Jan...ya know what? Those big wolfhounds don't need very much excersise at all! They are quite lazy, as many of the giant breeds are. They need a good romp every day, but they are more then happy taking up an entire couch and sleeping the majority of the day

One of the vets at the office I used to work at bred and showed Irish wolfhounds in conformation. She had the std. grey color and the cream colored ones. The cream colored dogs were incredible! Very pretty. They were on the stubborn side, and they were also sometimes a bit distructive when they were left alone in the house, but they all had great temperments. Kids could crawl over the lying dogs and the dogs never showed any signs of aggression, which is a trait worthy of honor. That, to me, is the most important trait...friendly and good with kids. The thing that I dislike about the breed is their lifespan. Some only live to be 7-8 years old. Six years old is very old for an I.R. That is hard for us who get so attached to our dogs. Graham is 8 years old and I feel he has many more years left. It's almlost unheard of for an I.R. to live to be 9 years old.