NSW SA QLD
Beware of puppy scams
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It's impossible not to fall in love with an Irish Wolfhound puppy.
If you are tempted, there are many things to think about before you start talking to an ethical breeder.
The Irish Wolfhound is a beautiful breed to own. But it is like introducing a miniature pony into your house so you need to understand the relationship and time commitment required to nurture this beautiful breed. You will become an unofficial ambassador for the breed because people want to stop and pat your dog, so you have a huge obligation to socialise your Irish Wolfhound and teach it good lead skills. You will come to understand that some people are scared of large dogs, or don't like your giant playing with their little dog, and responsible Irish Wolfhound owners respect that. We have some tips below if you want to raise an Irish Wolfhound with young children and a children's information page as well..
Enjoy exploring our puppy information!
"Irish Wolfhound Puppies for sale!"
Hints for spotting a puppy scam
• They always have puppies available- ready to go home in 2-3 weeks ( a responsible breeder hardly ever has puppies available right now- you have to wait a minimum of a few months)
• They say ¨pm´d you¨ or ¨please send pm¨ - 99.9% scammer
• They do not know/avoid questions on health tests- if they say ¨yes¨ they get confused when you ask for details, or ask what kind of health tests the parents have
• They say puppies are shunt tested - then ready to go home at 8 weeks (SCAM 100%)
• They operate with stolen pictures: you can see the background is inconsistent, different in each picture, when you ask for more pics they send more stolen pics, it is easy to spot.
• Responsible breeder would NEVER advertise puppies on a FB group - neither will post that his/her female is due soon - a responsible breeder, when the female is due, has all the puppies spoken for.
• It is VERY unlikely there are Irish Wolfhound puppies available for adoption. Those are one in a million cases, please - if someone says that a puppy is for adoption- this is a huge red flag. Responsible breeders will not have a puppy for adoption, as they have already families who are waiting in line for puppies, so this kind of announcement cannot come from a responsible breeder. Please NEVER send any money for puppy or IW for adoption! Do your research, check with local rescue associations.
• And most important: they ask you to send the whole price in advance. NEVER send the whole price in advance. Once you realise it's a scam, the admin then apologise to you saying they don't know how that person got in the group, they block them and delete all activity so you go on thinking that the group is legit and safe. Then the same thing happens again to someone else.
And now some tips for future puppy owners:
• If something is too good to be true - it´s not true.
• Do your homework. Look around your area´s IW Clubs (Google is your friend).
• If someone is not replying to you within an hour, it is because the person is busy, not because the person is rude.
• Have a list of question ready- and expect that a responsible breeder will have a LOT of questions about you- they want to make sure of the best future home for the puppy.
• Go to dog shows! Can´t highlight this enough: you will see there, true representatives of the breed. So you will KNOW how an Irish wolfhound looks, so you will not be fooled by scammers who are trying to sell you mutts. Also, great opportunity to get to know people, breeders and get connected with the local club.
• Do research on the breed - standard, health, lifestyle, the dog´s needs- everything around Irish Wolfhounds. More you research, more questions you will have, and that´s totally OK.
Other red flags of puppy mills:
• Same male used for 3-4 females in a very short time.
• Selling litters too often - worst scenario: advertising 3,4 litters at the same time.
• Females below 2 years of age or older than 7 years having puppies.
• Females mated every 6 months - without proper recovery time from previous litter.
• One female with 5 or more litters in her lifetime.
• Puppies let go to new homes too early.
• Dogs without real titles.
• Dogs without proper tests.
• Dogs partially or not registered.
• Looking in the pedigree, same dogs used way too often (lots of inbreeding increases health issues).
• There is not a single dog with a championship title in the pedigree (we know titles are not everything, but let´s face it: titles also give you some merit on quality).
• Lack of guidance after the puppy is leaving - no guarantees, no contact, nothing.
You can get more information on pedigrees (including information on lifespan of dogs on the worldwide Irish Wolfhound Data Base. Think about it: you are looking for a companion, a friend ideally for the next 8-10 years. It is worth every minute that you spend with research. You can avoid a huge disappointment if you get a healthy puppy, you can save yourself from the heartbreak of losing a dog too early due to health issues, and you can save tons of money that you would spend on veterinary visits and medicines. Please do your research and be patient.
​(Text used on this page is a compilation from ethical breeders who have been kind enough to document their concerns about unethical breeding of Irish Wolfhounds)
With the rise of social media, more and more Irish Wolfhound puppy buyers are falling victim to scammers and losing their money to people who immediately delete accounts after you pay them in full or pay a deposit. This is particularly common on Facebook. Or they provide puppies that are cross breeds, or they are born from parents that have not had proper health checks or they are breeding far too often from the same dam.
If you have paid a pure bred price for a puppy, you are entitled to a dog bred with care and responsibility, rather than for commercial gain.
Some breeders share their kennel pages on Facebook and they are legitimate, but even so, get them checked out with your breed club before you invest.
For Australian buyers, this link at DogzOnline should be your first place of research. Attend club events or shows and get to know the breeders. Visit the world-wide Irish Wolfhound Data Base to check your puppy's parents background and to check how many previous litters the mother has had.