[Music Plays] >>Kate Pleasant: Coming up on this edition of the Paw Report, we're talking about giant breed dogs.

This is Sulley.

He's an Irish wolfhound, and he's one of those giant breeds.

So, we'll tell you more about him coming up, so stay tuned.

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Hello, and welcome to the Paw Report.

I'm Kate Pleasant, your host.

And we're joined by Sulley.

He's an Irish wolfhound, you can see here.

And Sulley's owner is Jacqueline Hickman; she's from Charleston.

And we're talking about living with a giant breed dog.

And Sulley, being an Irish wolfhound, is obviously a giant breed.

[Laughs] Oh, Sulley.

So, can you tell me first of all what kind of drove you to a giant breed dog?

>>Jacqueline Hickman: Well, I've had two friends that had giant breeds.

One had a mastiff, and one had a giant schnauzer.

And I just really liked both of those dogs, and they were big dogs.

They have kind of a larger than life personality.

And they both really loved their owners and wanted to be with their owners all the time, so I wanted a dog like that.

>>Kate Pleasant: And what qualifies as a giant breed?

Like, you named a couple there, but you know, what makes them a giant breed?

>>Jacqueline Hickman: It's dogs that weigh over a hundred pounds.

>>Kate Pleasant: What does Sulley currently weigh?

>>Jacqueline Hickman: Oh, he is 127 pounds right now, and he's 8 months old.

And his father weighed 180, so he should be somewhere approaching 180.

>>Kate Pleasant: So, he's not going to be a little dog, even though he's a puppy.

He's gotten up and taken a walk now, but I'm sure he'll be back at some point.

So, when considering a giant breed dog like Sulley, you know, what kinds of things did you have to think about?

>>Jacqueline Hickman: Well, everything costs a little bit more.

Dog food, he eats about as much dog food as, like, two normal sized labs would eat.

>>Kate Pleasant: As to say, a regular labrador maybe.

>>Jacqueline Hickman: Yeah.

>>Kate Pleasant: How much is that in a day?

>>Jacqueline Hickman: Right now, Sulley eats about 8 cups a day of a premium dog food.

When he is full grown, he'll eat a little less than that.

They actually don't eat quite as much when they mature out.

>>Kate Pleasant: So, I imagine that can be kind of expensive.

>>Jacqueline Hickman: It is.

It approaches a hundred dollars a month in dog food.

Other things that cost more is his monthly heart worm medicine and his monthly flea and tick, because the doses are larger than you would give other dogs.

So, every month that costs a little bit more.

If you ever have to give them medication or anything like that, it costs more usually because the doses are higher.

>>Kate Pleasant: Mmhmm, because he's bigger, he weighs more; therefore, there's more actual medication that the dog requires.

So, a couple of things to consider there.

What about grooming needs?

Irish wolfhounds, I mean they're large, and I assume that they have some special grooming needs.

>>Jacqueline Hickman: A little bit.

They are, well my friend calls it wash and wear.

>>Kate Pleasant: Yeah, I've heard that term before.

>>Jacqueline Hickman: He just gets brushed weekly, and they have a puppy coat that you remove once.

So, it's called stripping, and I had to strip him one time.

It took a couple days to do his whole body, about five hours worth of hair plucking.

>>Kate Pleasant: Because that's essentially, you know, taking, like, a butter knife, right, or something and pulling out some of that hair.

>>Jacqueline Hickman: Yeah, we just use our fingers, and you pull out the longest hairs.

And then, his adult coat will come in nice and harsh, which is what you want for an Irish wolfhound.

And other than that, it's just trimming up his face the way you want it, and normal care like nail trimming and keeping his ears clean.

>>Kate Pleasant: So, that's kind of similar to your other breeds of dogs.

>>Jacqueline Hickman: Yeah.

>>Kate Pleasant: So, what have you discovered that's different about living with a giant breed?

>>Jacqueline Hickman: He takes up more room.

Everything's bigger.

His dog bed is bigger.

