Q: Fencing Irish Wolfhounds
Jon Stibal
How high should a fence for an Irish Wolfhound be? I hope to get one
soon, but want to have the proper environment ready (which, according
to many FAQs includes a large running area). My last dog (a large
chocolate lab) could have easily cleared 4 ft., but I don't know
enough about the IW to decide if I should use 4 or 5 ft. fencing. How
good is the IW at jumping?
Thanks,
JS
Alan D. Cowen
Most Wolfhounds will not jump a fence no matter how tall. Their main purpose in
life is to be stuck to your side like a piece of lint!! They generally have no wish
to be anywhere that you are not. When I first get a puppy - I generally fence off
an area of the family room using a 24" high X-Pen so that I don't spend the whole
evening wondering what the puppy is up to. Very soon the pup will tower over the
X-Pen but they still tend to respect the boundaries. I frequently go to dog shows
with my 4 IW's and pen them in a 48" high X-Pen that any one of the 4 could
demolish, but they don't. For safety sake -- a 5' fence would be best, but it is
unlikely that your Wolfie will do any more than jump up and 'look' to see what's
going on the other side.
-----------------------------Reply Separator---------------------------------
Alan and Linda Coffel
In <4oetj4$6...@cass.ma02.bull.com> j.st...@izzy.net (Jon Stibal)
writes:
>How high should a fence for an Irish Wolfhound be? I hope to get one
>soon, but want to have the proper environment ready (which, according
>to many FAQs includes a large running area). My last dog (a large
>chocolate lab) could have easily cleared 4 ft., but I don't know
>enough about the IW to decide if I should use 4 or 5 ft. fencing. How
>good is the IW at jumping?
>
>Thanks,
>
>JS
>
Jon
Our IW, a two year old bitch named Chewie, regularly stands with front
paws on top of our four foot fence to greet us. She has never tried
to go over it. Irish Wolfhounds are generally more couch-potatoes
than athletes, and a four-foot fence should be enough to keep one
inside. The following story is the only exception I know.
We are members of an IW Club and also show and lure course. We have
met only one IW that jumped fences. She was a cousin of Chewie who was
deathly afraid of thunderstorms. She was returned to the breeder
by owners who could not contain her. At the breeder, she easily
cleared a six foot chain-link fence when frightened, and an extra two
feet of wire added to the top (yes, 8ft!) was no deterent either. She
was finally adopted by someone who was moving to the Oregon coast, an
area that rarely has large thunderstorms.
Does this help any? Probably not :-) IW's CAN jump. They can also
lick off the kitchen countertops without stretching (ugh!), dig great
gaping craters in your yard, and occupy almost an entire queen-sized
bed! We wouldn't trade ours for anything!!!
A. Coffel
Robert Wallis
adc...@ix.netcom.com (Alan D. Cowen) wrote:
>Most Wolfhounds will not jump a fence no matter how tall. Their main purpose in
>life is to be stuck to your side like a piece of lint!! They generally have no wish
>to be anywhere that you are not. When I first get a puppy - I generally fence off
>an area of the family room using a 24" high X-Pen so that I don't spend the whole
>evening wondering what the puppy is up to. Very soon the pup will tower over the
>X-Pen but they still tend to respect the boundaries. I frequently go to dog shows
>with my 4 IW's and pen them in a 48" high X-Pen that any one of the 4 could
>demolish, but they don't. For safety sake -- a 5' fence would be best, but it is
>unlikely that your Wolfie will do any more than jump up and 'look' to see what's
>going on the other side.
>-----------------------------Reply Separator---------------------------------
>> How high should a fence for an Irish Wolfhound be? I hope to get one
>> soon, but want to have the proper environment ready (which, according
>> to many FAQs includes a large running area). My last dog (a large
>> chocolate lab) could have easily cleared 4 ft., but I don't know
>> enough about the IW to decide if I should use 4 or 5 ft. fencing. How
>> good is the IW at jumping?
