About Wolfhouse
In the soft undulating hills of the Danish countryside about 35 kilometers north of Copenhagen, you will find Wolfhouse; an old farmhouse built in 1875 in the typical style of the time. The entire house and property is designed to suit our lifestyle in the company of dogs. We don't have traditional kennels with individual runs, but run our dogs as a pack. Puppies are house raised and integrated into the pack at an early age so they learn the social skills required in order to be well functioning dogs.
History
The first two young Irish Wolfhound bitches entered the Monberg household in 1976. They were primarily meant to be my mother's dogs. However with her unexpected passing just three months after we had acquired the dogs I became the one to take over the responsibility of the hounds. The dogs and I quickly grew extremely attached to one another, so when I moved to a house of my own the following year I took the Wolfhounds with me. This was the beginning of a wonderful life in the company of dogs, a life of constantly learning about dog minds and their social lives. For me a life in the company of dogs has also meant a life of selectively trying to breed the best possible dogs, and having fun showing them.
In the early years the conformational quality of the dogs available in Denmark wasn't all that great, but I continued choosing the best possible sires for my bitches. During my first years as a breeder, I was lucky if there were one or two fair puppies in a litter. It has been a long and slow journey to get to where I am today, and the journey is far from over – there is always room for improvement. That is what makes breeding such a wonderful challenge. It is the thrill of eternally chasing perfection, without ever completely getting there, which keeps breeders on their toes.
Pernille with Multi CH World
Winner Wolfhouse Knock Out
As a breeder it is also important to acknowledge that your dogs have not emerged through spontaneous generation. They are the product of the work done by other breeders before you. You are merely the caretaker the genepool, which is later passed on to the breeders who follow you. This is a great responsibility.
In The Show Ring
In the past 30 years about 165 wolfhounds in 21 litters have been born under the prefix of Wolfhouse. This has resulted in more than 80 championship titles, national as well as international, a junior world winner Wolfhouse Pergolesi, and a world winner Multi CH Wolfhouse Knock Out. Today you will find Wolfhouse Irish wolfhounds and their descendants in countries like Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Latvia, Russia, Poland, Hungary, Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Holland, Belgium, England, Canada and the U.S.
Since 1993 the majority of the top winning Irish Wolfhounds in Denmark have been Wolfhouse IWs:
Wolfhouse Georgia On My Mind
Wolfhouse Jackie the Jacal
Wolfhouse Knock Out, Crufts
Wolfhouse Melody Maker
Wolfhouse Pergolesi &
Wolfhouse Pavane
- 1993
Faxbo's Lion
Wolfhouse Georgia on My Mind - 1995
Scintilla's Hanky Panky
Wolfhouse Jackie The Jacal - 1996
Scintilla's Hanky Panky
Wolfhouse Jackie The Jacal - 1997
Wolfhouse Jackie The Jacal
Pitlochry's Djinn - 1998
Wolfhouse Knock Out
Pitlochry's Djinn - 1999
Wolfhouse Knock Out
Pitlochry's Djinn - 2000
Pitlochry's Djinn
Wolfhouse Knock Out - 2001
Wolfhouse Melody Maker
Wolfhouse Knock Out - 2002
Wolfhouse Melody Maker
Wolfhouse Knock Out - 2003
Dahmrak's Dejlige Denise
Wolfhouse Melody Maker - 2004
Wolfhouse Pergolesi
Wolfhouse Pavane
For the student of pedigrees it will quickly become clear that there is a direct line of descent connecting these top winning dogs: DEN CH Wolfhouse Georgia on My Mind is the dam of INT CH Wolfhouse Jackie The Jacal, who again is the dam of INT multi CH World Winner Wolfhouse Knock Out who was bred to INT multi CH Wolfhouse Melody Maker. Together they produced the two 2004 winners CH Junior World Winner Wolfhouse Pergolesi & CH Wolfhouse Pavane.
Now with all that said, if one were only to breed for conformation, then the job would be a piece of cake. But it is just not good enough to breed a good-looking hound if your beautiful creature is dead at the age of 4-5 years. More important than breeding beautiful dogs, perhaps, is to be able to breed good, happy and healthy dogs, who can live a long, quality life. (See article on Breeding for Health and Longevity.)
We do not frequently have litters, usually once a year and sometimes less, but when we do it is because we want something for ourselves out of a particular litter. Commercial litters are just not part of the breeding programme at Wolfhouse. It is simply too costly, too much work, and too draining emotionally to breed these dogs solely for the enjoyment of other people.