He outgrew his crate, and the only crates that fit these big dogs are colossal sized crates, which take up a lot of room in your house.

So, we found that using an ex pen, which is just a short fence thing that you can put in any shape you want, works better than a crate because it's more moveable, and if you are going to travel with your dog, that holds up easier and quicker.

So, it makes it easier to travel and still have a way to confine him if you need to.

A car is something you really need to think about.

>>Kate Pleasant: That was one of my questions.

How, what if you had to move that animal somewhere?

>>Jacqueline Hickman: Right.

So, you have to make sure that you have a vehicle large enough that you could fit one.

We have a hatchback type car where all the seats fold down, and he fits in there.

If we had more than one, that wouldn't work.

A lot of people that have large breed dogs have large vans, and you can get all the seats put down in it, and then you can have more than one back there.

>>Kate Pleasant: Yeah, I think you mentioned that once to me when I spoke to you before we went on the show.

You said that some people that have multiple Irish wolfhounds just have the big white vans with no seats in the back.

>>Jacqueline Hickman: Yep, and they just put dog beds in there.

>>Kate Pleasant: Okay.

Well, I imagine, you know, 120 pounds, 150 pound dog, that would be necessary.

So, another thing to consider would be transporting them.

So, what is it like, as far as sleeping arrangements at your house?

I assume he doesn't sleep in your bed.

>>Jacqueline Hickman: He tries to get in the bed, but he doesn't really fit.

So, we have a dog bed right next to our bed that is cushioned.

That is something you do need to consider with the large breeds is their joints.

When they lay on the hard ground, they can get hygromas or bursae, they're also called, which is a swelling on the joint to protect it.

But you do want to try to prevent that.

They often still get them; Sulley actually has a small one on his elbow already because he likes to lay on the hard, cool floor.

>>Kate Pleasant: Of course, because they're big, hot dogs, so that would make sense.

So, definitely something soft for them to lay on then.

And I assume those things have to be bigger, too.

Like, large dog beds are probably more expensive.

>>Jacqueline Hickman: Right.

So, if you have a small house, they take up a lot of room.

So, big open floor plan houses are also a good idea.

>>Kate Pleasant: And so, with Sulley, you know, being 120 pounds, and I don't know how tall he stands, he's pretty tall, he's at least to my, I don't know, hips or so, do you have to worry about knocking things over?

Did you have to move things around in your home?

>>Jacqueline Hickman: He hasn't knocked too many things over, except for drinks with his tail as he wagged by the coffee table, and the drink went flying.

But he is surprisingly aware of his surroundings, but he his big, so sometimes he bumps into things.

>>Kate Pleasant: Mmhmm.

So, is there anything with big dogs that, you know, you mentioned the bursae and things like that you ahve to watch out for on their joints, is there other kinds of veterinary care that they have to have that smaller dogs don't?

>>Jacqueline Hickman: Well, no, but with any breed of dog you should research what health problems that breed has.

And in my case, cancer is a high running risk in them, and also heart problems, and then bloat, which is where their stomach can twist.

Any deep chested dog, that could happen to, so you have to be aware of that.

And for us, like to prevent that, we don't feed him before or after exercise.

He has to calm down before he can eat, and be rested.

So, if they've been running and exercising, they're higher risk for that bloat.

>>Kate Pleasant: What are exercise needs like for a giant breed dog?

>>Jacqueline Hickman: Well, surprisingly they are not that energetic.

He does like to exercise and run around for a little while.

Since he's a puppy, we don't force exercise; he's just free in a yard.

And then, they come inside and sleep the rest of the day.

>>Kate Pleasant: Kind of like a typical puppy, right?

Will he be the kind of dog that requires more walks and things like that down the road?

>>Jacqueline Hickman: No, if they get out and run a little bit everyday on their own, they don't require long walks.

And they're calm, gentle giants; they're very calm when they come inside.

It's nice.

>>Kate Pleasant: As far as Irish wolfhounds go, what was his breed, you know, kind of the breed history?

