The Code For Ethical Conduct

The Irish Wolfhound Club of America
Code of Ethical Conduct
and
Standard of Behavior for Breeders

Approved 9/5/2009

The Irish Wolfhound Club of America
Code of Ethical Conduct

The following Code of Ethical Conduct governs the members of the Irish Wolfhound Club of America in all actions concerned with breeding, selling, exhibiting, owning and protecting this breed. In all situations members should follow the intent of this code.

The protection of this breed is an obligation one accepts with ownership of an Irish Wolfhound.

The owner of an Irish Wolfhound will put the welfare of each of his or her Irish Wolfhounds above personal gain, profit and/or personal convenience.

At all times IWCA members will conduct themselves responsibly, honorably, and exhibit the qualities of good sportsmanship.

IRISH WOLFHOUND CLUB OF AMERICA, Inc.
STANDARD OF BEHAVIOR FOR BREEDERS

The purpose of breeding Irish Wolfhounds is to bring the Breed Standard to life. In order to do this, one should:

1. Have a clear understanding of the Breed Standard.

2. Have a basic knowledge of genetics.

3. Know the pedigrees of both dog and bitch - understanding faults and strengths and the
    genetic defects on both sides.

In addition, a member who undertakes to breed a bitch or use their hound at stud must:

a. Never breed for the pet market but only to preserve the breed and improve the breed.

b. As far as possible, breed only those animals free from hereditary defects.

c. Breed only those animals that have attained the minimum height as specified by the breed
     standard.

d. Be prepared to provide the proper care for both the bitch and the litter and to retain the
     puppies for as long as is necessary to find proper homes, even if that means retaining the
     entire litter for their lives.

e. never import or export litters of Irish Wolfhounds or sell entire litters, either to a private
     party or for commercial resale.

f. never buy or sell bitches in whelp.

The owner of the sire must also be prepared to take responsibility for placement of the puppies, referring prospective purchasers to the bitch owner and helping with screening of homes, if asked. In other words, the owner of the sire should regard those puppies the same as if they owned them themselves.

Both bitch and dog owners should:  

a. Ascertain that some homes are available prior to the breeding.  

b. Have a contract covering placement of puppies, screening of buyers, fee, return service
    and any other specifics.  

c. Not split the litter in lieu of a stud fee for the primary purpose of resale.

In general:

a. One should never breed for personal profit or commercial exploitation of the breed.

b. While it is expected that breeders will sell their most promising puppies to other serious
    students or guardians of the breed, breeders should also sell on a non-breeding contract or
    limited registration, and encourage spaying and neutering of all others.

c. Breed only those bitches that are in excellent health, generally between the ages of 24
    months and 6 years.

d. Normally breed an individual bitch no more than two out of three consecutive seasons and
    not produce more than three litters in her lifetime.

e. Breeders will act responsibly towards all puppies produced by their bitch for the lifetime of
    the puppies.

Care and Sale of a Litter

The breeder must:

1. Be prepared to give up 3 months of her/his life to care for the bitch and puppies. The bitch
    needs supervision and care while in the whelping and nursing phases and the puppies need
    constant care and socialization from birth until they leave for their new homes at 10-12
    weeks.

2. Provide all puppies with proper veterinary care and a clean and safe home environment.
    The puppies should be parasite free, have a good diet and the appropriate immunizations.

3. Be prepared to euthanize any puppy that is deformed or irreversibly ill.

4. Determine the quality of each puppy. It is recommended that breeders not use the phrase
   “show quality” as it is difficult to ascertain whether this is true until the puppy is
    considerably older.

5. Place only the most promising puppies in homes where the puppies may be bred and then
    only after the breeder has carefully investigated the new owners' qualifications for
    becoming future breeders of Irish Wolfhounds. Breeders must exercise the utmost care
    whenever placing puppies with full registration and without a non-breeding contract.

6. Attempt to determine the desire and ultimate intent of prospective buyers for each
    Wolfhound. Their interest and ability to provide a safe, adequate and loving home should be
    determined. The availability of a fenced area for the hound(s) to exercise in is essential.

7. Give the prospective buyer an honest appraisal of cost management, as well as the physical,
    mental and nutritional needs peculiar to the breed.

8. Provide each new owner at the time of sale the following:
    A. Feeding instructions.  
    B. Medical records that include number and type of vaccines, dates of vaccinations, date of
        dewormings.  
    C. A 5-generation pedigree.  
    D. An IWCA membership application.  
    E. A copy of Code of Ethical Conduct and this Standard for Conduct.  
    F. A bill of sale.  
    G. A copy of the Breed Standard  
    H. AKC registration forms specifying Breeding or Non-Breeding.

General Dos and Don'ts

• Should not release a puppy to its new home prior to 10 weeks of age.

• Breeding arrangements should never be established which would encourage the average buyer to undertake a breeding program.

• If a breeder does not have the time, facility or desire to manage the mating, whelping and aftercare of a particular potential bitch, that bitch should not be passed to another person, just to produce puppies.

• All new owners should be told to have their puppies checked by a veterinarian within 48 hours of receiving the puppy.

• All new owners should be advised to keep the breeder informed about the development of the puppy and should be told to contact the breeder immediately concerning any health problems, physical abnormalities, and/or death of the dog.

• The breeder should likewise keep in contact with the new owner for the life of the dog.

• The contract of sale should include a stipulation whereby the breeder will be notified of any plan on the part of the owner to resell or otherwise dispose of the puppy. This stipulation would also require the buyer to either return the dog to the breeder or place it with new owners who have been approved by the breeder.

• If a puppy is to be co-owned, a contract should be drawn covering all details of the co-ownership and signed by both owners.

• Puppies under the age of 11 weeks should not be exported or imported.

• All puppies should be evaluated as sound and in good health at the time of sale.

• Each breeder should be willing to replace a puppy or to refund all or a portion of the purchase price if the puppy proves to have a structural defect. Such a problem should be confirmed by breeder and owner's veterinarians.

Records

Complete and accurate records shall be maintained as follows:
  
• For the sire and dam of the litter:   

1. AKC registered names and numbers and date of whelp.  
2. A 5-generation pedigree of both parents.  
3. Names and addresses of registered owners.  
4. Dates of actual breedings.   

• For the litter:   

1. Date of whelp and AKC litter number.  
2. Number and sex of puppies whelped alive.  
3. Number and sex of puppies dead at birth. (While this is not required, this is important for
breeder's records.) 
4. Registered name, sex and sale date of each puppy.  
5. Name and address of owner of each puppy.  
6. When possible, follow through on cause and date of death of any dogs placed.

Return Home

Materials on this and connected pages are the property of the Irish Wolfhound Club of America
and cannot be reprinted, redistributed or otherwise used without written permission of the IWCA.

The information on this site is provided as a public service. Listings of manufacturers, practitioners, publications, suppliers,
or links to commercial or non-commercial sites do not constitute an endorsement on our part. There is no implied or
express warrant or guarantee of merchantability or fitness for any particular usage, application or purpose.