Wolf-Dog Hybrids

Originally posted by shepaluteprez on January 17, 2006.



Hello Everyone-

There has been a lot of talk around my area in Colorado about owning wolf-dogs. Several people in Vallecito claim to have them and I know several others who would like to own them. I don't understand the hype or the desire to own one. I have been conducting some Internet research into the idea of wolf-dogs and have come to several thoughts that I'd like to share here.

First some background...The gray wolf has been on the endangered species list in the lower 48 states since 1967 except in Minnesota where they are threatened. The Kauai cave wolf in Hawaii is also endangered. The Red Wolf has also been on the endangered species list since 1967 although is mostly roams the southwestern states. (Information taken from the Species Profile from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) Populations in Alaska are unlisted at this time. There are estimated 6,000 - 8,000 wolves in Alaska and 2,700 wolves in the lower 48 states. (National Parks Conservation Association)

According to one author there are an estimated 2500 wolf-dog breeders in the United States. Imagine those breeders breeding one to two litters a year, approximately 6-12 puppies a year. Times that by 2500 and you have 150,000 to 300,000 wolf-dog puppies a year. Where are they all? Who owns them all? I don't know the answer to those questions, but I do know that I wouldn't be insured through AAA if my wolf-dog bit someone. I also know that wolf-dogs are in the top five dog bite fatalities per year, along with German shepherds, rottweilers, Pit bulls, and Siberian huskies.

Along with attacks, there are also behavioral concerns, county, state, and national legalities, and veterinary medicine concerns. Plus, I have these lingering genetic questions...How do you know for sure if a wolf-dog really does possess a percentage of wolf? How can one be sure what percentage of wolf there is in a particular dog?

I feel that if a person truly wishes to house a wolf-dog hybrid that they should research all aspects of the concerns associated with owning them and be prepared for the difficulties that may arise. But, I feel even stronger that there really is no need to have wolf-dog hybrids because there is a dog without wolf in it, but resembling the wolf-dog hybrid, that can be a companion for the majority of people who want the wolf look without the concerns the wolf might possess. The Alsatian Shepalute is gentle, loyal, quiet, slow moving, and beautiful. There truly is no need for the wolf-hybrid.

If you'd like more information on the issues surrounding the wolf-hybrid please go to the link below:
Alliance of Writers: Ark Animals
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Shepaluteprez

Originally posted by Lois Schwarz on February 27, 2007.



I am glad you started this topic as i do believe most of the alsatian shepalute owners also love the look of the wolf but do not wish to "own" a wolf, even a hybrid wolf.

There may be a few thoughts that i might jog in your minds about the wolf and hybrids.

1. A hybrid is a breeding or mating of one species to another species. The results of dog x dog breedings are not hybrids because the speicies canine familiarious domesticata, or the dog.... is a species unto itself even though so many different breeds exsist in this catagory. Therefor the Boston terrier bred to a Chihuhua is still a dog. The wolf "was" catagorized as a canine lupus and there are differences within this speicies "Lupus" (canine means a meat eating mammal with meat tearing and riping teeth). "lupus" means undomesticated or wolf. Though the two spiecies are simular in many asspects there is only one gene in the sub genes that are different everything else is the same. So about 10 years ago some scientists changed the catagory of the wolf to that of the same speices as the dog. I believe this was a terrible mistake but they did it.
2. The domesticated dog has been seperated in branches off the tree of evolution for a very long time thus evolving into the dogs we have today. The wolfs have been breeding in god's manner for longer.
In the domestic breeding, humans selected wolves or wild dogs that closely fit into our human lives and the wildness of a pup was un-attractive for many reasons. They didnt fit into our human lifestyles. this is still true today. When buyers come to the farm to pick a puppy they do not pick the hyper biting pup or the fearful retreating pups. They pick a pup that will best fit into their lifestyles.

