Frequently Asked Questions about Puppies

How long until my puppy is full grown?
This depends on whether you have a male or a female - males taking longer to mature. Your pup should have pretty much its full height at approximately 18 months - although I have known some to continue adding height until 3 years. They will be fully mature at 3 years.

What kind of food should I be feeding him?
Your breeder should give you a diet sheet at the time you pick up your pup giving type of food, amounts and times fed. Some breeders give you a few days supply of food to start you off with. You want a good quality food - not too high in protein or fat.

He sure seems to sleep a lot, is he alright?
Yes. He is growing at an enormous rate so needs his sleep.

Can I take my puppy bicycling with us?
No. Exercise should be begun gradually after vaccinations are complete. To begin with short walks are enough with distances increasing as pup matures and becomes used to the exercise. You don't want to damage the growing pup's joints. Free play in a fenced area is also important.

My breeder said not to exercise him too much. What's too much?
It varies from dog to dog but should be increased gradually as the pup matures.

She wants to follow us upstairs to bed. Is this OK?
Only if you are prepared to carry your pup up and down the stairs several times a night until she is housetrained - and wolfhound pups grow very quickly. They shouldn't be doing a lot of stairs for fear of damaging joints.

What are safe toys for my puppy?
Wolfhound puppies have very strong jaws so anything that can be chewed up will be. Some puppies have enjoyed teething on baseboards, tables, chairs, etc. However, most owners prefer nylabones, and kongs. Soft latex squeekies and stuffed toys should only be used when pups are supervised as they can chew them up and swallow the pieces very quickly. Rope toys should also be used with caution for the same reason.

He's growing so fast! Is he going to continue to grow this much?
To begin with you see daily visible growth but the rate does slow down as the pup reaches his full growth.

Our older dog is growling at her. What should we do? Give your older dog time alone with you to do the special things you've always done - walks, treats etc. She should be given precedence - first treat, first through the door, first dinner. Soon the pup will give her the respect she feels is due. Also she should be able to reprimand the pup if it is annoying her - most of the time this is all sound.

She seems to be changing colour? Is she going to lose her pretty tiger stripes?
Wolfhound pups frequently change colour - brindle stripes often meld together to produce a grey adult.

He bites at our hands when we try to brush him and cut his nails. Is it OK to let him play like this?
No. Do not let this happen. What might be cute in a pup is not in an adult. When your pup a full grown it will be as big or bigger than you and there will be a lot of power in those jaws. Begin to train the pup in good habits at a young age.

Can a breeder guarantee that an 8-week-old puppy will be show quality?
This depends upon the definition of show quality. At a minimum this means - no disqualifying faults.  To a good breeder it means a quality dog that will finish a championship on its own merit without the services of an expensive handler.  No breeder can guarantee a puppy will be show quality at eight,ten , or twelve weeks. We simply give our best evaluation as to show potential. There are no guarantees, therefore a puppy is best sold as a show prospect as opposed to a show quality dog.

Won't all the puppies in a litter be show quality if both parents are purebred?
Both parents can be National Specialty winners and it does not mean that the pups will be show quality.  Genetics is a "crap shoot".  You will end up with puppies with the best characteristics of each parent, and puppies with the worst characteristics of each parent.  That is the reason a breeding should only be done with good quality dogs.

My breeder said I shouldn't let my puppy touch the ground until after he's had his 16-week shots. Why not? All the dogs in my neighborhood have had all their shots.
It doesn't matter if all the dogs in the neighborhood have had their shots. You can carry parvo from anywhere on your shoes, so the puppy needs to be covered before he is around other dogs.

Why can't my dog just live out in the yard? All my dad's dogs always did.
Your dogs can certainly live out in the yard if you like, and many certainly do with adequate shelter. Most breeders prefer puppies only go to homes where they are members of the family, and family members don't live out in the yard. They are part of the household and belong with the family. Wolfhounds aren't everyday dogs.(or didn't you know)<G>

What's all this about different training methods for different breeds? A dog's a dog. Whack 'em.
Training methods doffer from breed to breed. Very up personalities of working and sporting breed require different training than the basic hound breeds. Whack a wolfhound and you get total shutdown. They won't respond and WANT to please you again. As with every life the idea is to out think them, not force respect or proper reaction.

Thank you to Karen Brumpton, Rainvale Kennel for providing most of the answers for this FAQ.