You know, what were they bred for?

>>Jacqueline Hickman: Well, as their name suggests, they were bred to hunt wolves in Ireland.

And over the years, they hunted wolves to extinction.

And so, the kings that owned them would then hunt deer and elk.

>>Kate Pleasant: Okay, so they had a purpose.

>>Jacqueline Hickman: Yep, and they were, they'd go out with the horses and kings, and they would take down the deer and elk.

>>Kate Pleasant: Okay, so they, you know, they were working dogs.

Do you see that Sulley is still wanting to be a working type of breed now?

>>Jacqueline Hickman: Well, he's such a puppy still, he hasn't shown a lot.

But he's a sight hound, which means they see their prey at long distances.

Like, he would be at risk if he saw a rabbit to run very fast to go get it.

[Laughs] >>Kate Pleasant: Okay, so I imagine he takes you for a walk sometimes.

>>Jacqueline Hickman: Yes, and that's another good point.

I knew, since he would be such a large dog, that I needed to leash train him as soon as I got him.

He was already 37 pounds at 10 weeks old, and so I made sure to teach him to walk nicely on a leash right when I first got him.

Because, he's so big he could pull you over.

>>Kate Pleasant: So, maybe looking into your local dog training classes would not be a bad idea.

>>Jacqueline Hickman: Exactly, which is exactly what we did.

We went to the local puppy kindergarten and got him started with that, and then we'll continue in a basic obedience class because I think it's important that he's well behaved since he's such a big dog.

>>Kate Pleasant: Right.

I mean, he could easily knock somebody over or things like that, if he behaves like most puppies do, which is jumping up on people.

>>Jacqueline Hickman: And he's so big, if he jumped on you... >>Kate Pleasant: He could take you down.

>>Jacqueline Hickman: Yep.

[Laughs] >>Kate Pleasant: Fro sure.

What's his, you know, temperament wise, are giant breeds just, you know, kind fo like other dogs?

>>Jacqueline Hickman: Yep, they generally are calm, and he's very friendly.

They're not a guard dog.

Some people might be scared of them because they're so large, but they're very friendly.

And they really love to be with their people, which is one reason why I chose him.

I wanted to get a dog that wanted to be around me all the time.

>>Kate Pleasant: Sure, the kind of typical loyalty, the people person kind of thing.

I can imagine that he even tries to be a lap dog sometimes.

>>Jacqueline Hickman: He tries to crawl in your lap, which is funny.

>>Kate Pleasant: Yeah, because he's a little bit big for a lap.

I mean, no way could he fit in a lap.

So, where did you get all your information when you decided, I'm going to get this giant breed dog.

Where did you go, you know?

>>Jacqueline Hickman: Well, I first started, I was taking my small dog to dog training class, and I mentioned to the teacher there that I wanted a large dog.

And she had kind of asked me what traits I wanted in a large dog, like I didn't want a really thick, heavy coat that shed a lot, things like that.

So, she gave me a list of about 10 dogs, 10 breeds.

And I went home, and I researched them on my computer.

And then, I went back to her, and I said this is the ones I think I like.

And she said, okay, let's go to a dog show.

And I went and saw them.

>>Kate Pleasant: So, you got to actually, physically see them at work.

>>Jacqueline Hickman: And then, I met them, and loved them.

And then, I went to several dog shows, and I talked to the breeders of Irish wolfhounds, several different breeders.

Some of them gave me their phone numbers, and I called them again and talked to them on the phone about all the different things: what you feed them, health problems, all that kind of stuff.

And then, I got on a waiting list for a litter of puppies, and I ended up waiting about a year and a half before I got one.

>>Kate Pleasant: So, it's not a quick process if you want a good dog from a good line, I assume.

>>Jacqueline Hickman: Right.

And then, my breeder asked me if I wanted to show or just have a pet, and she tried to help pick out the right dog for me.

>>Kate Pleasant: Okay, so you would recommend getting around dog people maybe, then?

