grown much stronger.  Up until now Luna was satisfied with playing with her toys. In the last two weeks however "toy destruction" has become the order of the day. Ropes are chewed through, stuffed toys are unstuffed, balls are crushed and squeaks are surgically extracted from seemingly indestructible stuffed animals. 

   This week Luna got new clothing. A beautiful day glow cooling jacket.  The envy of all Wolfhound owners. As a matter of fact i suspect more clothing will be made in the near future. 

   Another awesome visit to Kyreen Shorey's on Thanksgiving gave everyone a good laugh as the woof pack greeted long lost Luna. 

"Irish Wolfhounds", The centre of attention wherever they go!

Today was the annual "Harvest Market" at the Cumberland Heritage Museum. When we arrived the parking was quite full. I was a little concerned because of how tight the space was and the volume of people attending. The venders tables were quite close together and the area between was filled with shoppers. Sue said Luna would be fine, so i snugged up her lead and in we went. As you could imagine a lane opened for us almost immediately. Only to close just as fast. We were quickly surrounded by people wanting to meet and pet our Luna. Luna sat and stood majestically while strangers patted her head and rubbed her belly. It appeared as if all thought of shopping had evaporated once they got a sight of our Luna. I was surprised I wasn't asked to leave by the people hawking their wares. But they all joined in the fun and made Luna feel welcome. A couple of times during our visit families with very young children tentatively approached us. Luna like a champion stood rock still and allowed the children to give her a pet. I couldn't have been prouder. People constantly commented on how beautiful and calm Luna was. It was hard for me not to take credit for what comes so naturally to our little girl.

   Now to a sadder story, last week in Montreal a new bylaw banning Pit Bulls was enacted. This type of reaction to a dog attack is the worst  one possible. A entire breed of dogs (in this case several breeds) is being blamed for the act of a single animal. In my 56 years i have found that very rarely is a dog directly responsible for this kind of behaviour. I have always imagined a dog regardless of their age nothing more then a young child. Young children need constance attention and positive role models. You would not blame a five year old if he or she got their hands on a fire arm and injured somebody. We should look at pets the same way. 

   Regularly on the edge to the rougher parts of our continent you hear of mauling's by bears, mountain lions, wolves and cougars. After these events I have never heard of a call to eradicate an entire species (breed). The offending animal is generally found and put down. Although this example is not the same as dogs in a city the response by authorities can easily be applied.

Today I want to tell you some special things about Our Irish Wolfhound

   Firstly, as you can see in the photo above Wolfhounds are very large, actually you could use the term huge. Although she is only six months old Luna already weighs over ninety pounds. There is no fat on her and you can feel the corded muscles just under her skin.

   Irish Wolfhounds also have a very long digestive tract. Hence we get one of our favourite conditions, flatulence (farting in layman 

terms). Sitting around in the living room we are regularly surprised by a Luna expulsion. They are strong enough to clear the room. If we were to bottle some of Luna's gas we could sell it to the government as a  Weapon on Mass Destruction. 

   Lastly young Wolfhounds need o lot of attention. There main goal is to be around you continuously from when they wake until they go to sleep. They want to play and play and hang out. This could be a little difficult to deal with if you are not 100% committed to you pet.

Finally a big thank you to Kyreen Shoreyf or giving us our new best friend.

Congratulations Luna

After six intensive weeks and an extremely challenging final exam, Luna has graduated from intermediate obedience. As usual Luna managed to test all of us during the exam. It seemed more like she expected me to perform the manouvers first then to actually do them herself. Every time I tried to get her to do some of the required steps she would loyally follow me around. Way to go Luna. In the end though she pulled it all together, showing off her true self. Negotiating obstacles, waiting, ignoring other dogs and finally laying on her bed. She managed it all in spectacular fashion.

 

The graduation ceremony ended with pictures, soy ice-cream and other treats for all the students. The ice-cream was entirely new to Luna and provided some humour for all of us as she tested the new treat.

