NoDogYet

Exactly- joce, drogheda, and cinart!

Wolf hybrids-true ones are very ugly and there is no doubt as to what they are. The beautiful dogs that are claimed as wolf mixes are only various mixes of husky and malamute.

My mother had a wolf mix living with her for a while-till the police put it to sleep. It snarled at my family and would slink around in the shadows. I wouldn't allow my kids over there. It used to growl at my dad and mom both.

What always amazes me is how much people like to talk about things which they have absolutely NO KNOWLEDGE of. I have always loved wolves and wolf dogs. They are smart and very loyal. I have owned two of them and fostered several to discern if they were adoptable or needed to live out their life at a sanctuary. I wish that people would stop breeding them because there are far too many that wind up euthanized because the owner didn't do their homework and got an animal that they don't understand and refused to take the time to learn about.
My new guy is a mid to high content. He wasn't socialized as a pup so he is extremely fearful of strangers. This is a common trait in them and one that makes them undesirable as pets. Everyone wants a companion animal that comes when called and will cuddle on the couch.More than likely a true wolf hybrid will eat the couch and then hide under what's left. They aren't good in crowds so it isn't like you can take them out and show them off. They are prone to bad cases of diarrhea in public places or when strangers enter their domain. As for being aggressive, any large or small canine can become aggressive. This is not a common trait with wolf dogs though it can certainly happen. Fear biting is probably mistaken for actual aggression. Children will activate the prey drive in any large canine. They squeal, they dart and they are small. NEVER leave a child unsupervised around any large dog. Containment of these four legged houdinis is very expensive. Because they are so smart they get bored very easily. They learn how to open doors, climb fences and squeeze through very small openings. Training is simple. You have to learn to reason with them. They do not have the desire to please you but they certainly have the capability of a very strong bond and loving relationship with their human. They will do what you ask of them (within reason) because they love you. This is why I have chosen to live with wolf dogs. They bond like a human. You can be cruel to dogs. You better not be cruel to a wolf. They feel what you feel and you know it. This is the saddest part of all. Wolves live in packs with their family. Only the alpha male and alpha female mate. They mate for life. The rest of the pack members will help with new pups. They have a very strong family social structure. In other words, if you are thinking about getting a wolf hybrid and would ever consider "finding a good home" for an animal in your care then please, please, please, get a dog. Wolf dogs bond so strongly with their humans that rarely do they ever get over being displaced. Their bonds are life long and they can live for up to 20 years.
I saw on here that someone said that dogs did not come from wolves. That made me laugh. Where do you think they came from? Canis Lupus. That is the highest canine species. Man bred them down for different purposes. It would surprise many people to know that some of the least "wolf" looking dogs are actually closer to the wolf than some of the wolfy looking breeds. As for leaving them in the wild...lovely thought...except for the fact that the wolf dog needs a family and of course certain states still allow the slaughter of these beautiful animals that are going to be right back on the endangered species list. If you are really considering getting a wolf dog, please do your home work and then find a sanctuary nearby and get some hands on experience. For those of you who still think they are dangerous, demon creatures...I know.."Little Red Riding Hood" was a bit traumatic for us as children. I will leave you with the wise words of Chief Dan George:
"If you talk to the animals, they will talk to you and you will know them. If you do not talk to them you will not know them and what you do not know you will fear. And what man fears, man destroys."

I would like to say that wolfhybrids are not bad to own.(They should not be kept on chains or in small pens)
They can be based on the owner and socialization with humans.
They are not for everyone. Only people who can handle them should be able to own one. Also the person should know alot about the animal. They are wild and some kids should not be around them.
I have three wolfhybrids(2 mid-contents and 1 high content) they are great with children(we never leave the kids alone with them.) I have had the high content for almost three years and she has never even growled at a human. I have had one of my mid contents for 5 months he only likes three people anyone else comes around and he takes off running, so normally we catch him and let people pet him, and all he does is cower and pee everywhere. He has also never growled at anyone. My other mid content I have had her for a couple of weeks and she is only a little skiddish but loves kids, when I first got her, a three year old little girl came up out of no where and hugged her, and at that time she was surrounded by kids and adults petting her. She loved it :) and in the time we have had her she has never growled at humans or anything either.
And yes wolves are KILLERS but that is only because they are predators. Don't forget dogs are related to wolves.
As many wolfhybrids I have met I have never been attacked or even growled at.
I have been bitten/bitten at, growled at, jumped at, snapped at, and ect. by dogs, but never by a wolfhybrid. :D
To tell you the truth im more afraid of a dog than a wolfhybrid.
Dogs sometimes don't show any signs of an attack, they even act friendly before one, wolves almost always show some kind of warning sign, like growling, showing teeth and bristling of the fur are the most common but also the stance they take shows.
Like I said he depends on the owner and how the animal was socialized. And like some dogs some are just born with bad tempers, like people, there are some just down right jerks and then are people who are in the middle and than the nice ones.
No matter where you look animals, people, etc. there are things with bad tempers. Haha and look at all the killers we have in the human population, so don't bad mouth wolves. Plus I have heard about dogs killing kids as well even a story of a poodle eating off the face of it's elderly owner. It is never a good idea to have small kids around wild animals or any big domesticated animals with out someone watching anyways, actually any young kid should not be left alone, there are so many possible dangers.

p.s. I am an animal lover and I do not hate dogs or anything I was giving you some life lived facts so don't say anything to me about me not liking dogs and all that bull. Also when I get older I want to start a wolf rescue

