Home / Breeds / Compare / Irish Wolfhound vs Sloughi
From Ireland (original breed) and England (modern breed), the Irish Wolfhound is a giant sighthound whose traditional work was to course game by sight at full speed, with deer, and in the old hunts wolves, as the quarry. From Morocco, the Sloughi is a medium sized sighthound whose traditional work was to run game down by sight at full speed, with gazelle, hare and fox as the quarry across the North African desert. This page puts the two side by side on the numbers that actually differ: size, exercise, grooming, what each costs to keep, and the health tests a breeder should show you.
The biggest gap is size: the middle of the Irish Wolfhound weight range is about 115 lb against 51.5 lb for the Sloughi.
The next biggest gap is lifespan: the middle of the Sloughi range is 12.5 years against 7 years for the Irish Wolfhound.
The third gap worth noting is monthly cost: the modeled total is about $150 a month for the Irish Wolfhound against $82 for the Sloughi.
| Irish Wolfhound | Sloughi | |
|---|---|---|
| Group | Hound | Hound |
| Origin | Ireland (original breed) and England (modern breed) | Morocco |
| Height | 30 to 35 in | 24 to 29 in |
| Weight | 105 to 125 lb | 40 to 63 lb |
| Lifespan | 6 to 8 years | 10 to 15 years |
| Coat | Rough, harsh, wiry coat, longer over the eyes and under the jaw, giving the breed its shaggy outline. It sheds moderately and benefits from a thorough brush every week. | Short, smooth, fine coat lying close, dense enough to protect the skin in desert heat. Shedding is light and grooming minimal. |
| Temperament | Calm, sensitive, dignified and catlike indoors | Calm, sensitive, dignified and catlike indoors |
| Energy | 3 of 5 | 3 of 5 |
| Trainability | 2 of 5 | 2 of 5 |
| Grooming needs | 3 of 5 | 3 of 5 |
| Shedding | 3 of 5 | 3 of 5 |
| Barking | 2 of 5 | 2 of 5 |
| With children | Good with children | Good with children |
| With other dogs | Usually good with dogs | Usually good with dogs |
| With strangers | Reserved with strangers | Reserved with strangers |
| Apartment fit | Not ideal | With enough exercise |
| Daily exercise | 45 to 90 min | 45 to 90 min |
| Food per month (model) | $61 (5.7 cups a day) | $34 (3.2 cups a day) |
| Insurance per month (model) | $62 to $116 | $34 to $61 |
| Monthly total (model) | $123 to $177 | $68 to $95 |
| Yearly total (model) | $1,479 to $2,127 | $813 to $1,137 |
| Lifetime total (model) | $8,872 to $17,013 | $8,131 to $17,056 |
| Breeder health tests | 5 recommended tests | Panel not published yet |
| Health watch | The breed's health picture is dominated by heart disease (dilated cardiomyopathy), bone cancer, pneumonia and liver shunt. Annual heart screening is standard advice from the breed club. This is a short lived giant, and honest breeders say so. | Sighthounds are generally sound, long lived dogs. Eye checks are the routine screening, and their lean build and unusual blood values mean a vet who knows sighthounds is worth finding. |
The two are level on the first-time-owner score, so daily temperament and the sections below decide this one.
Sloughi: is rated "With enough exercise" for apartment life against "Not ideal" for the Irish Wolfhound.
Both are listed the same way for children and tie on the tie-breaks; supervision matters more than the breed label here.
Level on shedding. Shedding is only a proxy for loose hair in the home; no breed is allergen-free, so time spent with the breed matters more than this row.
Sloughi: runs about $68 a month less than the Irish Wolfhound on modeled food plus insurance ($82 against $150 at the midpoints).
The five verdicts on this Irish Wolfhound and Sloughi page follow published rules: first-time owner = 2 x trainability + (6 - energy) + (6 - grooming) + (6 - barking); apartment = the apartment rating, then barking, exercise and weight; children = the children rating, then trainability and stranger friendliness; allergy = lowest shedding, then grooming; budget = the lowest monthly modeled total. Level scores are declared ties.
On the modeled figures the Irish Wolfhound costs more month to month: about $150 a month at the midpoint of food plus insurance, against $82 for the Sloughi. Run across the lifespan ranges, the model gives $8,872 to $17,013 for the Irish Wolfhound and $8,131 to $17,056 for the Sloughi. These are planning estimates, not quotes.
They are level: both plan on 45 to 90 minutes a day, and energy is rated 3 of 5 for the Irish Wolfhound against 3 of 5 for the Sloughi.
On our ratings, yes: both are rated 3 of 5 for shedding. The coats still feel different in the house. Irish Wolfhound: Rough, harsh, wiry coat, longer over the eyes and under the jaw, giving the breed its shaggy outline. It sheds moderately and benefits from a thorough brush every week. Sloughi: Short, smooth, fine coat lying close, dense enough to protect the skin in desert heat. Shedding is light and grooming minimal.
The Sloughi, on the published ratings: "With enough exercise" for apartment life against "Not ideal" for the Irish Wolfhound, barking rated 2 of 5 against 2 of 5, and a daily exercise plan of 45 to 90 minutes against 45 to 90 minutes.
The Sloughi has the longer typical range: 10 to 15 years against 6 to 8 years for the Irish Wolfhound. Individual dogs vary widely, and weight control and vet care move the number more than breed averages suggest.
Choosing between more than two? Open the comparison tool and put up to four breeds side by side, or read all written breed comparisons.
Every Irish Wolfhound and Sloughi fact on this page follows the standards and club guidance summarized on that breed's profile. Cost figures are modeled estimates for planning, labeled with their basis, and are neither quotes nor veterinary advice. Health test panels are the recommendations published by the breed clubs and CHIC, as set out on each breed's health testing page.