HOWL (Help Our Wolves Live)

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HOWL is a group to connect wolf dog owners, breeders, seekers, sanctuaries, rescuers, and educators all in one place, to coordinate and collaborate, discuss and share.

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Rain

January 19, 2021 1:22 am

Rain� 01/18/2021� Wolf Dog Education Wolf Series:�So, You Want A Wolf Dog?�... View MoreRain� 01/18/2021� Wolf Dog Education Wolf Series:�So, You Want A Wolf Dog?� They are beautiful, aren�t they?� They represent so much to us in terms of family, loyalty, strength, and overall resilience. The closest any of us get to seeing one I real life is usually in zoos.� We just have a natural urge to take them home and give them all the love they deserve.� While wolves are canines, they are much different than dogs.� Crossing the two creates a breed that has inherent wolf instincts and a mix of temperaments.� As any northern breed dog such as a husky, and malamute are high energy breeds and those traits will get passed along to the offspring.� Wolves are timid by nature, but are territorial and food aggressive. These traits will also be passed down to their offspring. This is why it�s important to find a reputable breeder.� One who has carefully selected, and has full documented lineage of their breeding pair, and breeds to enhance and better the breed for temperament and health.�� First, let�s ask yourself, �why do I want a wolf dog�?�� Wolf dogs are quite a commitment. They require a lot of work and attention.� More than the average dog. They are escape artist, highly destructive when they get bored, and thanks to a lot of propaganda will be put down if they ever bite someone or get loose from your property.� If you work a lot, this probably is not the ideal companion for you. It�s important that you consider this because it�s not fair to the animal if you can�t keep the commitment to it.� They do bond with their owners and will suffer anxiety if abandoned to a new owner or worse, a shelter.� If you are wanting a guard dog, this is definitely not the companion for you.� They do not make good protection or security dogs.�� What is a Wolf Dog?� Let�s go over what a wolf dog is.� It�s important that you look up your state and county laws regarding ownership and restrictions.� Pay close attention in the wording.� Most states are very clear about the differences, the trouble comes when there is not clear distinction.� The words you want to pay attention to are Wolf, Wolf Hybrid, and Wolf Dog.� They are legally important.� ��Wolf�� Pure wolves, defined as wild life.� This is usually illegal to own in any state without a USDA permit for either exhibition, or research and education.� Zoos have them as do research and sanctuaries for education.� ��Wolf Hybrid�� This is a cross between a Wolf and a Wolf Dog or Dog. These animals are highly restricted and illegal to own in some states.� Even f they are legal in your state it is likely they could be banned in your county. Do your homework.�� Wolf Dog�� This term is used when the canine has no pure wolf parent. Wolf dogs are offspring from a Wolf Hybrid/Wolf Hybrid cross, Wof Hybrid/Dog cross, Wolf Hybrid/Wolf Dog cross, Wolf Dog/Wolf Dog cross, or a Wolf Dog/Dog cross.� Still important to check with your state and local officials about ownership.� Even these can be illegal to own.�� These definitions are important, for both you and your potential companion.� Ignoring them can put you at risk for excessive fines or jail, and the animal's life at risk.� Even in legal areas, one mishap of escape (they like to roam), or a bite or taking an aggressive stance on a neighbor could land you in court and your companion euthanized. You are completely responsible for keeping your companion safe, it�s not the other way around.� There are a lot of people who would rather you not have one.� Those same people can get kind of crazy when it comes to interference, keep your companion safe at all times.�� Characteristics of the Wolf Dog�� Affection Level� High� Friendliness� Low� Kid-Friendly� Low� Pet-Friendly� Low� Exercise Needs� High� Playfulness� Medium� Energy Level� High� Trainability� High� Intelligence� High� Tendency to Bark� Low� Amount of Shedding� Medium� Pros� ��Likely to bond strongly with its owner� ��Enjoy training and socialization as much as domesticated dogs� ��Highly intelligent and possible to train using positive conditioning and rewards� Cons� ��May cause fear in other people� ��Demand an extraordinary amount of training and maintenance� ��Does not possess an "eagerness to please," like domesticated dogs, and may become aggressive in retaliation of negative training methods� My advice to any first-time wolf dog owner is to do your research and start with a low content animal, or low mid content.�� The general layout for wolf content is 1-49% is considered a Low Content (LC) 50-74 % is considered a Mid Content (MC) 75% + is considered a High Content (HC) a High Content may have 1-3 dog traits but otherwise should be virtually indistinguishable from a pure wolf.� Embark is the gold standard in DNA testing as of this posting.� Embark can break down the wolf dog DNA to identify percentages from every canine in its make-up.�� Phenotyping is a process of visual guess work.� Having said that, the higher percentage a wolf dog has, the more wolf like it will be in appearance.