Torteval Irish Wolfhounds

It's not until you try to incorporate an older dog into the home that you realise the extent to which you mould a young puppy's behaviour. McKenna has had to absorb a whole range of behaviours that were completely new to her, such as taking treats gently; having her teeth cleaned; eating her meals prone; not crossing the chain at the end of the driveway; being last in line after the other three for everything . . . except the things they don't like, such as grooming, of course, when they're more than happy for her to be first. What has been very clear is that she has learnt as much from observing and copying the dogs' behaviour as she has from our teaching - not surprising really, as although she didn't understand English, she was certainly fluent in 'wolfhound' right from the start.

She is always busy, bustling, full of energy, and when she sleeps it's never for long. On walks, she combines the speed of a whirlwind with the unpredictability of a loose cannon, and has a highly developed hunting instinct that has become a definite liability. Never before have we had a wolfhound that chases anything that moves, but McKenna is indiscriminate - rabbits, deer, joggers, cyclists, cars
. . . even boats on the river! In the interests of preserving her life and our sanity, she has to spend more time on the lead than the others, and as she has failed utterly to grasp the concept of not pulling on the lead she wears a Halti head collar most of the time. Although this detracts from many of her photos on the site, it has no impact whatsoever on the pleasure she gets from her walks.

The development of her relationships with the others has been fascinating to watch. Darcy gave her one or two small growls in the first couple of days, and that was enough for McKenna to acknowledge her leadership and not to question it since; Branigan had to be more forceful, and for the first few weeks would put her in place if she stepped out of line, but once she learnt to at least appear to respect him there was no more trouble; Hogan . . . well, McKenna and Hogan were a love match right from the start. The joy and fun they have in each other's company is wonderful to see. McKenna, having by far the tougher, more dominant character, bullies Hogan relentlessly, but because Hogan is happy to be submissive there's never any ill feeling between them.

McKenna's show career has been a steep learning curve for us. We felt from the start that she had the potential to do well, but it took us some time to develop the handling skills to stop her 'pacing' (an incorrect trotting movement) in the ring. Prevention involves a fast 'take-off' which Paul has now mastered to such good effect that in September 2007 McKenna placed first in Irish Wolfhound Post Graduate Bitch at Richmond Championship Show, then went on to be awarded the reserve bitch Challenge Certificate (ie second best Irish wolfhound bitch), qualifying her for Crufts for life. It was the proudest moment of our showing career, and one neither of us will ever forget.

Sincre her arrival McKenna has matured rapdily, both physically and in character, sometimes appearing to match Darcy for ladylike elegance . . . but then she reverts to form, a young lady who will always extract the utmost fun from every new experience!