The gentle giant
Irish Wolfhounds
Calm, dignified and famously good-natured – a giant breed that thinks it is a lapdog. History, breed standard, health and the care a giant needs.
Giant breed
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Bilkau Kennel · Johannesburg
Gentle giants & devoted companions, raised in our home.
Bilkau breeds pure-bred, KUSA-registered Irish Wolfhounds and Miniature Long-haired Dachshunds – whelped underfoot in a busy family home, never in a kennel run.
Why families choose Bilkau
Raised in our home
Born and reared in the heart of the house – handled daily, and socialised around cats, birds and other dogs before they ever leave.
KUSA-registered pedigree
Every puppy comes from a registered programme built on strict adherence to Kennel Union of Southern Africa breed standards.
A lifetime commitment
Our hounds are placed with a contract and a lifetime take-back promise: if life ever changes, they always have a home to come back to.
Two breeds, one family
The towering hound & the spirited companion.
We are devoted to just two breeds – the largest of the sighthounds and one of the most characterful of the small dogs – so each has our full attention.
The spirited companion
Miniature Long-haired Dachshunds
Bold, affectionate and endlessly entertaining, with the flowing coat of the long-haired variety. Grooming, spine care, feeding and temperament.
Small breed
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Our philosophy
Raised underfoot, not in a kennel.
A beautiful dog must also be a balanced, confident one. Our puppies are born in the home and grow up inside the rhythm of a busy household – so they arrive with you already used to family life.
- In-home whelping – born and raised in the primary residence, monitored around the clock
- Mother & pack integration – kept with their mother for proper correction and bite inhibition
- Environmental habituation – raised alongside cats, exotic birds and other dogs for a balanced worldview
- Released ready – fully microchipped, dewormed and inoculated, with guidance for the road ahead
Meet the breeder
Countess KMT Praschma
Kim has spent a lifetime among these breeds. A respected figure in the South African pedigree circuit, she is a committee member of the South African Dachshund Club and couples strict KUSA breed standards with rigorous, science-based socialisation.
Her breeding regimens are informed by advanced veterinary science – her daughter, Dr Tamarin Praschma (BVSc MRCVS), trained in animal nutrition and breeding at the University of Pretoria.
If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.
Heritage · Quality · Companionship
Thinking of a Wolfhound or a Dachshund?
We plan our litters carefully and place only a few puppies each year. Tell us about your home and we will be in touch about what is coming.
Puppy enquiries and viewings are by appointment.