>>Jacqueline Hickman: Definitely, and go meet them, because you need to make sure that you really want a dog that big.

>>Kate Pleasant: Because he's big.

>>Jacqueline Hickman: Yeah, and that they really are what you want.

I think meeting them is a huge factor.

Know some before you decide to get one.

>>Kate Pleasant: Mmhmm.

So, like you said, maybe those dog shows, maybe get in touch.

Are there groups, like are there Irish wolfhound groups?

>>Jacqueline Hickman: Yep, there's the Irish Wolfhound Club of America, and then there's local divisions of that, and they are always very welcoming to talk to people who think they might want one.

I did talk to some people in those groups, and they want to give you as much information as possible and steer you in the right direction.

>>Kate Pleasant: I've come to know, too, that dog people love their dogs, so they're never shy to talk about their breeds.

So, probably researching any breed is easy if you get with a group of people that likes that breed.

>>Jacqueline Hickman: Yeah, and I think it's important.

Don't just pick a dog out by what they look like.

So, meet them, and see if you really like it.

>>Kate Pleasant: Through your kind of research and whatnot, have you found that dogs, giant breed dogs especially, are they okay with children?

>>Jacqueline Hickman: Yes, they are.

The big concern is that they could bump a kid and knock them down, but if you get one as a puppy, and the kids grow up with it, I think that helps.

But yeah, they're very good around children, and other dogs, they're generally good.

If you get one as a puppy, if you have cats, that's, you need to be careful because they like to chase furry, quick things.

So, you'd want to make sure they were okay with cats before you brought one home.

>>Kate Pleasant: Right.

>>Jacqueline Hickman: Because cats are like rabbits and things.

>>Kate Pleasant: Sure, and when they're trained to chase and hunt and work, that might be something definitely of concern.

Are there other things you have to consider with giant breeds?

Are there other things that are maybe concerning that you have to think about?

>>Jacqueline Hickman: Well, one thing is a fence.

You would want an above ground fence that they can really see, because you don't want them to go crashing through it if they saw a deer or something that they wanted to chase on the other side.

>>Kate Pleasant: So, I assume you have a big fence at your house.

[Laughs] >>Jacqueline Hickman: Yes, and they're, he's not a big jumper yet, so it's not super tall, but you can see it.

It's very visible.

I would think that you'd be at risk with the electric fence that they could go through it.

>>Kate Pleasant: Like the underground type of fences.

>>Jacqueline Hickman: The underground one, yeah.

So, I would like a solid fence.

>>Kate Pleasant; We hear a lot of people say that, you know, they like the solid fences because A) you don't get people sticking fingers through them when they're walking by, and sometimes the dog can't see out of them, which is better that way, they don't have the tendency to want to run and jump, you know, and in that case that's a big dog, he could make a fence if he was really trying.

>>Jacqueline Hickman: And another thing is that it protects anything from coming in your yard.

>>Kate Pleasant: Exactly.

We have the same thing with us.

We kind of live in the country, so what we've done is put up a fence to keep animals from coming into the yard, really.

So, keep the dog safe.

>>Jacqueline Hickman: We have horses, so it's important to me that he doesn't run out behind them and bark at them, or try to bite at them.

So, we just keep him separate from the horses.

I wouldn't want him to get kicked or anything.

>>Kate Pleasant: Sure.

Even though he might be the size of a small pony, he's still smaller than a horse.

So, believe it or not, he really is.

But do you find that he is harder to train or different to train than other dogs you've had that are smaller?

>>Jacqueline Hickman: I've found that he is pretty easy to train.

However, he's a breed that was developed to go out and work on their own, go chase the deer on their own, so sometimes they act aloof to you, which...

So, you don't see a lot of them in the obedience rings, because they're not, what do you want, I want to do it right now for you.

But he's very obedient.

He will do commands and sit down, and he listens to all that.

>>Kate Pleasant: Mmhmm.

Well, that's good, because sometimes you might need that, you know, with the bigger breed dogs.

