The Irish Wolfhound is the tallest of all breeds and one of the gentlest, a serene giant sighthound once used to course wolves. Calm and dignified at home, it brings two big challenges to training: an enormous, slow-maturing frame that must be protected, and a sighthound's chase drive. Most mistakes relate to size, joints, and prey drive. Here are the five mistakes that cause the most trouble, and what to do instead.
1. Waiting to train
An Irish Wolfhound reaches 55 to 80 kg and towers over most dogs, so a behavior that is harmless in a puppy becomes genuinely hard to manage in the adult. Owners who wait until the dog is older miss the window when it is still guidable. Start gentle manners, leash work, and handling at 8 weeks, so the giant adult already knows the rules while you can still enforce them.
2. Over-exercising the puppy
This is a giant, fast-growing breed, and too much high-impact exercise, running, jumping, stairs, while the growth plates are open does lasting damage to developing joints. Owners who exercise a Wolfhound puppy like an adult cause permanent harm. Keep activity low-impact and flat-ground until 18 to 24 months, with plenty of free, self-paced movement rather than forced exercise.
3. Trusting it off-leash too soon
Beneath the gentle temperament is a coursing hound, and a Wolfhound that spots a rabbit, deer, or running dog can be gone at speed and well past any recall. Owners who trust open ground risk losing the dog to distance or traffic. Treat reliable off-leash freedom as a securely fenced goal, and build recall on a long line.
4. Harsh handling
The Irish Wolfhound is famously soft and sensitive, and harsh corrections make this gentle giant shut down and lose confidence. Owners who apply pressure get a withdrawn, anxious dog. Use gentle, reward-based methods only, keep your tone warm, and the breed's calm, dignified willingness comes through.
5. Forcing a tight sit
A Wolfhound's long limbs and deep chest make a folded sit awkward and uncomfortable, and drilling it frustrates the dog for no reason. Owners fixated on a textbook sit miss easier wins. Use a down or a stand as the default position instead; the dog is far more comfortable and far more willing to comply.
What works with Irish Wolfhounds
Start training early while the dog is manageable, protect the growing joints, treat off-leash as a fenced-only goal, handle gently, and skip the forced sit in favor of a down or stand. The throughline is respecting a giant, gentle, fast sighthound on its own physical and emotional terms, and the reward is a serene, dignified, manageable gentle giant.
TailorPup's Wolfhound plan front-loads the manners that matter for a giant, structures exercise to protect joints, uses gentle methods, and treats off-leash as a fenced-only goal.
Start your Irish Wolfhound's plan free at tailorpup.com →
Related: How to Train an Irish Wolfhound · Recall Training · Leash Pulling