Dogs of all nations

Irish Breeds

Reading edition

Irish Wolfhound

Irish Terrier

Kerry Beagle

Irish Setter

Irish Water Spaniel

Illustration from Dogs of all nations a complete work, profusely illustrated, bearing on the world's different varieties of the dog, grouped under their several nationalities, with descriptive matter explaining the characteristics and utility of each

IRISH WOLFHOUND

Color: Gray, red, black, pure white, fawn and brindle.

Height: 35 in.

Weight: 150 lbs.

This dog though not as heavy and massive as the Great Dane is more so than the Deerhound. He has a commanding appearance and is very muscular, strongly though gracefully built, with movements easy and active. The head is long, skull not too broad, and muzzle moderately pointed. Eyes dark in color, ears small and of the greyhound type, neck very strong, muscular and well arched, with a long back and muscular thighs. The tail is long and slightly curved and well covered with hair. Coat should be rough and hard on the body, legs and head, and especially long and wiry over the eyes and under the jaw.

This breed is undoubtedly of great antiquity and was freely bred and used hundreds of years ago in Ireland for the hunting of wolves. When wolves became extinct the breeding of Irish Wolfhounds came to its lowest ebb, but during the last twenty years great strides have been made to resuscitate, and it is now one of the most popular of the large varieties on the show bench.

IRISH TERRIER

Color: Whole colored bright red, red, wheaten or yellow-red. A little white is permissible on chest and feet, but is not desirable.

Height: 18 in.

Weight: 24 lbs.

The outstanding feature of this dog is a style of physiognomy and expression peculiarly his own. The head is a little longer than the fox terrier’s, his eyes hazel rather than very dark, and so set as to give him the sort of dare-devil expression for which he is so famous. The ears are small and V-shaped and drop forward close to the cheek. The back should be strong, with loins broad and powerful. The stern is generally docked, should be well covered with rough hair but free from feathering. The coat is hard, wiry, straight and flat.

KERRY BEAGLE

Color: Black and tan, blue mottled and tan, black tan and white, tan and white.

Height: 22 in.

Weight: 45 lbs.

A well built and muscular dog. Head of moderate length, broad in skull, slightly arched from eyes to point of nose, with long round muzzle. The eyes are large, bright and intelligent, varying in color from bright yellow to a deep brown. Ears large, pendulous, falling below the neck and set on low. Chest deep but not broad. Back strong, moderate in length and muscular. The stern is long and evenly furnished with hair, thick at the root and carried curved upwards. The coat is hard, close and smooth.

IRISH SETTER

In the leading essentials, this dog is similar to its English brother. The main difference between the two is that the head of the Irish dog is not quite so long in proportion and the occipital bone not so well developed. His eyes, too, are lighter, and show less haw, and his expression, like that of the Irish Water Spaniel and the Irish Terrier, is different than any English variety. In fact it is a characteristic purely Irish expression.

IRISH SPANIEL WATER

Color: A pure deep liver without any white.

Height: 23 in.

Weight: 60 lbs.

This is a highly intelligent dog with a rare combination of power and activity. The skull is capacious with forehead prominent. Ears are set on low, are long and well feathered. The neck muscular, body well ribbed, chest deep and broad. The stern is thick at the root, is short and tapers to a fine point, and is carried quite stiff and straight. It should be covered with short, smooth hair, and present a whip-like appearance. The coat is oily and on the body composed of small crisp ringlets, on the head is a pronounced top-knot of long ringlets. The mask is perfectly smooth.