Petzlover
Irish Wolfhound is originated from Ireland but Stephens Stock is originated from United States. Irish Wolfhound may grow 36 cm / 15 inches higher than Stephens Stock. Both Irish Wolfhound and Stephens Stock are having almost same weight. Irish Wolfhound may live 4 years less than Stephens Stock. Both Irish Wolfhound and Stephens Stock has almost same litter size. Irish Wolfhound requires Moderate Maintenance. But Stephens Stock requires Low Maintenance
It is believed that the Irish Wolfhound is an ancient breed and that it was brought to Ireland as early as 7000 BC.
These dogs were bred as hunting dogs as well as guard dogs. There was a time when these huge canines were only allowed to be owned by the nobility. The breed died out somewhat, but Scotsman Captain George Augustus Graham made efforts to restore the breed’s numbers.
Captain Graham devoted his life to making sure the Irish Wolfhound’s numbers were built up, and the breeding program included Great Danes, Borzois, English Mastiffs and Scottish Deerhounds.
The Stephens Stock is a member if the Cur dog breeds. They are a scent hound bred in southeastern Kentucky by the Stephen’s family. For generations the dogs were simply known as the “little black dog”. The Cur breeds are dogs with a mixture of ancestry and the Stephens Cur is no different. However, the name Cur now means a working dog from the South in the United States. They were known as hunting and guard dogs, chasing wild boar, squirrel and raccoon. They were also called the Mountain Curs throughout Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia.
These mountain working dogs came close to extinction by the 1940’s but four separate breeders set out to save the Mountain Curs. They were the founders of the Mountain Cur Club and involved Woody Huntsman of Kentucky, Carl McConnel of Virginia, Dewey Ledbetter of Virginia and of course Hugh Stephens of Kentucky. Later the name of the club was changed to the Original Mountain Cur Breeders Association or OMCBA. The Mountain View Cur, the Treeing Cur and the Stephens Stock Cur were the results of their efforts.
In the 1970’s Stephen’s decided that his Cur was different from the original Mountain Curs and should be a separate breed. He formed the Stephen’s Breeders Association and the breed was recognized as distinct from other Curs. However, it was not recognized by the UKC (United Kennel Club) until 1998.
The tallest of the sighthounds, the Irish Wolfhound looks like a large Greyhound, only he has a rough, wiry type of coat.
He is also gracefully built and known as a gentle giant. The double coat which can be fawn, red, white, grey, black or brindle is straight to wavy.
He stands at about 81 to 86cm and weighs roughly 48 to 54kg. This is one of the few dog breeds that you can’t really call social. He loves his own human family, and becomes unhappy and ‘down-in-the-dumps’ when separated from his family members for too long. He is a quiet dog who tends to be somewhat introverted and reserved, while being highly intelligent.
He will require being trained and socialized to make him obedient as he is an independent dog. He takes his role as family protector seriously and even though he is quiet, he is ready to take on anyone who threatens his property.
The Irish Wolfhound is a gentle, quiet, soft-natured, easy-going dog and even though it is such a large dog, it doesn’t throw it’s weight around but is calm and patient around the elderly and children in the home. It can tend to be aggressive with animals he isn’t familiar with.
He is an intelligent dog, but even so he may be quite resistant to training as he is strong-willed and determined to have his own way. These dogs need to be trained and socialized otherwise they just do their own thing.
The Stephens Stock Cur is a breed of medium size, dark dogs – either very dark grey or black. Their heads are domed, and the muzzle is short with dark eyes. The breed’s chest is broad and deep with a neck of medium length and either a rough or smooth coat. They are smaller than the other Curs like the Black Mouth Cur or the Mountain View Cur.
They are strong and capable of treeing their prey. Their body is longer than it is high, and they have powerful and long legs. Their appearance is sleek and elegant. The nose is dark and square, and their stance is alert and that of a watchdog. This is an athletic hunting dog that is aggressive in the field and chilled at home.
The most notable aspect of the Irish Wolfhound is his amazing height. The legs are long, the body narrow. He is gentle and easy-going but because he is a sighthound he loves to give chase after animals.
