Husk/Wolf mix
- Thread starter Tabby323
- Start date
hello! I am new to this group and was read some of the posting and just had to reply to this posting...I own 5 wolfdogs and they range from 50% to 98% and I have not once had an aggressive one yet. It depends on the owner and the breed that was bred to the wolf or the high % wolfdog. The right breeds to breed with wolves and wolfdogs are sibrian husky,german shepherds,alaskan malamutes. they are the best breeds for an even tempered dog. I raised Dobermans for years and then I started raising wolfdogs and they are amazing animals to have,but they are not for everyone to own if you don't no what you are doing.
mixes
I am positive this runs on a case-by-case basis, but I have a beautiful husky/wolf mix who is the best dog I have ever had. She displays many "wild" characteristics, such as the aloof behaviour, the desire to roam, the hunting insticts and many others. She also has very strong pack instincts. While some people say their dogs think they are people, mine believes I am a dog. I did have to establish pack dominance, but now she is the most intelligent and willing to please companion. She learns amazingly fast. The trick is, she only does a thing if she understands why. I could not train her like I had my other dogs - she is not interested in treats or normal rewards. As for running away - I open my door and allow her to roam freely on her own in our yard. It is a large yard, but there is no fence. Though bikers and cars go by and the neighborhood dogs all bark she has never set foot off the property. She does not need a leash when we take walks and responds beautifully to voice commands. I know that people say "wolf" behaviour does not show up until a certain age (Picasso is 14 weeks) but I only realized she was a mix because of her behaviour. She displayed all the characteristics and a friend of mine who has had a succession of shepherd/wolf mixes told me what was probably going on. When I confronted the breeder (who had sold her to me as a pure siberian husky) he admitted that they had been having problems with wolves in the area mating with the huskies on the farm when they went into heat. He said that since they still looked so much like huskies, he could sell them (without papers) to people who didn't really know. I never cared anyway, but it does help my relationship with my dog to understand some of the reasoning behind her behaviour. Overall, if you have the time to be the dog's "pack" I see no reason to avoid a wolf mix.
I am positive this runs on a case-by-case basis, but I have a beautiful husky/wolf mix who is the best dog I have ever had. She displays many "wild" characteristics, such as the aloof behaviour, the desire to roam, the hunting insticts and many others. She also has very strong pack instincts. While some people say their dogs think they are people, mine believes I am a dog. I did have to establish pack dominance, but now she is the most intelligent and willing to please companion. She learns amazingly fast. The trick is, she only does a thing if she understands why. I could not train her like I had my other dogs - she is not interested in treats or normal rewards. As for running away - I open my door and allow her to roam freely on her own in our yard. It is a large yard, but there is no fence. Though bikers and cars go by and the neighborhood dogs all bark she has never set foot off the property. She does not need a leash when we take walks and responds beautifully to voice commands. I know that people say "wolf" behaviour does not show up until a certain age (Picasso is 14 weeks) but I only realized she was a mix because of her behaviour. She displayed all the characteristics and a friend of mine who has had a succession of shepherd/wolf mixes told me what was probably going on. When I confronted the breeder (who had sold her to me as a pure siberian husky) he admitted that they had been having problems with wolves in the area mating with the huskies on the farm when they went into heat. He said that since they still looked so much like huskies, he could sell them (without papers) to people who didn't really know. I never cared anyway, but it does help my relationship with my dog to understand some of the reasoning behind her behaviour. Overall, if you have the time to be the dog's "pack" I see no reason to avoid a wolf mix.
The aloof behavior and desire to roam are major characteristics of Huskies. So it's possible that your pup is all Husky. My sisters husky displayed the same characteristics, hard to train not interested in treats, high prey drive. Your pup is only 14wks...I few more months and she may get that sudden urge to roam. I would definately keep an eye on her since you don't have a fenced yard.
from what i know of pure wolves (ive never met a wolf-dog but have had the privledge of working with pure wolves) pure wolves tend to be more timid than anything...new situations are NOT met with excitment, it takes alot of trust from the wolf to trust you enough to allow you to take it somewhere new, and developing that bond takes time.
they are extreemly loyal to those they deem pack (human, wolf, dog, one of the packs i knew the female lost her 2 pups and adopted a bobcat kitten instead!) but you have to EARN that trust.
socilization is a MUST but it also must be done VERY carefully.
it would be my assumption that a higher percentage wolf would have closer to these wolf tendencies. whereas a lower percentage woudl probably be more like the dog breed its mixed with.