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> JS
>>
Some dogs are jumpers, some are not. I can tell the ones that are
going to be problems when they are wee ones because when they walk
around a pen, regardless of it's height, they look up, measuring the
distance. Most dogs don't jump a fence anyway, they climb it. The
only way I've ever stopped this was to either put the dog in a covered
run or run a hot-wire around the fence. To be safe, I always use 6 ft
fencing, preferably wooden with the bracing facing the other way, so
the dog is faced with a smooth surface.
I've had dogs that wouldn't jump no matter what. They could be put in
a 4foot ex-pen and the only way they'd leave would be if they fell out
while hanging over the side. I did have one that would use the pen
like a tank, pushing it along until he got where he wanted.
Sherry=-=Sherob's Akitas
Andy Mutz
Sherry of Sherob's Akita's wrote:
: Some dogs are jumpers, some are not. I can tell the ones that are
: going to be problems when they are wee ones because when they walk
: around a pen, regardless of it's height, they look up, measuring the
: distance. Most dogs don't jump a fence anyway, they climb it. The
: only way I've ever stopped this was to either put the dog in a covered
: run or run a hot-wire around the fence. To be safe, I always use 6 ft
: fencing, preferably wooden with the bracing facing the other way, so
: the dog is faced with a smooth surface.
: I've had dogs that wouldn't jump no matter what. They could be put in
: a 4foot ex-pen and the only way they'd leave would be if they fell out
: while hanging over the side. I did have one that would use the pen
: like a tank, pushing it along until he got where he wanted.
Interesting variation on fence-jumping; my Akita has broken several
chain-link fence gates while kennelled at his breeder! He won't jump
a 3' fence, but if sufficiently motivated just knocks the darn thing
out of his way. Sometimes the direct approach is effective....
Only point: if your dog really wants to get out, worry about over,
under, and THROUGH. Motivation is an amazing thing.
Andy Mutz
Rhonda Jorgensen
Irish Wolfhounds are a very unique breed, and are not "jumpers"- they
just don't tend to jump. I have to lift mine in and out of the truck (
they put their front feet in and then look back at me- well?), and my
kennel run is 4' tall- never had a hound try to jump or climb it yet.
They just howl mournfully if they have to go in there while I am away.
When I go to dog shows, I use an ex-pen that I can step over,
and they never push it around or try to step over. I don't know what it
is about Wolfhounds, but it doesn't seem to occur to them to jump. Dig,
yes!
So, my kennel run has buried wire donw 1', with 4' game fence
and a board down the edge of the wire. No top.
Rhonda
Marie Moore
In article <4og64j$e...@sjx-ixn6.ix.netcom.com>, cof...@ix.netcom.com(Alan and Linda Coffel ) writes:
|> Irish Wolfhounds are generally more couch-potatoes
|> than athletes, and a four-foot fence should be enough to keep one
|> inside.
This is true. The typical position of an IW, indoors or out, is
horizontal -- usually snoring, with tongue dangling sideways from
the gaping mouth.
We have had two IW "escape" episodes with 2 different IWs. Both
involved bounding in pursuit of the neighborhood deer family.
Fortunately, both times, the IW stopped 2 yards away and came home
when called (by my frantically huffing & puffing husband).
More typically, however, just the fact that there *is* a visible
fence is enough to indicate to an IW that "beyond the fence" is
off limits. Purely psychological, maybe. Our IWs have always
respected low barriers (like kid gates) indoors, and puny fences
outdoors.
|> We are members of an IW Club and also show and lure course.
Hey there, tell Karen Malone the Moores say "hi". Our current
IW (Gracie, 8 yrs old) was a rescue whose adoption by us was
arranged through the PVIWC rescue team, which Karen was head of
at the time. Gracie is doing very well, although noticeably
slowing down. Our previous IW almost made it to 10, so we're
hoping we're going to have Gracie for a while yet. Unless our
8-month-old Bouvier aggravates her to death!
|> Does this help any? Probably not :-) IW's CAN jump. They can also
|> lick off the kitchen countertops without stretching (ugh!), dig great
|> gaping craters in your yard, and occupy almost an entire queen-sized
|> bed! We wouldn't trade ours for anything!!!
Exactly! Bouvier puppies aside, IWs are wonderful family members.
I think we'll always have one (at least) unless we get too feeble
to have dogs at all!