And we just love it when some newbie comes onto the forum and dredges up some long dead post to call us all unknowledgeable, then they ask a friend to come and post as well. But I am going to copy
Drogheda Bullmastiff's comments, because I am pretty sure that
50 YEARS gives her the right amount of knowledge, over you owning 2. And I am going to add that I am very glad that they are illegal to own where I live BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT PETS!!!
Full Member

Posts: 452

Joined: 2/7/2007

Location: Coming Soon
Posted: 1:41:10 PM 4/22/2009
Three weeks ago I put down the last of my father's wolf hybrids. For over 50 years I have been around these animals so I guess I do have the right to speak with knowledge. I personally would NEVER own one of these dogs. Every one my dad owned bit people including my father. My mom and I are the only ones that were never bitten. I was the one who took them to the vet and trimmed their nails and did any treating of wounds, etc.If a vet can look in the mouth of a wolf hybrid and if there is a high percentage of wolf blood, the teeth are very different from those of a domestic dog there are also some other physical differences. In the county where I live, a special permit is required that costs $400 per animal. The conditions for acquiring the permit require spay/neuter and the animal must be confined in a fenced enclosure at all times. These are very unpredictable and dangerous dogs and should never be considered true pets. My dad died in June of 2007 and I had to wrestle Thumper into the garage so the people from the mortuary could safely enter the house. As Thumper's health deteriated he became more agressive until I was actually beginning to worry about my mother's safety. Thank God I have a wonderful vet who came to the house and gave Thumper the injection while I held him.I loved Thumper a lot but I am so glad I will not have to ever deal with a wolf hybrid again.

Once again I have to agree with Ruffian. Even those on here who say they aren't dangerous, seem to support the fact that breeding and promoting "wolf dogs" is cruel. If an animal lives in fear and distrusts most of people it comes into contact with, isn't it suffering. Why breed them, if they are only going to suffer. What is the draw? (Besides an ego trip for the owner.)

I have met a handful over the years which in no way makes me "knowledgeable" on them but you do pick up a sense of what they are like. Mostly they are skittish and behave quite like the 2 newer members stated. Not 1 I have dealt with has been aggressive though given the fact that they were so fearful I am amazed they didn't at least growl or show teeth. One particular hybrid we currently have in our practice is one of the easiest animals to work with. I prefer to work with her over 99.5 % of the labs we have as patients. There is no question she has wolf in her. She is very different in appearance than any of the breeds typically used to mix them.

I don't support the intentional breeding of this mix but I believe it is as unfair to make blanket statements regarding their temperaments as it is for any other breed. There are bad apples in EVERY breed of animal, regardless of ownership experience.

this is my first post here. hello to everyone. i came to this forum looking for information about my australian shepherd and found this post about hybrids. i do not know a lot about wolf hybrids other than the one that shared my home for the last 13 years. she was a high end hybrid. i found her outside my door one morning as she had been dropped there by someone that didnt want her anymore. she looked half starved and hadnt been taken care of at all.she looked very pitiful. our best guess was that she was about six months old.we fed her and after a few days with her, she decided she would keep us. i live in a very rural area in the mountains so she was never chained up or fenced in. she was free to go or stay. she chose to stay. she had the best temperment of any animal i have ever been around. she did not ever slink around in the shadows, she walked upright and with pride and dignity..to the best of my knowledge of her she never beheaded anyone or ever ate any small children. altho i couldnt have blamed her at times when my seven grandchildren would come to visit.she was the most gentle and loving animal i have ever knew. she was very intelligent and quickly learned the rules as what to do and what not to do. she was treated with love and kindness and love is what she gave back to us. she passed away a few months back and will always be missed by me and my wife and all my family. i am not typing this to degrade anyones opinion of hybrids or to say that everyone should have one. this is not the case. they are not for everyone. but please do not put them all in a basket and call them bad. this is just not true.

It doesn't surprise me with the opinions that i have seen on this site and many others concerning wolf-hybrids. Yes I do have a hybrid in my family. I do not have any children, but I do have 3 small toy breed dogs. I am not the average pet owner, so I can only speak from my experiences, education, and valid research about the hybrid. unlike the average dog, hybrids are much more intelligent in problem solving, they require much more attention, and they have a much higher need of an alpha pack leader. They are definitely misunderstood by most. The one thing is for sure, they make a much better companion than pet.
If one understands the true pack mentality, they seem to follow the true model of hiearchy. They understand body language and tone. They understand the rules if they are presented in ways that follow pack rules. They have a much stronger need for an alpha, and will take advantage of any human that allows them to hold a higher position. But with proper "training", again training they understand, they can and will make a loyal friend and companion. One that is gentle in nature. I can go on forever about them, training, ect...
Will they have wolf instincts? of course. But just b/c they are a cross breed, will not automatically make them a baby killer, little dog eater, biter, ect.....If you look at the statistics and dates of every wolf hybrid that bit a human, the incidences are few. Compare them to all breeds and the numbers are enlightening.

and thanks to you for reviving a long dead thread, FYI for next time there is a date in the upper right corner.

I find it interesting and a bit disturbing that all the hybrid supporters don't seem to care about the animals. It's all about how the animal fits into your life, what kind of companion they make for you. It's been awhile since I've read this entire post and I'm not going to read it again. However, it seems like there were more "poor animal" posts than "babykiller" posts. If you rescue one and can provide it w/ what it needs, kudos to you. That's completely different than breeding them or supporting those that do.

As with any breed...
I do not support breeding when there are soo many unwanted pets.
I only chose to supply my baby girl wolf hybrid with what she needed as she was already brought into this cruel world.
Everyone will take a stand on their beliefs. I try to have educated ones. As for the old post, i appologize...didnt know i would offend anyone for speaking out about a hybrid.