Unfortunately we will not place a dog in a house unless there is a physically fully fenced in yard. Irish Wolfhounds were bred to hunt by sight rather than by scent and therefore can not lose sight of their prey. An electronic fence will not even slow down an IW in pursuit, but will keep the dog from coming back into the yard. As they can be out of sight in 15 seconds and will chase the "prey" for miles the chance of never seeing the dog again is too high.

About Fencing:

If you live in a residential neighborhood with no wildlife running around you might be approved with a 4' fence. If you are going to be out with your wolfhounds, watching, then a 5' fence is adequate. If not, a 6' fence is good.

An IW can get over a 6' fence if he tries hard enough, the trick is to let them learn that they can not get over the fence when they are puppies. As to the type of fence, just about any type that does not have large spaces in it (like a rail fence does) will work. Chain link or farm fencing is good. If you use a board fence, the boards have to be facing the inside as IWs can use the supports to climb the fence.

As to area: in order for an IW to be able to run it would be best if you had 1 dimension of the enclosure be at least 100'. 200' is better. A single IW won't run much, but they love to chase (which might discomfort any other animals that are with them).
Of great importance is that the enclosure should be connected to the house with a door into the enclosure. That way you can safely let a dog/puppy out to pee at night. Otherwise you are condemned to go out yourself with the dog/puppy on a lead no matter how bad the weather is.

If you have any other questions. please feel free to ask.

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