� As stated above, an HC (high content) animal will not be distinguishable from a pure wolf.� Mid contents and low content will have more dog traits... flagged tails, tall ears, thicker leg bones, nose stop, etc.� I will cover that in more detail later.� When buying your first pup, it is recommended that you find a breeder who has Embarked both parents and has documentation available for you to examine. Misrepresentation is a very common occurrence with this breed.� There are a lot of people breeding mutts willing to take your money. Buyer beware.� These animals are not cheap.�� Are you really ready?� When preparing to buy your first puppy, it�s important to be prepared to bring him or her home.� Just like all babies they have certain needs.� It�s important to consider diet, housing, containment, toys, and comfort items to help ease the transition.� Years ago, it wasn't uncommon for breeders to release pups at 2 weeks old.� It was thought that it would help them bond better with their owners, and it does.� The flip side of that is they lose the benefit of mother�s milk (absolutely critical to lifelong health) and it can create an imprinting situation. Again, the higher the content the worse this can be, especially in males. I had a pup that hit his puberty at two years old and started to challenge my husband aggressively.� It took a bit of reconditioning because he didn�t really know he was a wolf.�� Let�s talk about diet.�� I don�t care what your vet tells you, for every living thing on this planet, real food is always healthier than processed food.� Goes for people, dogs, cats, and most definitely wolves and wolf dogs. The why this is fact, it's because processed food is always filled with fillers that are bad for us.� As wolf dogs go, the higher the content, the more likely they will be unable to process dog food. They require higher contents of real protein Processed food can give them diarrhea, and cause allergies which can be fatal in some cases. Low content wolf dogs can usually digest it but again, allergies, and overall diminished health.� If you don�t hunt or can�t get your hands on some venison, chicken, duck, and beef, will be fine. You can supplement some fruits and vegetables' as well. Broccoli, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, carrots, watermelon or any melon in the summer is a great treat when frozen.� Follow the guidelines about toxicity to dogs... Onions, grapes, raisins, are strict no-no's along with chocolate and coffee.� Never give cooked bones to your wolf dog, they tend to splinter, especially chicken bones.� If you do find some venison, I personally cook it to guard against the possible rarity of fluke worms, which can kill your wolf dog, or any pet. A lot of owners have been feeding raw for years without incident. Just my worried momma OCD. OK, moving on.�� Containment� Outdoor and Indoor containment is crucial. If you�re getting even a low content, expect destruction on some level. If you�re not at home it would be a good idea to have a place for puppy that he can�t get to your furniture, lamp, tv wires, clothing, etc.� They will chew on anything.� Which can lead to bowel obstruction, and electrocution. As your puppy grows, and you want to leave him outside unattended for an hour or so, 8 ft fencing with lean ins and at least 3 ft of dig guard on the bottom is a must have.� They are great climbers, and tunnelers. Make sure you maintain the kennel area to keep it clean, muck free as possible and an outdoor reservoir for fresh water.� Keep the water container clean, and empty it when your fur baby isn�t using the kennel. This helps keep mosquito larva from accumulating.�� The higher percentage of wolf dog, the higher the destruction rate.� They love to take things apart They are also extremely smart and they think analytically. Studies have shown that most wolf dogs, by the age of 7-8 months old have the IQ of a 3-year-old human child.� They can and will learn how to perform task by watching you.� They will also apply those same skill sets to figure out other things. For instance, I�ve had several that could open plastic twist off bottle caps, would deliberately hide the evidence when necessary, and open doors.� One of my mids could disassemble his travel kennel.� I�ve lost couches, countless drywall, the list is never ending; which is why a lot of people choose to house their wolf dogs outdoors. The good news is that most of the time, this behavior can be stopped with training and a whole lot of patience, but it will take the first two years to get it out of their system.�� Toys� When choosing toys for your little bundle of fur joy, go for those toys that are indestructible.� Kong makes great products as they rarely crumble under even the most relentless adult canine attack. You will find cute and stuffed might be ok at first but by six months they will start shredding them. Quickly!� Toys that are interactive for you and your new baby are important.� They need that play time with you. Did I mention they require a lot of attention?� This never changes. Ever.� � I hope I�ve given those seeking their first wolf dog things to consider.� We will be going over some of the thigs I've mentioned here in greater detail in another blog.� If you have questions, please feel free to e-mail me:� Wolvezrain@gmail.com� In the mean-time, HOWL�� (Help Our Wolves Live)� ~ rain� �

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