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I got my first Irish Wolfhound in 1973 at the age of 19. My first litter was born in 1975, and litter no. 67 was born in March 2018. My dogs today have ancestors back to my first dogs, and the latest litter is the 13th generation of my own breeding. Until 2000 I lived in eastern Denmark (Zealand), where I had a medium-sized, custom-built kennel, 10-12 breeding dogs and bred 2-3 litters a year. It was a long-standing dream that was realized, and it was exciting while it lasted During those years I was also a very active exhibitor and showed my hounds every year at several shows in Denmark and abroad. The result has been more than 20 Danish championships as well as a number of championships and other titles obtained abroad by own and exported dogs. I have had the pleasure that several foreign breeders have used my stock in their breeding programmes, and according to the international database for IWs, www.iwdb.org, Ulvsholm hounds have influenced up to 31% of the current IW population worldwide. |
At that time, 2-3 times as many IW puppies were bred a year than today, and there were enough fanciers to keep a breed club going. But that changed, registrations (and owners) faded away and the club became too small to work. Thus since 2013, IWs are back in the pen with the Sighthound Club.
A number of years ago I was licensed to judge the breed. I have had the pleasure of judging several specialties in Denmark and abroad, including the Netherlands, France, Norway, Sweden, Finland and the U.S.A.
Since I first got to know the breed, I have had a taste for strongly built, preferably light coloured Wolfhounds, and such dogs have also made up the majority of my breeding. Although the breed is no longer used for its original purpose - big game hunting - it is important to me that it represents the characteristics necessary for this kind of work. Meaning a large, solid, muscular dog in the curved shape of the sighthound, athletic and moving with power and ease in all situations. This is the kind of Wolfhound, I try to breed.
Since 2000 I have lived on Funen with a - compared to earlier - very modest dog team. Thus my stock has been 2-4 dogs, and I have had a litter about every two years.
I greatly appreciate the limited dog household and the more personal relationship with the individual dog, which will also be the concept in the future. Unfortunately, it is difficult to keep a breeding program going on very few dogs and rare litters. This is especially true when, as in my case, the dogs must represent the special characteristics of appearance and personality, I have learned to appreciate during many years of breeding, and which I find it increasingly difficult to get elsewhere. The current trend in Europe goes towards a more refined type of Wolfhound than what falls into my taste.
My current breeding program aims at - mainly by means of good representatives of my own old strain - breeding hounds for myself that look and feel like my idea of a proper Irish Wolfhound. When there are more puppies than I need for myself, I hope that the others will find caring homes with good people who appreciate the special qualities of the Irish Wolfhound.
I still show my hounds occasionally, but not with the excitement and ambitions that previously meant a lot to me. With a few hundred dog shows experienced, I have run out of enthusiasm. This does not mean that I put less emphasis on quality in my hounds than previously. In fact, I don't think I would be able to enjoy owning an Irish Wolfhound of less than excellent breed quality. I have lived with too many such hounds to settle for less. *