I am having serious Deerhound / Wolfhound puppy lust. I'm holding out so far (much to the relief of my housemates, and the cats), but I seem to have a deep-seated need for my own CĂș Faoil. Yikes.
Ehehehe, the kennel where I used to take my girls (out in West Virginia) had mostly agility/show dogs, German Shorthair Pointers, but there was one lumbering puppy amongst them... a tan Irish Wolfhound. First time I was there, the guy put his paws on the dutch door and stood up, and came to maybe my elbows. I said, "boy, he looks like an Irish Wolfhound, but he's small."
Owner: "Oh, he's only three months old."
Me: O.O
By six months, that boy would put his MASSIVE paws on the dutch door, haul himself upright, and his nose was level with my face. By nine months, his head was over mine when he did that. But I never saw him snap or growl at any dog or person; he was one of the easiest-going in the pack, and didn't seem disturbed in the least at the fact that he took as much room as six of the other dogs. Often times when I'd come by (especially during the colder months), that poor wolfhound would be sprawled in front of the heater in the kennel's office, and six or seven shorthair pointers would be lying all over him. A living blanket!
Hrm, I doubt I'm helping your case here, am I. *whistles*
Well, y'know, in all seriousness, Deerhounds are a bit smaller (a plus for housemates/partner, who are afeared of ze monster dog), and live longer, I believe. But, in the end (aside from appropriate bribes to housemates), I suspect it will come down to whether there are reputable breeders of either breed within driving distance (I will *not* make a poor scared puppy get stuffed into a small box and forced to endure the trauma of long-distance flight in a cargo hold)
yep, deerhounds are generally longer lived and smaller in that they weigh less - not generally much shorter though. They do run much faster, and they jump - sam can clear 6 foot plus....
and hey - they start off small and grow slow to give everyone time to get used to the size :)
well you know my thoughts on this!!! I will hunt down the puppy pics when I'm at mum's for christmas - we've wolfie and deerhound pics. her's one of a very elderly Bethy!
the wolfies were alot slower and more laid back - the deerhound needed more exersise and ws more highly strung - the suluki cross was a special case - normally they're not an easy breed.
See, I'd love the excuse to force me to go out and walk on the land (well, most days, anyway), and we definitely have the room. Of course, things change a bit if I'm not working from home anymore (and I should know about that within a month or so), but can a typical gazehound deal with being inside for 7-8 hours?
we leave sammy for 6 hours on his own at times. if one had a nice walk in the morning and in the evening, probably once it was more grown up - it could be a problem when it was a puppy (chewed house/chased cats). I expect it would be quite happy for at least that length of time if it could get outside for a peebreak.... :)
Yeah, if the hospital job happens, it could be that the house would be person-free for about 6 hours, and that's assuming that C is willing to walk said beastie when she got home, or during warmer months, at least let him/her out in the fenced-in back. Well, I'll cross those bridges when I come to them!
Eep. Well, yeah, there's a (very, very) big hairy ill-behaved beast...but had also been brought up by a clueless idiot (having met her) with little to no discipline before she gave the dog up for adoption by our erstwhile Brothers. But yeah, point taken -- a big ill-mannered dog is a bigger problem than a small ill-mannered dog. I'm very clear that (to paraphrase Treasure Island) dogs need discipline! (as do many humans, but that's a somewhat different matter...)
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Date: 2006-12-08 07:04 pm (UTC)Owner: "Oh, he's only three months old."
Me: O.O
By six months, that boy would put his MASSIVE paws on the dutch door, haul himself upright, and his nose was level with my face. By nine months, his head was over mine when he did that. But I never saw him snap or growl at any dog or person; he was one of the easiest-going in the pack, and didn't seem disturbed in the least at the fact that he took as much room as six of the other dogs. Often times when I'd come by (especially during the colder months), that poor wolfhound would be sprawled in front of the heater in the kennel's office, and six or seven shorthair pointers would be lying all over him. A living blanket!
Hrm, I doubt I'm helping your case here, am I. *whistles*
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Date: 2006-12-08 10:52 pm (UTC)Ahem. Whoops.
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Date: 2006-12-08 07:13 pm (UTC)*runs away from Raven*
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Date: 2006-12-08 10:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-08 11:06 pm (UTC)and hey - they start off small and grow slow to give everyone time to get used to the size :)
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Date: 2006-12-08 07:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-08 09:01 pm (UTC)How did you manage the exercise?
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Date: 2006-12-08 10:18 pm (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2006-12-08 10:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-09 02:07 am (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2006-12-08 10:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-08 10:51 pm (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2006-12-08 10:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-08 08:48 pm (UTC)ah-yup
I have one word
Date: 2006-12-09 12:24 am (UTC)Re: I have one word
Date: 2006-12-09 02:20 pm (UTC)