Wolf-dog crosses have been around for years. Wolf-dog crosses are also known as wolf-hybrids, wolf-dog hybrids or just hybrids. Before Europeans set foot in North American, Native Americans lived in closed area with the wolves. Native Americans kept wolves and wolf-hybrids as companions. In the arctic, the Intuit used wolf-hybrids as pack animals and sled dog.
The term of wolf-dog has been around since 1736. For at least 260 years, the term wolf-dog has been know to the Europeans. The Native Americans knew this term for years. In the late 1960's and 1970's, the public and scientific was was interested in the wolf. Human beings disre to get closer to the magnificent animal.
In the 1980's, wolf dog crosses were very expensive, hard to get, and most of the wolf-dog crosses were owned by people with more than a casual interest in wolves. A few people have obtained wolves, but the Endangered Species Act provides a penalty for the possession of pure animals. Most states have difficult permit requirements for wild animals that prove to be impossible to comply with. The wolf-hybrid can be legal and sometimes the behavioral alternative to owning a pure wolf. To own a wolf-hybrid, owning one varies from state to state. Wolf-hybrids are classified as wild animals in some states. You have to possess a certain type of permit and caging as for a pure wolf in some states. Wolf hybrids are considered dogs, and needing only proper vaccinations and licenses in other states.
I e-mailed Ken Riddleberger who works for the DNR at the State of Georgia about the ownership of wolf-hybrids. The following is what he has to say about owning wolf-hybrids. Quote: There are strict conditions on holding any wild animal in Georgia. They may only be held for exhibition purposes or as part of another wild animal business. The license is $236 anually and includes many other stipulations. These permits are not issued for pets. I'm not sure how holding wolf-hybrids protects the wild wolf population from extinction, but that is besides the point. In this case of wolf-hybrids, they are not allowed in Georgia for two reasons. They are: 1) There is not an approved rabies vaccine for wolf-hybrids. In fact, there are several document cases of where wolf-hybrids were vaccinated ad later contracted the disease. 2) Wolf-hybrids cand be unpredictable and dangerous. By Georgia law, any hybrid or cross between any combination of wildlife (those wild creatures native to the state) or wild animals (wild animals not native to Georgia), and domestic animals. Therefore, wild-hybrids are considered wild animals and may not be legally held without permit. Are people holding wolf-hybrids without permits? Undoubtedly. Are they violation of the law? Definitely. Any hybrid is regulated by Georgia Law, since there is no reliable way to determine the "percentage" heritage of the animal. Unquote. This is just for Georgia law. It may differ in the other 49 states.
In the mid 1980's, there were many animals in the hands of the public for a large breeding stock. The wolf popularity continues to skyrocket, and everyone wanted a wolf-hybrid. There were several Walt Disney movies for inspiration; and enough animals that everyone could easily obtain one. Backyard breeding became the norm of breeding dogs with wolves. Wolf-hybrids are usually mixed with a Malamute, Husky, or German Shepherd. Wolf -hybrids can occur naturally in the wild. This happened infrequently due to the territorial nature of the wolf. Hybrids can be the results of deliberate breeding in captivity. Human beings bred their animals without regarding to their remperament or genetics. Most of the breeders did retain their honesty and keep breeding good tempered animals, but this is the exception than the rule. A large number of people realize they make plenty of money by breeding anything that almost looked like a wolf and passing the spring off as a high percent cross. High prices were charged and were paid for animals that were really supposed to be 90% wolf, but the animals were really 10% or 20% wolf content at best. This practice was and still is fraud. People would end up with animals that were low percentage and be more agressive.
There is a large number of wolf-hybrids being sold. There are bans in many states; therefore, there is still a flourishing wolf-dog population. The way the current laws address the situation, there will be for years to come. Most states don't want to make the trouble of people owning a wolf-hybrid. If people want something gad, they will find a way to get it--no ban or ban. Some people don't care if it is illegal or not; they are going to buy a wolf-hybrid anyway.
In this day and age of political and environmental correctness, scientific institutions doesn't want to deal with hybrid situation because of the controversy. A few organizations have moderated their stand tolerate hybrides; and there are several other small refugees scattered around the country. Most of the refugees are in the west.
