Rare White Arctic Wolf Cubs

Originally Posted by sylent1

To say that they are "different " than dogs....and that their "fear response" is "different" seems gratuitous and generic.

Ah, but does sating that as a whole they are NOT different any less generic?

I have had limited experience with wolfdogs, but from what I have seen, they are very much different, but in subtle ways many that are not exposed to them on a daily basis may not notice immediately.

I believe that wolf crosses may make fine pets when in a home with porperly educated owners. They are NOT for everyone, even folks that would be fine candidates for being dog owners. They are like many more "exotic" type pets....they need to be kept only by those who are qualified and educated enough to keep them.

Originally Posted by sylent1

Once again...the term "hybrid " is NOT correct. Wolves and dogs are the SAME species....you are NOT "crossing" one species with another.

Whether you call it a hybrid or an intergrade, the fact remains that dogs have been bred to have temperaments that differ greatly from wolves, and the temperament of offspring from interbreeding them is unpredictable.

To say that they are "different " than dogs....and that their "fear response" is "different" seems gratuitous and generic.

Actually, to say they are "different" than dogs and that their "fear response" is "different" seems accurate and on point. Dogs of whatever breed have been selectively chosen to exhibit specific personality traits in addition to their differing physical traits. Man's interference has altered the basic nature of the animal so that it no longer resembles its wild ancestors in myriad ways. To believe that a wolf or wolfdog will react in a predictable manner is as naive as believing that a rottweiler can be treated like a spaniel.

I don't sell animals. My original intention was to clear up the habit of calling wolfdogs "hybrids, or crosses" and to perhaps share my own experience with them. I've heard a lot of things said about wolfdogs that my experience said just isn't true. But there is always the owner factor.

Sylent1

Once again...the term "hybrid " is NOT correct. Wolves and dogs are the SAME species....you are NOT "crossing" one species with another

You are wrong. Wolves and dogs are NOT the same SPECIES. They are the same GENUS, Canis. Wolf SPECIES include: Canis lupus (grey wolf), Canis rufus (red wolf), and Canis simensis (Abyssinian or Ethiopian wolf, which is thought by some scientists to be a jackal, not a wolf.) There are about 5 subspecies of the grey wolf, such as the timber wolf, arctic wolf, and Mexican wolf.

Domestic dogs are Canis familiaris. To say that mating a wolf with a domestic dog is not a hybrid, would mean that mating a jackal with a dog, or a coyote with a dog is also not a hybrid.

When you allow a wolf and a domestic dog to mate, you are "crossing" one SPECIES with another.

ok I'm REALLY tired of trying to teach people that have access to the SAME material that I do on the INTERNET. RATHER than appear ignorant TRY to USE the RESOURCE. I am QUOTING the AMERICAN KENNEL CLUB and the American Society of Mammologists.
" In the past decade, the media has published a number of sensational articles about so-called "wolf hybrids" by which inaccurate name they refer to the offspring of wolves and dogs. In response, twenty-five states have passed some legislation or regulation relating to these canids. United Kennel Club opposes the regulation of wolf-dog crosses for the following reasons:


* The most recent molecular genetic evidence shows that wolves and dogs are genetically identical.

* The American Society of Mammalogists have reclassified dogs as a subspecies of wolf (canis lupis familaris) and this is the view of the majority of taxonimists.

* A comparative study of behavior showed that of 90 different behavior patterns found in dogs, all but 19 were also found in wolves. These 19 were all considered minor behavior patterns which the researchers believe probably do occur in wolves but have not yet been observed.

* Since, at the present time, there is no means by which to distinguish wolf-dog crosses from dogs, either by DNA or by the animal's appearance or behavior, it is impossible to enforce regulations aimed at wolf-dog crosses. In a recent telephone survey of the persons administering "wolf hybrid" regulations, most freely acknowledged that such rules were extremely difficult to enforce, primarily due to the inability to identify the object of the regulations. In the past decade, Tennessee and Oregon have rescinded their laws regulating wolf-hybrids because of the problems in adminstering the regulations. To date, every legal challenge to these laws has been won by the owner of the canid in question and nearly always on the grounds that such laws are unconstitutionally vague.

* Otherwise responsible owners of spitz-type breeds may find themselves the objects of harrasment by neighbors or animal control officers who may confuse these purebred dogs with wolf-dog crosses. This type of harrasment may generate expensive litigation and bad publicity."

PLEASE DO NOT post to me unless you are GOING to research the subject. I have as I stated raised wolves and wofdogs for generations. Wolves and their ensuing litters tend to be MUCH smarter than dogs as a whole and this should preclude MANY people (ESPECIALLY those that have posted to me) from raising them.

Agression will vary greatly even in LITTERS of dogs, most hostility is allelomimetic (taught or learned). I can site instances where high percentage wolf wolfdogs mde great security dogs and also where they were shy and retiring. MOST agression disorders in canines comes from a lack of bonding (as it does in humans). There are some pople that would be more suited to raising fish.
If you would like more info on canine agression disorders or bonding disorders I can give you a link to a person with a Ph.D. in cell/molecular biology with a doctoral minor in biochemistry; a masters degree in psychology, and 15 years research experience in biomedical and behavioral fields with humans and various species of animals that can explain it MUCH better than I. I have NEVER had a dog attack another human except in defense of myself or a mate and these responses at the time were rewarded.

Gawd I can't believe I misspelled aggression...*sigh*