So, and we talked about, you know, the eating earlier; you said he eats 8 cups a day.

So, you're spending a hundred dollars a month on dog food.

Is there anything else that you find you spend a lot more on, compared to small dogs?

I mean, even equipment.

Anything like that?

>>Jacqueline Hickman: Well, he is so big that even the non-destructible toys are very destructible.

So, we have gone through a lot of dog toys, and the cost of that adds up pretty quick.

>>Kate Pleasant: And I assume they're just like any other puppy; they need toys.

>>Jacqueline Hickman: And they need to chew.

So, I've found that the antlers last longer than other things because they're harder, and marrow bones have worked well for him to chew.

You know, when they go through their teething, their teeth fall out.

>>Kate Pleasant: I bet those are easy to spot.

>>Jacqueline Hickman: Because his teeth are so big, we actually found about five of his teeth.

>>Kate Pleasant: That's impressive.

Yeah, normally with puppies, for people that have smaller dogs, you can't really find those teeth a lot of times.

They're so little, or they just get sucked up in a vacuum or stuck to a shoe, but I imagine with that kind of dog, you can find those teeth and probably have to throw them away.

So, you know, what's kind of a typical day with Sulley?

Is it just like other dogs?

I mean, nothing special?

>>Jacqueline Hickman: Yep, they get on, wolfhounds will get on a routine very quickly.

He learned our routine.

He gets up and goes potty, and we eat breakfast, and then we go outside and play for a little while, and then he comes in and sleeps.

And then we repeat the process a little while later, but he's pretty much on a routine.

>>Kate Pleasant: Does he require more sleep than smaller breed dogs?

Because, I mean, they're bigger; do they have to conserve more energy, or is it the same?

>>Jacqueline Hickman: I think it's about the same, except wolfhounds are kind of lazy.

Yeah, large breed dogs are generally lazier.

>>Kate Pleasant: Okay.

I wonder if we could get him over here to kind of show the audience how physically big that this dog is, just so, here he comes.

He's been, for those watching, he's been kind of out and about around our studio.

There he is.

Yeah, so this is Sulley back in the picture.

So, I would say, you know, how tall do you think he stands?

Is that 3 or 4 feet right there to the top of his back?

>>Jacqueline Hickman: I think the males can get up to about 36 inches tall.

>>Kate Pleasant: Okay, so they're pretty big.

>>Jacqueline Hickman: Yep.

>>Kate Pleasant: [Laughs] And so, do you find when, you know, what's the public perception when you're out with Sulley?

Are people afraid of him?

>>Jacqueline Hickman: I took him to a very big park with a lot of people, and 90% of people were drawn to him and wanted to come up and pet him and play with him, and then there was a couple people that I saw ahead on the path, and they got off the path and left.

>>Kate Pleasant: Okay, so not fans maybe.

>>Jacqueline Hickman: No, they saw a big dog, and they were scared of him.

But mostly, people are drawn to you.

You'll find strangers coming up trying to talk to you about their dog because they're so big.

>>Kate Pleasant: I can even, you know, the first time I saw him I couldn't help but notice that you just, you want to, you want to go up to him.

You're just not used to seeing that size of an animal.

So, is it the same kind of thing, you know, when people do go up to him, should they be cautious, as well?

Just like you are with anyone, ask to pet?

>>Jacqueline Hickman: They should treat these dogs just like any other dog.

They should ask to pet them first.

You know, they shouldn't pet them on top of the head.

They should, you know, let the dog sniff them first.

And you know, same rules apply to being polite.

You know, you wouldn't want a little kid to come up and hug him.

>>Kate Pleasant: Yeah, I mean he may not know them, and that may get him irritated.

>>Jacqueline Hickman: So, yes, same rules apply for that.

>>Kate Pleasant: Do you have slobbers with dogs like this?

I always just, you know, I mean he has a big face and a big mouth.

>>Jacqueline Hickman: That was on my list of criteria.

I didn't want a dog that constantly drooled.

