Breed # Irish Wolfhound The Irish Wolfhound is a hound breed from Ireland, standing males 31–34 in · females 28 in at the withers, weighing 90–150 lb. Recorded lifespan is 6–10 yrs. ![A photograph of the Irish Wolfhound](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/lg/irish-wolfhound.webp) Breed group Hound Origin Ireland Height males 31–34 in · females 28 in Weight 90–150 lb Lifespan 6–10 yrs Among the 500 breeds here with recorded measurements, the Irish Wolfhound is taller than 99% of the measured breeds, heavier than 93%, one of 33 in the Hound group, one of 9 from Ireland. Compare the Irish Wolfhound with another breed ## Living with the Irish Wolfhound Two breed references score every breed they cover from 1 to 5 on the things an owner lives with day to day. These are the Irish Wolfhound’s, with what a 1 and a 5 mean on each row. Around people and other dogs Affection with family 5 of 5 1 independent · 5 devoted Good with young children 4 of 5 1 not suited · 5 very good Good with other dogs 4 of 5 1 not suited · 5 very good Openness to strangers 4 of 5 1 reserved · 5 everyone is a friend Watchdog / protective nature 5 of 5 1 unbothered · 5 vigilant What they will ask of you Energy 2 of 5 1 couch potato · 5 busy all day Exercise needs 4 of 5 1 a short walk · 5 a job to do Playfulness 4 of 5 1 only when invited · 5 non-stop Barking 1 of 5 1 only to alert · 5 very vocal Around the house Shedding 3 of 5 1 barely · 5 constantly Drooling 2 of 5 1 a dry mouth · 5 keep a towel What they tolerate Tolerates being alone 2 of 5 1 poorly · 5 well Tolerates hot weather 2 of 5 1 poorly · 5 well Tolerates cold weather 4 of 5 1 poorly · 5 well Rated 1 to 5 by the American Kennel Club and DogTime, averaged where both rate the same thing, and read from their breed pages in 2022. Nobody at Woof & Beyond has met this breed — these are the publishers’ judgments, not ours.[Irish Wolfhound on AKC](https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/irish-wolfhound/)[Irish Wolfhound on DogTime](https://dogtime.com/dog-breeds/irish-wolfhound) ## Breeds that look like the Irish Wolfhound A neural network trained to tell breeds apart by sight read all 510 photographs in this reference, and these are the 6 it placed closest to the Irish Wolfhound. - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/german-roughhaired-pointer.webp)German Roughhaired Pointer](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/german-roughhaired-pointer/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/american-shepherd-miniature.webp)American Shepherd (Miniature)](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/american-shepherd-miniature/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/otterhound.webp)Otterhound](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/otterhound/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/griffon-bleu-de-gascogne.webp)Griffon Bleu de Gascogne](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/griffon-bleu-de-gascogne/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/cesky-fousek.webp)Český Fousek](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/cesky-fousek/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/silken-windhound.webp)Silken Windhound](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/silken-windhound/) Side by side Height 0–38 in 1. Irish Wolfhound31–34 in 2. German Roughhaired Pointer24–28 in 3. American Shepherd (Miniature)14–18 in 4. Otterhound27 in 5. Griffon Bleu de Gascogne20–22 in 6. Český Fousek24–26 in 7. Silken Windhound18.5–23.5 in Weight 0–220 lb 1. Irish Wolfhound90–150 lb 2. German Roughhaired Pointer59.5–70.5 lb 3. American Shepherd (Miniature)20–40 lb 4. Otterhound66–115 lb 5. Griffon Bleu de Gascogne35–53 lb 6. Český Fousek62–75 lb 7. Silken Windhound22–44 lb Lifespan 0–20 yrs 1. Irish Wolfhound6–10 yrs 2. German Roughhaired Pointer10–12 yrs 3. American Shepherd (Miniature)13–15 yrs 4. Otterhound10–13 yrs 5. Griffon Bleu de Gascogne10–12 yrs 6. Český Fousek12–15 yrs 7. Silken Windhound14–18 yrs Nothing here was grouped by hand. The ranking is an opinion about appearance, not about ancestry, which is why it sometimes puts together breeds no kennel club would — and why it is worth looking at the photographs rather than taking the order on trust. See the Irish Wolfhound on the breed map Read about the Irish Wolfhound on Wikipedia