He is capable of living in the city or countryside, but your home will need to cater to his size. He isn’t particularly energetic, enjoying a quiet life but he will absolutely need to be exercised.
Provide your gentle giant with everything needed to make him content, and you’ll have a faithful, loving friend for about 10 years.
1. Children friendliness - They are tenacious on the hunt but once at home they love children.
3.Adaptability They are adaptable if you can get them the exercise, they need every day. They won’t do well in an apartment without going to play and run somewhere else every day.
One wonders why breeders seem so bent on breeding such large dogs when they have health issues and they don't live particularly long. Not only do they cost a fortune to feed, but large dogs like this are more prone to illnesses and won’t live as long as small dog breeds. This big dog can live up to 10 years of age or so.
For starters, just because he is a deep chested dog, bloat or gastric torsion can be a threat. Other illnesses to look out for are dilated cardiomyopathy and bone cancer.
This is a disease of the heart muscle where the enlarged heart won’t function properly. The upper- and lower chambers of the heart are enlarged and the heart isn’t able to pump blood out properly. When the heart’s ventricle doesn’t pump enough blood into the lungs, fluid accumulates in the lungs and this ultimately leads to congestive heart failure.
Older dogs battle more with this heart disease and it is also more common in some dog breeds of which the Irish Wolfhound is one. Your dog will have shortness of breath, coughing and abdominal distension. He will need to get to the vet for medical tests.
Bone cancer can strike any dog, but you’ll find in more commonly with larger dog breeds. It can spread quickly and the long term prognosis isn’t good. It’s not easy to pick the disease up and it can mean joint pain for your pet and even lameness.
Your dog will be tired too. Your vet will do X-rays and other tests, but unfortunately the prognosis isn’t usually good. Big-dog breeders should take this into consideration.
The Stephens Stock Cur is a fairly healthy breed, fairly isolated in the hills and mountains of Kentucky and Tennessee. They are prone to a few health conditions but there are no genetic and breed specific issues.
• Ear and Eye Infections. Keep them clean and keep debris out of both ears and eyes after hunting.
This isn’t a particularly energetic dog and he can tend to become lazy. Don’t allow this as becoming unfit and overweight can be very bad for such large dog. Being so large already puts stress on the dog’s body, and the dog is already susceptible to cardiac and skeletal problems. Allowing him to become lazy and overweight will be a death sentence for this large dog. It is imperative to make sure you take him on walks and play games with him.
The coat of your dog is thick and medium length and he will require being brushed at least twice a week. You may want to also trim the longer hair you find around his face and legs.
When it comes to his ears, you can moisten some cotton wool and wipe the inside of his ears to remove dirt and excess wax. Remember not to probe too deeply to avoid damaging the ear. If you’re uncertain how to do this, your vet can explain to you how its done.
Check his teeth regularly as dental disease can affect other areas of the body too. Don’t allow his nails to get too long as they can cause paw problems and the nails can hook onto things and cause injury.
Because this is a giant breed, the puppy will grow for a long time. Speak to your vet about how to ensure you feed your puppy in such a way that he doesn’t grow too quickly.
If you feed your dog a commercially manufactured food, make sure its one of the top quality brands. Include home-made cooked food such as chicken, rice and vegetables into his kibble from time to time, and also try to feed him some raw meat occasionally.
Fresh, cool water must be available to your Irish Wolfhound around the clock.
1.Feeding the puppy -Feed puppies a quality food desired for medium breed, high energy dogs. Puppies should eat 3 times a day about a total of 2 cups.
2.Feeding the adult Feed a high quality dog food with plenty of protein and designed for medium size dogs. Feed a total of 3 cups over 2 meals a day.
4. Games and Exercises – This is a very high energy treeing hunting dog with remarkable speed and agility. They need exercise – both physical and mental. One walk a day will not do it for these dogs. Have a fenced in yard or take them to organized activities like field trials, agility, flyball, hunting, search and rescue or barn hunt. They love to hunt with their people.