training wise im sure a lower percentage woudl be easier, because training a wolf takes more than just patients lol.
i dont think wolfdogs of any kind are "family pets" and should NEVER be considered a pet...these dogs are not pets they are family, they are partially wild animals, they retain insticts that have kept them alove for this long and natures is sometimes stronger than nuture.
i suggest if your dog has ANY wolf in it you reaserch wild wolf behaviours, behaviour of wolves in captivity ect, because even low percentage dogs will have some of these tendencies...
anything above 50% wolf, i hope you have ALOT of training experience...
they are extreemly loyal to those they deem pack (human, wolf, dog, one of the packs i knew the female lost her 2 pups and adopted a bobcat kitten instead!) but you have to EARN that trust.
socilization is a MUST but it also must be done VERY carefully.
it would be my assumption that a higher percentage wolf would have closer to these wolf tendencies. whereas a lower percentage woudl probably be more like the dog breed its mixed with.
training wise im sure a lower percentage woudl be easier, because training a wolf takes more than just patients lol.
i dont think wolfdogs of any kind are "family pets" and should NEVER be considered a pet...these dogs are not pets they are family, they are partially wild animals, they retain insticts that have kept them alove for this long and natures is sometimes stronger than nuture.
i suggest if your dog has ANY wolf in it you reaserch wild wolf behaviours, behaviour of wolves in captivity ect, because even low percentage dogs will have some of these tendencies...
anything above 50% wolf, i hope you have ALOT of training experience...
At 14 weeks old, it's difficult to tell anything concrete about almost any dog. Some of the best puppies turn out to be horrible adults and vice versa. If you really do have a wolf-dog, I suggest you start to scour the library and internet NOW for ideas on what to expect.
My boss had a wolf-malamute mix when she was younger that she used to show in 4-H. When the dog was younger, she was an absolute joy to have around; incredibly smart and wanting to please. As she got older though, the wolf part started to assert itself and the resulting overprotectivness and other animal aggression escalated to the point that the dog had to be put down for the safety of everyone.
My boss had a wolf-malamute mix when she was younger that she used to show in 4-H. When the dog was younger, she was an absolute joy to have around; incredibly smart and wanting to please. As she got older though, the wolf part started to assert itself and the resulting overprotectivness and other animal aggression escalated to the point that the dog had to be put down for the safety of everyone.
My mother once saw a pure malamute that acted that same way. It's not a "wolf trait." It CAN be, but dogs are equally prone to this sort of behavior (I read somewhere that mals are actuallyquite prone to dog on dog aggression as well as dominance aggression, so it is equally likely that your boss's dog was aggressive due to mal influence!)
There is no such thing as "wolf part." Every behavior found in wolves can be found in dogs, to some degree. Wolves, as a general rule, have more intense behaviors than dogs, and they react easier and stronger to stimuli than most dogs. But there is no such thing as wild wolf traits! There is no magic line between wolves and dogs. Dogs are basically just wattered down wolves.
I really don't think there is any reason to beleive this person's dog is part wolf anyway. If it looks like a husky, it probably is a husky. If it does have wolf, it is likely very little. Prey drive, pack hierarchy, and roaming are all husky traits. Aloofness is absolutely NOT a sign that a dog is part wolf. I see shy dogs all the time. I think she should be more concerned about the husky part than anything else right now. Huskies are not easy dogs, and like I said, her dog from the sounds of it is probably mostly if not all husky.
As far as wolfdogs go, they are not the pets for everyone, especially not higher contents, but the lower contents usually aren't any harder to care for than the average northern breed dog.
~Seij
There is no such thing as "wolf part." Every behavior found in wolves can be found in dogs, to some degree. Wolves, as a general rule, have more intense behaviors than dogs, and they react easier and stronger to stimuli than most dogs. But there is no such thing as wild wolf traits! There is no magic line between wolves and dogs. Dogs are basically just wattered down wolves.
I really don't think there is any reason to beleive this person's dog is part wolf anyway. If it looks like a husky, it probably is a husky. If it does have wolf, it is likely very little. Prey drive, pack hierarchy, and roaming are all husky traits. Aloofness is absolutely NOT a sign that a dog is part wolf. I see shy dogs all the time. I think she should be more concerned about the husky part than anything else right now. Huskies are not easy dogs, and like I said, her dog from the sounds of it is probably mostly if not all husky.
As far as wolfdogs go, they are not the pets for everyone, especially not higher contents, but the lower contents usually aren't any harder to care for than the average northern breed dog.
~Seij