Our Vision of the Irish Wolfhound
Passionate about the Irish Wolfhound for more than thirty years, owners for sixteen years and breeders for six years, we have gradually developed a very personal vision of the breed and of what we want to preserve.
At Des Terres de Norfendre, our priority is not to collect titles and podiums. Results in the show ring or in working activities are always appreciated, of course, but for us they are a bonus, not an end in themselves.
Above all, our breeding programme aims to produce versatile, stable and well-balanced Irish Wolfhounds, dogs with good canine communication skills that are able to live a normal life, run, work, adapt and simply be comfortable in their own skin.
We place great importance on genetic diversity and, generation after generation, we try to move away from the genetic bottlenecks that exist within the breed.
Longevity is another of our priorities, but one that requires a great deal of humility. Longevity cannot be created in a single litter and can never be guaranteed. It is a long-term breeding goal that requires studying pedigrees, bloodlines, health and relatives well beyond the breeding dogs themselves.
We are also very attached to an old principle from the horse world: the good, the useful and the beautiful.
For us, these three qualities should never be in opposition. An Irish Wolfhound should first and foremost be sound in mind, functional and capable, while retaining the type and elegance that belong to the breed. Beauty should complement the good and the useful, never replace them.
The breed standard obviously remains an important reference, but our thinking does not stop at a dog’s appearance. We look at the whole picture: health, temperament, ability, functionality, genetic diversity and, as far as possible, longevity.
It is this overall vision of the Irish Wolfhound that guides our breeding decisions today.
Find out more about our approach
On our website, you can discover more about our work on genetic diversity and longevity, our dogs, our breeding choices, our adoption conditions and many other resources dedicated to the Irish Wolfhound.
[LINK TO OUR WEBSITE]
Next planned litter
Jinx × De Tomaso Pantera — litter planned for December 2026
Full information about this breeding, the parents, our approach and our adoption conditions can be found on our website.
[DIRECT LINK TO THE LITTER / BREEDING PAGE]
Follow our daily life
Chiens-de-France introduces our kennel and our dogs, but if you would like to follow our everyday life — walks, training, racing, news about our dogs and all the rather less serious moments — you will find much more on our Facebook page.
Des Terres de Norfendre — Irish Wolfhound Breeders
To discover more about our kennel and the way we work: