How Do You Take Care of a Wolfdog?
If you are interested in possessing and caring for a wolfdog, there are many considerations. First, they need a lot of space, and in saying that, we do not mean there needs to be a good dog park nearby, but rather that they need constant access to a lot of land. These are animals that need to run, and if that ability is limited, you risk irritating them.
Due to the nature of the possible variations in their genetics and their characteristics, issues with your wolfdog can be very dangerous. It’s not at all unusual for owners to get overwhelmed by their behavior. Sadly, potential owners don’t get familiar with the natures of either a wolf or a dog and the possible ways they intersect. Also, safety issues and issues, in general, are almost always preventable through proper preparation.
It is well known that they need to have plenty of space. These are animals that like to run, and if you confine them, you run the risk of irritating them. This could make them very dangerous. You also need to have plenty of food available. They like to eat a tremendous amount of food every day, and you need to prevent them from going hungry if you want them to stay calm and manageable. Finally, you need to have a vet who is comfortable taking care of a wolfdog. That way, you make sure the animal gets the care it needs to live a healthy life.
Lastly, be aware of the issue with rabies vaccines. Few, if any, work to protect hybrids because they simply aren’t made to work with those sets of combined genetics.
Is it legal to own a wolf?
Before we look into wolf-dog hybrids, there are some people who are seriously looking into whether it is possible to have a wolf as a pet. Perhaps this highlights the recent popularization of keeping wild-animals as companion animals. We may see videos online of humans interacting with wildlife in a way which implies co-habitation is possible. However, there are many reasons why this may not be the case.
One of the most important complications involved in keeping wolves as pets is to do with legality. There are few places in the world where keeping a wolf as a pet is legal. When this does occur, it is usually only when the owner has specific permits which are difficult to obtain. However, this will depend on different factors, one of the most important is where you live.
For example, in the state of Nevada, it is legal to own and transport wolves without a permit. Still, it is not quite that simple. The wolf needs to have been reared in captivity for the express purpose of being kept as a companion animal for humans. This goes to show that whether a wolf id legal depends on various factors and there is no blanket answer to the question.
What can be asserted in most cases is that keeping a wolf as a pet is a bad idea. Wolves are wild animals which need to be very carefully reared to be able to socialize with humans from the time they are a puppy. Even if this happens, their wild nature is difficult to handle and they can be aggressive with strangers even if they are docile with family.
Practically, wolves need a lot of space and very specific care requirements in terms of feeding, training and more. If they dont receive the right care, their well-being and any humans around them can be compromised. For this reason, many people look to wolf-dog hybrids to see if they can keep an animal which is a domestic animal, but maintains certain wolf-like traits.
Dogs and wolves have the same ancestry that dates back more than 30,000 years. There is historical evidence that natural breeding between these two differentiated species occurred in Europe at least 10,000 years ago. This is where the first prehistoric wolf-dogs have been documented. There is also evidence of wolf-dogs in paintings of the Teotihuacan civilization in Mexico, where this hybrid accompanied warriors.
Intentional wolf and dog hybridization did not begin until the 18th century, when the British first bred a wolf with what was then known as a Pomeranian (nothing to do with the Pomeranian as we know it today).
During the past decade, the urge to have an exotic pet and the rise in popularity of wolf-like aesthetics have led to crossing wolves bred for their fur with other popular wolf-like breeds. Such breeds include the Alaskan Malamute, Alaskan Husky and German Shepherd. Breeders will often cross wolfdog with another wolfdog, but wolfdog-wolf forced breeding still occurs today. According to the BCSPCA (British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), cross-breeding a wolf and dog counteracts 12,000 years of domestication. This is why they cannot be classified as dog breeds and are not recognized as such by any dog foundation such as the FCI or AKC.
As mentioned in the introduction, the definition of a wolf-dog is a hybrid between a common domestic dog (Canis Lupus) with either the gray (Canis lupus), red (Canis rufus), eastern timber (Canis lycaon) or Ethiopian wolf (Canis simenisis). However, this definition can sometimes be pretty blurry. Years of inbreeding only leave the breed with the wolf-like appearance due to their ancestry, but cannot be classified as such. Generally, the amount of wolf content in a wolf-dog can be classified as follows:
As a general classification, they are given a filial number, i.e. the number of generations bred, which means that F1 will mean that it has been a wolf and wolf-dog or dog cross, F2 means that they are a second generation of wolf-dogs that have been inbred, and so on. Although the classification is pretty clear, their legitimate phenotyping to discover their content is practically untraceable, as most genetic tests are not in the reach of the general public.
The fact that it is so difficult to trace their bloodline makes it difficult to determine whetherthey are classified as wolf-dogs. This makes it pretty difficult to establish thorough legislation on the matter. Nevertheless, wed like to remind you that hybridization does not blur wolf-like behavior in a wolf-dog, but is just an addition to the dogs genes. This means that wolf-like behavior can occur in this type of dogs no matter how much wolf content they have if they have been inbred.
However, there are no official certificates for wolf-dogs. Breeders may say certificates are legitimate, but if this is the case, it is a sure sign they are unscrupulous. In fact, many experts say that most breeders sell dogs that just look like wolves, but have little or no wolf content. This is due to the fact that these were crossed several centuries ago with wolves. They have a wolf-like appearance, but are actually 100% dog. These breeds are usually the following:
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We hope that our readers can learn along with us as we continue to pursue our mission and vision. Check your local laws, and consider becoming an ambassador for the animals Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary rescues and cares for every day as a result of the exotic pet trade. Question how your legislators came about their decisions to create laws as they apply to wolf-dogs, and ask that they regulate wolf-dogs from the perspective of compassion and education rather than fear and misinformation. I leave you with a great quote from U.S. Fish and Wildlife to consider: “It took many thousands of years for humans to selectively breed canines for the traits that make modern-day dogs such delightful companions: congeniality, flexibility, and eagerness to please. It is simply impossible to instill these traits in a wild animal overnight. Many an unsuspecting wolf lover has purchased a wolf pup, only to find that it is largely untrainable (since it does not care much about pleasing its owner), and that as it grows into adulthood it becomes unpredictable, if not downright dangerous, especially around children and small animals. Many such animals end up living miserable lives on the end of a chain after a frustrated owner gives up on trying to care properly for the animal. When such an animal is cornered or frightened and reacts by attacking a human – – often a small child – – the incident reinforces the common misconception that wolves are bloodthirsty and aggressive creatures.
A common practice of regulation, if the state does not default to standard domestic dog laws, is requiring a permit for wolf-dog ownership. The permit process varies from one step harder than for your standard dog, to specific permission with extremely strict enclosure requirements making it almost impossible for the average person to comply. An example of the latter is Arkansas. They have provided very detailed outlines that owners must abide to legally own a wolf-dog. These outlines include: public records of health and welfare for each animal; strict enclosure requirements, including precise specifications on space, construction, and number of animals per enclosure; and provisions for diet describing the ratios of meat and protein to starches. Furthermore, all of the above is subject to inspection, and at the cost of the owner. These laws are in place to protect the animals, the people living in close proximity to wolf-dogs, and to likely dissuade the average citizen from ownership of these special needs animals.
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Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary does not promote nor condone the practice of owning wolf-dogs as pets. For more information on the wolf-dog itself and why Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary maintains the stance that it does, I highly suggest reading our article, “Why Wolf-Dogs Don’t Make Good Pets.” Regardless of our stance, legislation with respect to the ownership of “wolf hybrids” is inconsistent from state-to-state, county-to-county, and even city-to-city. In this article, we will cover the different approaches governments have taken to regulate wolf-dogs, potential reasons behind this legislation, and trends throughout the states.
Wolf Dogs Aren’t Legal in All 50 States #shorts
However, in some of these states — Alaska, Michigan and North Dakota — a wolfdog can be “grandfathered” in. Other states — Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Texas and Utah — don’t regulate ownership on a state level, instead leaving it up to individual counties.