Irish WolfhoundIrish Wolfhound

Irish Wolfhound Care

  • Maintenance: needs weekly brushing and spaced-out baths, usually every 6 to 10 weeks, adjusting the frequency according to their lifestyle, dirt level, and coat condition. Although it doesn’t usually tangle as easily as other long-haired breeds, it’s advisable to remove dead hair regularly to maintain the harsh texture and keep the coat well-ventilated.
  • Brushing and combing: it’s recommended to work the coat with a soft slicker brush, a pin brush, and a metal comb, thoroughly checking the beard, neck, chest, legs, and rear area. On more mature or open coats, light stripping or trimming can be useful to remove dead hair without softening the outer layer. The key is to keep the rustic look and not over-fluff the coat.
  • Haircut: the usual grooming is not a decorative clipper cut, but rather tidying and sanitizing the coat while respecting its natural shape. The overall outline of the body, feet, tail, neck, and especially the head is typically worked, keeping the beard and eyebrows defined yet natural. In some dogs, specific areas are also touched up with trimming to preserve coat hardness.
  • Special care: you should keep an eye on the beard and muzzle, as they easily accumulate moisture, food residue, and dirt. It’s also a good idea to check the armpits, groin, elbows, legs, and feet, as well as monitor nails, ears, and paw pads. In very large dogs, keeping these areas clean and comfortable is especially important for daily wellbeing.
  • Recommended grooming appointments: bath every 6 to 10 weeks and maintenance grooming every 8 to 12 weeks, though it can be sooner if the coat loses texture, builds up dead hair, or needs a touch-up on outlines and hygiene areas.

Want the best care for your Irish Wolfhound?

We’ll show you the 3 steps you need to follow to achieve it.


1. BRUSHING AND COMBING

  • The Irish Wolfhound needs regular brushing to remove dead hair, keep the skin aerated, and preserve the breed’s characteristic harsh finish.
  • Ideally, brush at least once a week, increasing the frequency during shedding seasons or when the coat looks more open or dull.
  • The work should focus on gently detangling, checking the undercoat, and combing the beard, chest, legs, and rear thoroughly.
  • The goal isn’t a polished or rounded effect, but a clean, practical, natural look.
Irish Wolfhound brushing and cutIrish Wolfhound brushing and cut

Conditioner for Irish Wolfhound

The conditioner Artero Mix helps with brushing by providing softness, shine, and a unique fragrance.

Slicker brush for Irish Wolfhound

The slicker brush Artero Stella adapts best to the body’s surface, gently separating the strands of your Irish Wolfhound’s coat.

    Artero Stella Supersoft Slicker
    Artero Stella Supersoft Slicker
    From
    As low as £8.70

Comb for Irish Wolfhound

The comb Artero Ginger is ideal for opening the coat, preventing tangles, and removing shedding hair.

Undercoat rake for Irish Wolfhound

The undercoat rake Artero Yako is designed to deeply remove all kinds of tangles from pets’ coats.

Brush for Irish Wolfhound

The brush Artero Nova is ideal for treating, separating, and enhancing your pet’s coat.



2. BATH

  • Bathing should be moderate so as not to alter the coat’s texture.
  • It’s recommended to use shampoos suitable for wire coats or harsh textures, avoiding overly softening products that can leave the coat limp or lacking body.
  • After the bath, it’s important to dry thoroughly down to the roots—especially on such a large dog—to prevent moisture being trapped in the undercoat and to keep the skin in good condition.
Irish Wolfhound bathIrish Wolfhound bath

Shampoo for Irish Wolfhound

The Artero Vitalizante is the perfect solution for your Airedale, as it’s an ideal shampoo for wire coats.

    Artero Vitalizante Shampoo
    Artero Vitalizante Shampoo
    From
    As low as £7.28

Conditioner for Irish Wolfhound

The Artero Kubic in no-rinse foam format provides great moisturizing power, as well as excellent combability.

Dry Shampoo

The Artero Speed delivers great cleaning for your Schnauzer without rinsing or washing.

Gloves for Irish Wolfhound

The Artero Plis Plas help clean dirt that has built up throughout the day from the coat and skin.


3. HYGIENE

  • Hygiene should include frequent checks of ears, nails, paw pads, the perianal area, and the beard.
  • In this breed, the beard often needs regular cleaning because it gets dirty easily when drinking, eating, or walking.
  • It’s also important to keep the feet clean and monitor nail length, as due to their size any neglect in these areas can affect comfort and footing more.
Irish Wolfhound hygieneIrish Wolfhound hygiene

Ear Cleaner

Artero Oto, ear-cleaning lotion that removes earwax, cleans deeply, and helps prevent infections and bad odors.

Bad Breath Spray

The Artero X-Mint is ideal for eliminating bad breath in our pet and protecting tooth enamel.

Sunscreen

The Artero Block is ideal for protecting our pet’s coat from external factors such as sun exposure.

Paw Pad Repair

We will use Artero Dfender to repair, regenerate, heal, and moisturize dry areas such as the nose or paw pads of our Irish Wolfhound.

Dips Finger Wipes for Ears

For proper ear hygiene we will use the Dips Finger Wipes for Ears. These remove earwax and dirt from the outer ear area.

Dips Finger Wipes for Teeth

Finally, to maintain good oral hygiene and keep teeth clean and healthy, we will use the Dips Finger Wipes for Teeth

What is the Irish Wolfhound like?

The Irish Wolfhound is a giant-sized dog with a noble, rustic appearance, with a hard, harsh, medium-length coat that gives it a very natural and distinctive look. Its hair is not straight or silky, but strong to the touch, with a more wire-like texture in several areas of the body—especially on the face, where pronounced eyebrows and a beard often stand out.

In addition, it has a softer undercoat, which provides protection against cold and moisture without being an excessively dense or difficult coat to manage.

In terms of upkeep, it’s not a breed for decorative grooming, but it does need regular care to maintain the correct coat texture, remove dead hair, and keep a clean, tidy appearance.

Its coat tends to remain quite functional, so the aim of grooming is not to transform its silhouette, but to respect its natural look, work on cleaning the harsh coat, and touch up certain areas to prevent neglect. 

It’s a dog that requires consistency more than complexity, with special attention to the beard, legs, outlines, and areas where the coat can get dirtier or open up more.

characteristics of the Irish Wolfhoundcharacteristics of the Irish Wolfhound