A wolf-hybrid will make a better guard dog, but hybrids usually make poor protection dogs. Aggressive tendencies(if any) may be present in the hybrid maybe fear induced and can be very unpredictable and very hard to conrol. There are more subordinate wolves than alpha wolves. Female wolf-hybrids are less likely not to get along with female domestic dogs. Male wolf-hybrids are less likeley to get along with male domestic dogs. There is a legal notice regarding wolf-hybrids that carries them over to coydogs, the coyote-dog hybrids. These problems are encountered with these hybrids that are greater than those of wolf-hybrids. Hybrids can be more agressive than pure wolves. Hybrids wild nature makes them resistive to both training and confinement. Hybrids tend to be timid and fearful of humans. Fear-biters that may attack when they feel threatened, teases, or cornered (Wolf Almanac, 151, Busch).
Wolf-hybrids may live longer than a dog. The life span of a wolf-hybrid in captivity is 12-14 years. This is the same as a large dog. Wolf-hybrids are healthier than a dog. The wolf-hybrid is less prone to disease than a dog. Wolves and dogs are prone to the same diseases. Wolves and wolf-hybrids cannot use the same vaccines of a typical dog.
Siberian Husky and Alaskan Malamute are part wolf. Siberian Husky and Alaskan Malamute are breeds of dogs. These two dogs are no more related to wolves than any other breed of dog, such as Labrador Retriever and Standard Poodle.
Rabies is a disease that is fatal in nearly all instances once symptoms of the illness are observable. Rabies is acquired through a bite or an open wound which is contaminated by the saliva of a rabid animal. The symptoms are exhibited by rabid animals, and veterinarians have difficulty in determining the disease. When animals are diagnosed with rabies, the animal will have jaw and limp paralysis or aggressiveness, and non-specific findings. The animal may have fever, lethargy, lack of coordination, anorexia, excessive salivation, and hyperactivity.
Domestice animals gets rabies from the wildlife. They might get rabies from skunks and racoons, but skunks and raccoons represent the large reservoirs of the disease through the country and from bats as well. Rabies can be transmitted from one domestic animal to another, and it can be transmitted to humans. Rabies virus have been documented and studied in the gray fox, coyotes, and feral dogs. The vaccine used for dogs is NOT GOVERNMENT APPROVED ON WOLF-HYBRIDS OR WOLVES.
The rabies vaccine for wolves and wolf-dogs has been going on for 10 years. The reason states banned wolves and wolf-hybrids because there is no rabies vaccine for them. There is no action on behalf of a local, state, or federal agency to solve this public health problem.
Veterinarians and owners have argued that the rabies question of a USDA approval for a vaccine of rabies in wolves and wolf-hybrids. This is a political issue, and this will argue the already existing dog vaccine for rabies will provide the protective immunity required for the wolf and wolf-hhybrid. There are many reasons that the USDA requirements must be satisfied. Animals respond differently to different medications. The question is whether wolves and wolf-hybrids need a different level of potency in rabies vaccines than in domestic dogs. Another question is what percentage of effectiveness required to obtain USDA approval an licensing of the rabies vaccine in these animals. The last question is if your family and other animals came in contact with rabies, and they don't require the level of protective immunity for wolves or wolf-hybrids.
People who deal with wolf-hybrids promote the content of hybrid pups. They set the prices according to their amount of wolf blood in the hybrid litter. This is not based on the hybrids biology or genetics. If the hybrid pups parents are pure breed dog and a pure breed wolf, the pups inherit a set of genes from bother parents. The purps are 50% wolf and 50% domestic dog. If hybrid pups are breed with other animals, there is no way to calculate which geenes are passed to the offspring. The offspring may inherit a majority of the genes of a dog. They will inherit the genes of a dog both physically and behaviorally. If the pups would be dominatly wolf, the combination of the genes would be in-between. The wolf-hybid would look like a dog and have th nature of the wolf. Wolf-hybrids span a continuum. Some wolf-hybrids act like dogs, and some wolf-hybrids act like wolves. Other wolf-hybrids fall somewhere in between a dog and a wolf. Other wolf-hybrids may have behavioral and physical traits of both.
To have a high percentage wolf cross, you must have two wolves that behave identically and are pack animals. The wolves have a strong sense of pack identity and also have a tendency to have a wolf social behavior, language and other wild behaviors. The wolves are at distance of strangers, afraid of strangers, not positive of new situations, and are not trainable. They are less aggressive and sometimes submit to people or other animals. They feel that they are not cornered or haven't run away from them.
Wolves and content of high wolf-crosses are very opposition to violence and war. The reason is they rather give in or run away from the situation if they are given the opportunity. High content wolf-crosses are loving to other dogs, wolf-hybrids, people or even cats. That is so if they have been raised with these things. If a high content wolf-crosses are a year old or older, the ability to form a bond decreass. Wolves and high percentages wolf-crosses form bonds diferently to species, not to individuals of the same species. If a wolf-hybrid is raised with another dog, it accepts that same dog as its own species.