Marie Moore, Sr. Technical Writer; marie...@template.com
"Support your local tech writer: Read the manual!"
AVRAMA GINGOLD
JS>How high should a fence for an Irish Wolfhound be? I hope to get one
JS>soon, but want to have the proper environment ready (which, according
JS>to many FAQs includes a large running area). My last dog (a large
JS>chocolate lab) could have easily cleared 4 ft., but I don't know
JS>enough about the IW to decide if I should use 4 or 5 ft. fencing. How
JS>good is the IW at jumping?
JS>Thanks,
Even your chocolate lab should have had a higher fence. Six (6)
foot minimum height. I know that a Dobe can clear a 5' fence
with no difficulty, and an IW should have even less, as it is a
coursing dog.
THe extra money spent in fencing is saved on vet bills for dogs
injured while running loose.
---
* SLMR 2.0 * Don't blame the dog--train the dog!
Alan and Linda Coffel
In <8C194EF.0706...@izone.com> avrama_...@izone.com
Avrama,
Which fencing company do you work for? :-)
A. Coffel
Kevin Donohue
I have seen Irish Wolfhounds clear seven foot fences without a problem.
They tend to jump only if chasing something. It depends on the dog.
They are fine if you are near them, but if you leave them alone they tend
to look for some "action". Never leave a IW unattended.
AVRAMA GINGOLD
AALC>In <8C194EF.0706...@izone.com> avrama_...@izone.com
AALC>(AVRAMA GINGOLD) writes:
Even your chocolate lab should have had a higher fence. Six
foot minimum height. I know that a Dobe can clear a 5' fence with no
difficulty, and an IW should have even less, as it is a coursing dog.
THe extra money spent in fencing is saved on vet bills for dogs injured
while running loose.
* SLMR 2.0 * Don't blame the dog--train the dog!
AALC>Avrama,
AALC>Which fencing company do you work for? :-)
Nope, I don't work for a fencing company, and living in the
heart of NYC I don't have to put up a fence. Of course I don't
have a yard, either, but I have seen dogs jump with a vengeance.
I posted the comment about the 5' fence just after coming back
from a walk during which I had been standing with Shomer on one
side of a 5 foot fence, on the other side of which were
squirrels. And I (stupid, stupid, mea culpa) was busy laughing
at the frantic activity of the squirrels instead of reading my
dog. The next thing I knew I was smack against the fence, my
arm pulled over, and Shomer was on the other side, trying to
figure out how to get the squirrels to play lunchtime for Fido.
Nothing like walking 20 yards with your arm stretched over a
rough fence until you can come to a gate and get your dog.
(Yes, in theory I could have dropped the lead and called Shomer,
but in practice on the other side was a very busy crowded
roadway filled with rapidly moving autos.)
I prefer safety to sorrow any day of the week.
avrama
AALC>A. Coffel
---
* SLMR 2.0 * There is nothing like a Dobe!
Cattski
speaking of fencing an Irish Wolfhound---- In our small town, someone put
up a 6' fence for their 2 wolfhounds(verry responsible) and the neighors
complaned-- stating an old ordenence that prohibited having more than a 4'
fence near the sidewalk! The dogs could practaclly step over it-- I was
mad!
they are still fighting with the town, about moving the fence(not easy
or sheep to do) or lowering it. It takes all kinds....
Mharvey
I have worried about Martigan (the IW light of my life) jumping our 4 foot
fence that was originally intended to house a jumping Bassett Hound
(gorgeous when air borne) because his mother and grandmother liked to do
rowdy things like dig holes and jump fences. He is his mother's son.
Currently he is digging up a thirty foot maple tree, but back to jumping.
Rather than jump the fence, silly learned to open the gate. As a result,
I now have catches on both the gates. Mharvey
Alan D. Cowen
Yeah! - that's Irish logic for you!!! Why learn to jump the fence when you can
learn to open a gate in about four times the time it would take to learn fence
jumping!!
--
Alan Cowen
The Hounds of Darragh
Thousand Oaks, Ca.
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Mharvey
At least he did go next door to my mom's (his grandmother's) house.
Mharvey