Wolves have held a special place in our consciousness for centuries. They are incredibly charismatic, highly social, and extremely intelligent. They appear in as many of our nightmares as they do in paintings and popular music. They are also quite dangerous, capable of killing an elk, a moose, even a bison, thanks to their larger brains, stronger muscles, and jaws that are many times stronger than those of any dog.
It is both understandable and surprising that people want to bring a little bit of that wildness home in the form of a wolf/dog mix, also known as a “wolfdog,” which some believe to be the best of both worlds because it combines the friendliness and loyalty of a dog with the good looks and wild nature of a wolf. The belief is that you can fulfill your Jack London fantasies, even if you live in Akron rather than Anchorage, by purchasing a wolfdog.
As with many things, the reality is not so simple. The most misunderstood and, some would argue, poorly managed animals in America are wolfdogs. Wolfdog supporters claim they make wonderful pets, while detractors claim they are unpredictable, difficult to train, and inherently dangerous. They appear on breed ban lists alongside Pit bulls and other allegedly “dangerous breeds,” and are legal in some places but illegal in others. â.
Whatâs more, thereâs no approved rabies vaccination for wolfdogs. They are treated as wild animals when it comes to rabies even though the federal government formally views them as domestic pets (and leaves their regulation to individual states and municipalities). Because of this, even if a wolfdog has received rabies vaccinations, they may still pose a risk of contracting the disease. The standard rabies vaccine is approved for use in dogs, cats, ferrets, and horses, but the USDA, which oversees veterinary drugs, does not extend approval for use with “hybrids.” The USDA claims that euthanasia is required because the only accurate rabies test necessitates a brain examination of the animal.
Owners of wolfdogs are urged to vaccinate their pets, but doing so requires them to make a difficult decision: either lie to their veterinarian about the animal’s ancestry or sign a waiver acknowledging that the vaccine is being used “off-label” on a hybrid animal and cannot be relied upon to fully protect against rabies, and that their pet may be impounded and put down if it bites someone.
Wolf dogs are legal at the federal level because they are classified as domestic animals, but the laws governing them at the state and local levels are utterly inconsistent. Twelve states, including Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Wyoming, forbid the keeping of wolfdog hybrids as pets. However, in Michigan, a wolfdog can be âgrandfatheredâ in.
Wolf and wolf-dog hybrid ownership by private citizens has long been a contentious issue in the United States. What exactly is a hybrid?
An animal that is a mix of a wolf and a domestic dog is referred to as a wolf-dog hybrid (hybrid). Due to their shared evolutionary history, wolves and dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) exhibit a number of similar physical and behavioral characteristics.
Wolves are wild animals that have undergone evolutionary pressures to enable them to find food, protect themselves from danger, and breed. Without assistance from people, they can survive thanks to the genetic traits that they express in the environments where they live (Addams and Miller, 2012).
Dogs evolved from wolves through a centuries-long process of domestication. The process of domestication is when a wild animal is selectively bred over a long period of time by humans to become accustomed to living with them.
An image from the W shows a mid-wolf content wolf hybrid. O. L. F. Sanctuary in Colorado.
Through this procedure, the physiology, life cycle, and behavior of a dog have been permanently changed from those of a wolf. In essence, dogs are now under different pressures as a result of selective breeding, making them more reliant on humans for survival and adaptable to our way of life. Their genes are altered from their wild counterpart in varying degrees, which aids them in leading fulfilling domestic lives (Addams and Miller, 2012).
Dogs and wolves can breed and have live offspring because they are interfertile. In other words, wolves and dogs can breed, and the resulting offspring can have children of their own. Although hybrids can exist in the wild naturally, they are uncommon because wolves have a territorial nature that causes them to defend their home ranges from intruding dogs, coyotes, and other wolves.
Wolves, both in the wild and in captivity, display behavior that is largely governed by their instincts. Researchers have been studying and observing their behavioral traits for many years, and a lot has been written about their social dynamics, hunting behavior, and territorial nature. Because of the diligent work of the researchers, we are able to comprehend how wolves respond to various situations based on their innate instincts. However, they will always exhibit some unpredictable behavior, just like any wild animal.
Comparisons between Dog, Wolf, and Wolf Dog Hybrid
| DOG Canis lupis familiaris | WOLF Canis lupis | WOLF-DOG HYBRID | |
| General Characteristics | Domesticated for many thousands of years, highly socialized to humans, less intelligent and persistent than wolves, less destructive behaviour, need moderate exercise | Not socialized for human interaction, highly dependent on other wolves, chew everything, would destroy a house to escape, highly active, born to run | Unpredictable towards humans and other pets, often has needs of a wolf. Requires more exercise than a dog. Cannot be treated as a pet dog and, in many cases, cannot be trained. |
| Bite power | German shepherd 750 pounds per sq inch | 1500 psi, tears prey apart, can crush bones, and still gently move pups | Varies – likely more powerful than ordinary dog |
| 3- 5-week pup | Follows people for attention, watches people’s faces for emotional clues, familiar with human body language | Attached to pack mates, aggressive, fear humans in the wild, show little attachment to humans in captivity | UNPREDICTABLE. Some will be more dog-like, others wolf-like. Difficult to train and almost impossible to keep inside house |
| 6 Months old | Can be trained not to bite or chew | Strong prey drive develops, shows interest towards all small or weak animals, including children & ill people | Instinctive drive often develops, with interest in potential prey. Chews everything. Can never be fully trusted, especially near children |
| 2 Years old | Should respond well to obedience training. Form strong attachment to humans | Mature to be aggressive, drive to be dominant, especially males at sexual maturity | Aggressive behaviors, seek dominance at sexual maturity. Cannot be trained like dogs. |
| Desirability as a Pet | YES. Make excellent companions | NO – Need the companionship of other wolves and room to roam in order to thrive | NO – high numbers abandoned, rescued, and euthanized. Present high liability issues |
| Legal ownership | YES | NO– illegal in many jurisdictions | Not classified as a dog breed in most places. Not recognized by FCI or AKC. In the USA, approx. 40 states ban ownership or breeding |
Things to Consider
Wolf dogs differ significantly from domestic dogs, particularly the popular companion breeds. They are powerful, perceptive dogs that can form close bonds with their human owners and become aggressive when defending them or their homes. Wolf dogs do not do well when kept in homes or small yards because they require a lot of exercise and space to roam. They might become bored, depressed, and destructive to property if they are left alone a lot. A wolf dog that is loose could pose a threat to children and adults who are not familiar with them. They might also attempt to scale regular fences to escape confinement. These things must be taken into account because caring for a wolf dog as a pet entails much greater responsibility than caring for a poodle. 1:46.
FAQ
Why wolf dogs are a problem?
A small wolf-dog pup living in a home can be adorable, but only until it is about three months old. The pup would cover well over 20 acres per day in the wild. When confined to a home, it is in charge of trashed furniture, torn carpets and curtains, as well as numerous other messes.
Are wolf dogs good dogs?
They are independent and do not strive to please people as much as dogs do. Even if you can train a wolf dog, natural instincts will never be completely removed. They have a built-in prey instinct that can be triggered by the scream of a young child or the flight of a small animal.
How do wolf dogs behave?
No matter how patient and kind their owners are, they avoid them. Wolfdog personalities are often highly unpredictable, too. Low-content wolfdogs, or those with less wolf DNA, tend to be more doglike. High-content wolfdogs, on the other hand, tend to be more wolflike.