If you have a wolf-hybrid with a low content of a wolf, the wolf-hybrid will exhibit doggy-like characteristics. If you have a wolf-hybrid with a high content of a wolf, the animal may exhibit some or all the behaviors that a person might find in a pure wolf. The wolf has a social skill. It is possible for the wolf or wolf-hybrid to form social bonds with humans or other animals if properly socialized. Behavioral problems that come about do so is that people do not understand that socializing a wolf or a wolf-hybrid is more intense process than with a domestic dog.
A high content wolf-hybrid is intelligent. The intelligence is not aimed at you. People will buy a wolf-cross to think that the dog is macho. They come to find out that the wolf-cross is afraid of the new situation it is in. A high-content animal has different physchological need from a dog. They are used to being in a pack and needs another animal to have as a companion. The other animal provides security to the first wolf-cross. These animals should be kept in a pen. These animals need a place to call their own. They love to explore, get loose, apt to tank an extended holiday and without feeling that people are not going to shoot them. Wolf-hybrids should never be chained up or put on a run. The animals can be unhappy, then can easily escape, and allow anyone to write up the animal.
Mid-percentage and low -percentage crosses is a different animal. These animals look like a wolf. These animals have floppy ears, short legs, curly tails, dog-like markins and so on. These animals maybe protective and not afraid of strangers. They bark and show some wolf-like behaviors. Most of their behaviors are similar to those in dogs. A lot of animals fall in this category.
High-percentage animals posses the intelligence and strength of the wolf and posses social inhibitions against aggression. Lower content animals have a wolf body, but they have a dog brain. People think that the wolf genes make an animal unpredictable. A dog can be aggressive and can be preserved. HIgh-content animals have the skill to understand that fighting and aggressive biting is in the wolf society. Domestic dog or low- or mid-percentage animals lack this skill. Low-percentage animals can have problems. They likely to be agressive.
It is very difficult to describe the behavior of all wolf-hybrids. Wolves and wolf-hybrids are like people. They, the wolf and hybrids, are very individualistic. They have individual personalities, likes, dislikes, quirks, and changing moods. Two different people might share diffrent common behavioral traits; there will be a certain amount of scope between the people. Wolves and wolf-hybrids will react to the same situation as the two people will react to the same situation. In the same animal, behavioral patterns are always adapting to different situations. There is no way to predict a behavior of a hybrid, wolf, or a dog's behavior. If you want to become a hybrid ownder, please read as much as you can of a wolf-hybrid. You need to read to recognize and deal with various stages of their body languages, facial expression, and the dominant or submissive behaviors they may encounter. The hybrid maybe spayed or neutered to prevent bredding. To put hybrid puppies in appropriate homes is a great responsibility. This is a greater responsibility than dealing with dog pups.
A wolf-hybrid mostly will still have its ancestors' wild behaviors is one form or another. Wild necessarily does not mean bad. One must accept that a wolf-hybrid wil have a differently of its own. Most of the wolf-hybrids are independent or at some distance and mostly their personality will resemble a cat or a dog. The wolf-hybrids can be destructive toward a person's property. Also, the wolf-hybrid will require more attention than a dog. The wolf-hybrids can take longer to mature. They take 2-3 years to mature. The wolf-hybrids may or may not be trained to perform doggy-like duties. The wolf-hybrids eat your favorite stuff, jump around to greet you, play rough, jump on your furniture, and they may howl. If you are willing to pay the price of a wolf-hybrid, it means that the owner will expet to putup with the behavior that would be considered unaccepted for a dog. Certain behaviors can be modified or shaped. You must not change the nature of an animal that is essential. People are wrong to expect a wolf-hybrid to have the same standards of behavior that you have of domestic dog standardds.
There are two categories that the behavior of a wolf or wolf-hybrid that it falls into. There is a cutoff point a low wolf-content or wolf animals act and look like dogs. This is with a few wolf behaviors and physcial characteristics. A higher percentage will act and look like a wolf. The wolf-hybrid with a lower percentage of a wolf will have a mix of wolf and dog behaviors, and they often lean toward the dog spectrum. There are not many animals that look like a wolf that behave like a dog. It doesn't seem to occur. The crossing of a wolf and a dog results may be an opposite effect that it was originally intended.
Never leave the wolf-hybrid alone with small children. Remember that stares are challenges, and the baby will lose every time. They hybrid will consider the child for fair game if the child screams, cries and make quick movements. These are considered as prey characteristics. Obedience training is a double must.