   The next day, we made our biweekly vet visit to check on Luna's weight. Again she surprised us by tipping the scales at 89 lbs. And Luna inspired the usual commotion in the office. All the assistants and veterinarians in the clinic had to stop and give Luna the welcome rub down that she seems to be expect when she visits.
   I am forever surprised by the attention this girl can draw. It seems wherever we go Luna becomes the centre of attention. People want to touch and pet her at every turn. She in her smile friendly way accommodates everyone.
Finally a Wolfhound romp in the park to end a busy day. Most of the romp seemed to consist of rolling around on the ground. Frisbee case is also a loved activity.

Wolfhound Tongues, how long are they really?

   So a human tongue is approximately 10 cm long. A wolf tongue is about this long. I think Luna's tongue actually goes around my head. The tongue also seems to be continuously in use. Sometimes when we are playing, teeth get involved. This is irritating, but to compound the issue for some reason my arms are wet to the elbows. Wolfhounds can literally swallow your entire arm and that goes a long way to explaining my wet arms.
   Last week Luna had old home week in Brockville with the pirates. The tall ships were in town but from where I was standing it looked like Luna was the star attraction.

Everyone wanted to be in a picture with luna. Pirates, the town crier and just about everyone on the dock.

   Caption that goes with the photo on the left should be "run for your life". Notice the Wolf smile. This is the typical smile Wolfhounds exhibits prior to tearing a hole in someones pants. As you may have guessed you can just see the back of my jeans.

Teeth, Teeth, Teeth 
Finally luna has lost the last of her baby teeth. Maybe now she will stop biting me and settle down a little bit. I completely understand the teething thing and I have given her a ton of leeway.
I can only imagine how hard it is when you can't talk and you hurt. All we see is panting and intense chewing on her toys. We realize from our own children how uncomfortable this must be for her and we just want her to keep being a good dog. Very funny my teeth are making me want to eat you and all you can say is "Good Girl Luna". Well when i bite you maybe you'll understand.
And here are the current new teeth. That is a very intimidating face. Normally when i see them coming at me i feel a small amount of trepidation. Is she playing or has she completely lost control. in real life they look way bigger.
And here are the teeth I expect her to grow into.
Hopefully she will be past the chewing stage prior to this. I am not sure our vigilance or furniture could cope with this .

   Does anyone remember this movie. Well that's what our Luna is starting to look like. No, we are not dressing her up like a human woman. But after a friendly visit to our vet for a "weigh in" we realize that the giant in her is coming out. The "Little" girl tipped the scales at 36 kg (79 lbs. for our friends south of the border).
  I added some photos to give the flying Luna perspective. Her larger size has definitely affected the ability of her ears to soar. It also has not stopped her from becoming airborne. Seems her jumping ability is proportional to her weight. Quite the opposite of humans.
   Thursday, Friday and Saturday Luna has been practicing for the show in Belleville at the end of October. She is convinced that if she works with me enough i won't screw up like the last two times. Only time will tell. Hopefully I will not embarrass her again.

Since Luna is about to grow out  of her SUV we will have to get her some new wheels. I also want to be able to fit in with the other large dog families. So, a Dodge RAM is on the near horizon. I blame Luna for this unnecessary expense, but really inside I am giggling away happily.

Well thats it for today everyone enjoy your lives no matter what pack you are in.

Hand Stacking, Free Stacking, mysterious words used by dog handlers.

Well, Sue and I lived in the country for 12 years and for the most part heated our house with wood. You might think, how does this relate to dog handling. Well for the longest time i thought hand stacking was this. Happily I thought "Free Stacking" was someone else doing this for me. Needless to say this was not what was meant at all. Hand Stacking turns out to be manually placing your dog's feet in a position to best show him or her off. Below we can see an excellent example of Sue guiding Luna into a perfect stance.  

  Amazingly Sue manages this without effort. There must be a certain affinity between the two as I have a great deal more difficulty at getting Luna to cooperate.
  

It seems that when I try it the stacking appears to be reversed. Luna is in charge getting me to sit. Or she tries to sit on me.
Free stacking, even more fun at the expense of the Alpha male. For some reason with a great deal of work the dog aka Luna, reads my mind and then does what i am thinking.

As you can see either the way I am thinking or Luna's mind reading is not quite correct. I will leave you to decide which of the above is the case. Just to put it all into perspective Luna was able to win multiple events at her first show right up until I stopped following her instructions.