I have been breeding animals for over 45 years and i have tried to give my thoughts and my knowledge to many but one can not force another to listen and to apply my knowledge and what i know from experience into their lives. Such is the case of a hybrid wolf breeder who refused to "hear". The result of her/his endevors are very sad but that is the path of the wolf hybrid breeder. Much "carma" comes into place and bad things happen when many people throughout the world throw out bad vibs for one reason or another. This breeder couldnt sell those unmanagable pups and when she/he did some folks who dont really understand what the heck they are getting themselves into bring trouble back to the breeder in many forms that hurt the quality of life and mental state of that hybrid wolf breeder.
That breeder to this day doesnt understand why things went the way they did. She/he lost her/his home, job and reputation. She/he is in a mess and i feel sad for her/him but i tried to warn her/him.
You CAN NOT just think you can go into breeding animals just because you love them!
Warning: A breeder must educate themselves and do the research and listen.... Then she/he must be able to fight the big fight or quit before you are ruined. To bred any animal in today's society is a risk let alone to bred wolf hybrids.

had this person gone into breeding shihtzu's she/he would have done fine but as it is, she/he has quit dogs forever.

If you are thinking of getting a wolf hybrid, I personally think that anything that befalls you, you deserve... and you should not be allowed to take it out on the breeder.
If you are a breeder of wolf hybrids then you should not push your puppies on the public but educate the public and have a signed contract stating that you are not responsible for the publics stupidity or ignorance if they can not harbor and keep such an animal.

I will not say that you should not do this or that, it is not up to me, nor do i judge you for your loves and your ignorance but i do judge you for your deeds that you do today, (but not yesterday) for you may have learned from them. I judge only because i am human. if i were perfect i wouldnt judge at all, but i can not walk this earth and not be human.
In my opinion one should not bred a wolf to a dog as it only brings heartack to a certain percentage, in one manner or another if not today, in the tomorrow and perhapes the next breeding...

In my opinion a breeder should be held responsible for all that he/she brings into this world.

Originally posted by Akelasmom on February 28, 2007.



I have seen articles in the news about wolf hybrids being unpredictable and turning viscious on people and other animals. Can you explain the reason a wolf/wolf hybrid would become vicious, even though they are raised domestically?

Originally posted by shepaluteprez on March 12, 2007.



I was thinking about your question and not knowing myself I thought I look up what the wolf-dog owners and promoters had to say on the subject. It was quite fascinating and I recommend reading it yourselves. The websites I found information from are as follows:

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Anyway, from what I gathered from the two articles I've read, wolfdogs are indeed aggressive based on their natural prey-drive instinct. With the domesticated dog, the prey-drive has been altered through selective breeding programs. Some breeds have less prey-drive than others. The pure wolf's prey-drive has not been altered through selective breeding and thus is a raw drive that may change from playful to aggressive in seconds.

According to Monty Sloan, an advocate for responsible wolfdog ownership, he has seen firsthand a pure wolf change at the age of six years into a child aggressive wolf. This is after six years of being a public relations wolf that greeted many children prior to his aggressive shift. I gather that wolves and mid to high content wolf-hybrids can be trained and socialized, but it doesn't lessen the potential for aggressive prey-drive behavior when the situation is right, such as a screaming running child.

With all this said, there are instances where domesticated pure-bred dogs also can exibit prey-drive behavior and maul children. All dogs are preditors, eally. Monty did argue that there are many more pet dogs then wolf-dogs, thus the numbers of dog aggressive behavior is higher. Also there is a big difference in how the two are kept. Responsible mid to high-content wolf-dog and pure wolf owners do not allow their wolves to play with children especially without constant, close supervision. This reduces the ability for us to know for sure the real potential aggression exhibited that could occur without this human filter. The most significant thing I gleaned from both articles is that we don't know the true potential of the wolf-dog or pure wolf to harm us, so why even put the wolf in the position to find out for sure. This cautious behavior should be noted well.

The Alsatian Shepalute has a similar wolf look without the scary wolf or wolf-hybid aggressive reality. We do not have to keep our dogs on chains for fear of our lives. We do not have to watch our children closely with our dogs around. Prey-drive is low in our dogs. We don't even want our dogs running after chickens or other animals. They should be very heavy slow, lumbering dogs. Only the beautiful look of the wolf remains. Our dog's personality can't be beat. The founder has chosen to almost totally ignore the look for generations in order to get the calm even temperament of the Alsatian Shepalute. No other wolf look alike can compete with this dog's temperament, especially the wolf-hybrid.

Shepaluteprez