So called "wolf hybrids"

[milos_mommy]

Calling Dekka and other folks knowledgable about genetics:

I often meet people claiming to have wolf hybrids. Now, I have met two wolf hybrids which were markedly and immediately noticeable as...not dogs. I could tell upon seeing these animals move and act that they just aren't dogs.

I've had others tell me there dog is or they think he is part wolf for reasons such as having large paws (seriously, the vet told them that), yellow eyes, or looking like a wolf. Oh, also pouncing. Anyway, I have a friend who is professing a lot of interest in obtaining a wolf hybrid, who has absolutely no idea what he's getting himself into. I'm hoping, like many others, this guy will drop $5000 on a large husky mix and think it's a wolf and all will be well.

Anyway, he just posted this YouTube video https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ge4HNwOpfRk&feature=youtu.be "this is why I need a wolf". I have zero reason whatsoever to believe this dog is anything other than a malamute/husky type mix. Is there any concrete evidence to prove or disprove this animal is or isn't part wolf?

 

[Chicabonbird]

Hey,

I have no answer to your question, just wanted to say that maybe my sister's yellowed eyed huge pawed black lab is part wolf. :rofl1: jokes.

But in all seriousness...tell your friend to read Part Wild by Ceiridwen Terrill. Heartbreaking and one of my favourite non fiction books of all time.

 

[Flybynight]

Loki the ::cough:: Malamute. He doesn't even look like a low content.

Distinctive stop, wrong muzzle proportion, white mask, one eye is marbled blue, not enough fur in his ears, uniform coat length, and from the video he will carry his tail gay.

Here's a good website: http://wolfdogeducation.com/

After working at Wolf Park, I tend to think almost nobody should own hybrids. Your friend should get a Malamute or husky - they are plenty close enough for most.

 

[Romy]

Tell him to look into tamaskans. They do have a dab of wolf early on in the breed history, but for the most part the good breeders who have been working with them have been selecting carefully for temperament and biddability.

I've met a few and they were all extremely well behaved dogs. Obviously they had been well socialized and trained, but they were non reactive to people and other animals, gentle, and polite. They were all politely disinterested in strangers, but not at all fearful or shy. A couple of them were at vendor's booths at large dog shows, just chilling and relaxed on a dog bed while the world went by.

Talking to those folks, it sounds like if you get a good one they shouldn't be any more challenging than a well bred GSD with a dab of northern breed independence. They are athletic, and I wouldn't recommend getting one and expecting it to be a couch potato. I know of one that runs on a sled dog team, and does really well at it.

http://www.tamaskan-dog.us/index.php

They have a good explanation of wolf percentages, and why anything past an F1 cross is a total crapshoot for actual wolf content.

http://http://www.tamaskan-dog.us/information.php

If he's determined to get a wolfy looking dog and willing to drop thousands on it, he might as well get something from a decent breeder who health tests and produces decent companion temperaments.

 

[Dekka]

Hybrids are bad ideas. If they are actual F1 or other recent crosses they tend to be very flighty and reactive. They do not typically make good pets.

Insurance is also an issue. You are effectively keeping a wild animal. Many insurance companies frown on such activities.

If someone was sure the pup they were buying was part wolf and that is what they wanted I would ask the breeder if I could do a DNA test. IF they say no, then there is the answer.

I agree with the Tamaskan. If I was pursuing more film stuff I would get one as they look very wolf like. And what I have learned researching the breed they are not wolf like temperament wise. They seem to be quite biddable.

 

[StillandSilent]

Have him enjoy Gambit for a few days, and then reevaluate how much he wants a hybrid. And Gambit is pretty mellow for a hybrid. Still, I can't even begin to total what he has cost me financially, emotionally, and mentally over the past five years. He's been an experience and we've just now hit a stride that seems to be working for us.

 

[Kootenay]

Arg almost nothing bothers me more than people claiming wolf content in dogs who clearly have none! Definitely a malamute in that video.

That being said...for your average person, definitely better they go out and buy their "wolfdog" and it's actually a Malamute/Husky/GSD etc mix. Life will be much easier.