But he does drink water and get it everywhere.

And he comes over to you and gets water all over you But he doesn't get the drool the way some other giant breeds get.

>>Kate Pleasant; You know, like maybe, I always think of the Beethoven dogs, the St. Bernards; they have the, you know, the dripping jowls.

>>Jacqueline Hickman: Yeah, so that was on my list of things that I talked about with the teacher in class, that I didn't want a dog that constantly drooled, and I didn't want a big shedding type dog.

>>Kate Pleasant: I assume they go through a lot of water in a day, though, too, just because he's so big.

So, I mean, do you keep a 5 gallon bucket?

>>Jacqueline Hickman: In buckets instead of dog bowls.

>>Kate Pleasant: So, it's not a dog bowl, because I would think he would knock one of those over, too.

I mean, he's just so tall and big.

So, buckets inside and outside, I would imagine.

So, alright, well, is there anything else we should know about Sulley or giant breed dogs?

I mean, do you enjoy your life with a giant breed?

>>Jacqueline Hickman: I enjoy my giant breed dog a lot.

He is a very good companion, and he's funny to be around.

>>Kate Pleasant; Does he have any downsides?

I mean, are there downsides?

>>Jacqueline Hickman: Not really.

[Laughs] >>Kate Pleasant: Not to you, right, because you did all your research first.

>>Jacqueline Hickman: Right.

He's big, so he takes up room.

So, sometimes I wish our house was a little bigger.

But we really enjoy having him, yep.

>>Kate Pleasant: Alright, great.

Well, Jacqueline Hickman here from Charleston, thanks for talking to us about Sulley and giant breed dogs.

It gives some people something to consider if they're thinking about going out and getting one.

So, and thanks to you all for watching the Paw Report.

We'll see you next time.

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They can be accessed at www.youtube.com/weiutv.

Then, just go to the Paw Report playlist and select the episode you want to see.

More information about the show is also available 24/7 on our website, at weiu.net, under the television tab.

[Music Plays] >>Betty Hargis: Hi, I'm Betty Hargis from the Charleston Area Dog Club, and today we're going to talk about heeling or loosely walking, which is many times what brings people to puppy class or dog class.

They need to be able to have their dog walk nicely with them on lead, whether they're going through a crowd or whatever, just simply taking a walk.

Micah, heel.

[Unclear Commands] Nice, yes.

Okay.

Now, turn and go fast.

Micah, heel.

Yes.

What you were seeing here was, the first was just a regular in heel position, which is with the dog pretty much right here.

And this is heel position.

If the dogs are way out ahead of you, you lose your control.

And if you perhaps have a balance problem, they could pull you off of balance, and you might fall.

So, if you can keep your dog in this range, so that you have a loose lead, not one tight, the loose lead teaches them with the treat.

And here's how we start it.

If you're going along in this position, a little awkward at first, but [unclear dialogue], yes.

Yes, nice.

So that they learn where you like for them to be, opposed to out there somewhere or behind you.

If they're here with you, you're much more likely to have control and not trip or fall.

The second part was doing a fast, which you will never walk the same pace all the time, so you need to have the dog accustomed to moving with you, whether it be a fast, slow, doing a circle.

And those are very valuable little lessons for them to get, because you may need to turn.

You can teach them any word, as long as it's consistent, you have patience, your body language is extremely important, and be sure to smile.

None of us likes to learn when we're all stressed out, and the dogs are the same way.

It's very important, if you are having a really bad day, don't come home and train your dog, at least not right away, because they're going to get upset because you're upset.

Everythign we feel goes right down the leash.

Hopefully, those have given you some hints and some ideas about what you can do, and some of the fun things you can do.

We want training to be fun for you and for your dog.

Production for the Paw Report is made possible by:Inyart Tire and Auto Center, in Charleston and Mattoon.Inyart offers complete auto repair.Inyart Tire and Auto Center cares about our community and thanks you for being a responsible pet owner.More information at Inyart.com.

[Music Plays]