Wolves As Pets
- Pet Wolves
- Wolfdogs
- Raising A Wolf
Wolfdogs are not for the average dog owner. Nor are they as exotic as some people might think.
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Wolfdogs
 Wolves are best left as wolves. Courtesy Gerald & Buff Corsi, California Academy of Sciences: CalPhoto. |
A wolfdog is the progeny of a wolf and a dog. Among the most common breeds of dog crossed with wolves to produce wolfdogs are the Alaskan malamute, Eskimo dog, German shepherd dog, samoyed, and Siberian husky.
The wolf-dog mating produces a hybrid with the characteristics of a wolf and a dog. But wolf and dog traits are not necessarily inherited 50:50. A wolfdog can look more like a wolf but act more like a dog, and vice versa, depending on the proportion of wolf and dog genes that express themselves in each individual.
Wolfdogs As Pets
A major issue is the suitability of wolfdogs as pets. Proponents and opponents of wolfdogs usually agree that wolfdogs are not for the average dog owner. As a wolfdog owner you need to be more than knowledgeable about dogs and their behaviour, give your wolfdog a great deal of space (back yards alone are next to useless), a great deal of your time, proper housing and your total dedication.
In short, you need as great a commitment to a wolfdog as you do to a wolf. Click the links to the pages 'Pet Wolves' and 'Raising A Wolf' in this section.
Knowing A Wolfdog When You See One
Wolfdog owners describe wolfdogs as the amount of wolf both parents contribute to their progeny. For instance, a pure wolf crossed with a pure dog is 100% + 0% / 2 = 50% wolfdog. A pure wolf crossed with a 'half-wolfdog' is 100% + 50% / 2 = 75% wolfdog. Again, a pure wolf crossed with a 98% wolfdog will produce progeny who are essentially wolves.
However, you cannot know a wolfdog for certain when you see one because you cannot recognise a wolfdog from looks or behaviour. Nor does a diagnostic test exist to determine whether an animal is a wolf or a dog, yet alone to distinguish a wolfdog. (Also see below: Are Dogs Wolves?)
You might only attempt to gauge a wolfdog by his pedigree. But how can you tell a true pedigree? Wolfdogs with a higher percentage of wolf in them command higher prices than wolfdogs with a lower percentage of wolf in them. Doubtless the profit factor has led to many bogus pedigree claims.
Safety
Dogs in general bite an estimated 4.5 million people a year in the US alone, of whom at least three quarters of a million seek subsequent medial attention (Sacks 1996). Wolfdog owners claim their wolfdogs must be handled sensibly and are no more antagonistic to people than breeds like pit bulls or rottweilers, who have the worst reputations for attacking people.
It is generally acknowledged that wolfdogs do not act quite like the usual domestic dog. They tend to be more independent-minded and less submissive to authority. So there is always a risk that a big wolfdog greeting a small child with face licks, nuzzling or straddling may unintentionally end in cuts and bruises for the toddler. Worse, a running child might even trigger a predatory response in the wolfdog...
The Law
The US possibly has the largest population of wolfdogs, perhaps up to half a million. Laws relating to wolfdogs vary from state to state, from no regulation, to allowing wolfdogs under permit, to outright prohibition. Wolfdogs are classified either as domesticated, wild, or native animals, partly depending on their wolf to dog percentage. Legislation is still fluid and can be expected to change in the future.
Like the US, each country in Europe has its own particular laws relating to wolfdogs. In Britain, the Dangerous Wild Animals Act (1976) regulates the keeping of wolfdogs (see Cusdin & Greenwood 2000).
Trashing Your Wolfdog
Many wolfdogs end up trashed because their owners cannot cope with them beyond puppyhood.
Certain problems may not arise until two or three years of age when wolfdogs mature. One problem is that wolfdogs can be destructive in their anguish when left alone. They can chew up furniture with their powerful jaws and dig out of their quarters. They can also be difficult to house-train and might scent-mark your house with urine and faeces. Simply chaining a wolfdog in the yard or confining a wolfdog indoors intensifies problems and is cruel.
Many wolfdogs end up discarded, like wolf pets (see 'Pet Wolves' in this section).
Are Dogs Wolves?
The cross breeding of wolves and dogs produces fertile offspring - strong confirmation that wolves and dogs are the same species. However, some experts maintain that wolves and dogs are sufficiently different to classify them as separate species, respectively Canis lupus and Canis familiaris.
Other experts assert that differences are insignificant and therefore dogs should be classified as a subspecies of wolf, namely Canis lupus familiaris. In fact, genetic analysis shows that wolves and dogs are 99.8% genetically identical (Wayne). That is, dogs and wolves cannot be told apart genetically.
Supporting one argument or the other might influence your conception of the wolfdog. For if all wolves are dogs, and all dogs are wolves, then the exotic nature of a wolfdog largely disappears.
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Wolf Lookalikes & Mutts
If you really want a wolf lookalike, try an association which breeds dogs to look like wolves without necessarily crossing them with wolves. Or how about a mongrel as your best friend. These mutts are great. Being cross bred they tend to have fewer of the physical impediments and handicaps found in the pure breeds. Hundreds of thousands of deserving friends are waiting this moment to find a good owner.
Links:
See next page for links about raising wolves and wolfdogs.
For wolf lookalikes see:
Tamaskan Dog
Utonagan Society
Wolfdogs UK - not about wolfdogs but about dogs bred to look like wolves.
For more on wolfdogs see:
Wolf-Dog Hybrids - from the International Wolf Centre.
References:
Cusdin P A & Greenwood A G (2000):
The keeping of wolf-hybrids in Great Britain. RSPCA.
Sacks J J, Kresnow M & Houston B (1996): Dog bites: how big a problem? Injury Prevention, 2, 52-54.
Wayne R K: Molecular evolution of the dog family.
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