From: hunter@work.nlm.nih.gov (Larry Hunter)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.dogs
Subject: response to rec.pets.dogs FAQ
Date: 24 Jul 92 22:38:20 GMT
Distribution: alt
Organization: National Library of Medicine


Cindy Moore has made some changes to the wolf-hybrid FAQ, mostly removing
factually incorrect segments.  I think it's a lot better now, but I thought I
would post my email comments anyway.  I address some of the misinformation
about wolf-hybrids that are more widespread than just the FAQ and add some
personal opinions.  Hope you find this interesting.

The old FAQ entry is indented.  My comments are flush left.

   **********************************************************************
   Wolf-hybrids make extremely poor pets, and you *should* *not* consider
   getting one.  What follows is for informational purposes only.
   **********************************************************************

I have owned 3 "high percentage" wolf hybrids (WHs), and two of them were
excellent pets.  I have also known dozens of other WHs and their owners over
more than a decade.  In my opinion, they possess a level of social intelligence
the likes of which I have rarely witnessed in other breeds of dog.  There are
certainly challenges in owning WHs, as there are in owning any animal that has
the potential to be dangerous to people; however, WHs are by no means the only
dog breed that has that potential.  Certainly judging by the number of reported
attacks on humans, hybrids are not anywhere near as dangerous as shepards,
rotwillers, dobermans, pit bulls, great danes, huskies or many other breeds of
dog.

I think it is much fairer to say 

"Wolf-hybrids are not for everybody.  Like other potentially dangerous breeds,
they require a high level of training and careful supervision."

   The very first problem to be considered is knowing what the actual
   percentage of wolf is in the hybrid.  Price and certainly behavior is
   strongly affected by that percentage, but there is no way to be sure of what
   you are getting.  

I'm afraid this reflects a lack of understanding of genetics.  Even single gene
traits are not inherited on a "percentage" basis.  All dog breeders should get
themselves an intro genetics book.  Genes have two or more alleles, which tend
to be expressed in an "all or none" fashion.  Some genes have a recessive
allele, which can be hidden by a dominant one, so that the offspring of that
animal may have quite different characteristics that their parents.  This is
"Mendelian inheritance."  Most traits of interest are multigenic, adding a
further layer of complication to the story.  In short, "percentage wolf" is
practically meaningless.  Some very low percentage wolves can look and act very
wolf-like, and some very high percentage wolves can look and act very dog-like.

I have a "very high percentage" WH male, now getting on 10 years old, who is
extremely good in the areas in which typical WH's can pose problems.  He is
good with strangers, around food, and moderately good around other dogs. (More
on these issues below).  He seems to have just the right doggish genes mixed
into his very wolfy background. On the other hand, I had a lower percentage
female who we just could not in good conscience keep in the suburbs because of
strong inappropriate wolf characteristics.  After knowing dozens of WH puppies
(and their grown-up counterparts) I would suggest that the best measure of how
a WH (or any other dog) will behave when it is grown is careful observation of
how its parents behave.  Even this is not foolproof.

   Apparently, the only WH's that work out well are the ones that act very,
   very dog-like.  Although there are exceptions, most WH's do NOT act like
   domesticated dogs.  Dogs are the result of thousands of years of genetic
   selection for those attributes that are desired by man.  The wolf, on the
   other hand, has been selected to be intelligent, cunning and cool-headed.

One implication of this statement is that dogs have been breed to be less
intelligent than wolves (in some respects at least) and I think this is true.
That is one of the main attractions of WHs (as well as Australian shepards and
lots of other "working" dogs). 

The WHs that work out well are the ones (A) with owners who are conscientious,
knowledgable, and willing to put in the effort required train large animals
successfully; (B) who are not very skittish around strangers, even as puppies;
(C) who are not very aggressive around food.  

I belive the most important determinant of how well a WH will "work out" is its
owner.  Large animals like WHs simply must be well trained.  This requires
dilligence and effort, and usually the help of a professional.  I also agree
with your statement that it is a good idea for WH owners to know about wolves
and wolf packs.  (I don't think they need to be Ph.D.'s in ethology though!)

   Most suffer from a fear, or at least a nervousness, of being around people
   and are very timid until something happens to go against their instincts.

There are two qualities of the animal that I feel are also important for how
well the animal will fare in a domestic environment.  As you point out, some
WHs are very skittish.  This is a sign of potential problems, since fearful
animals are more likely to become aggressive.  However, my experience has been
that most WHs are NOT nervous.  It is also relatively easy to determine this
when you are selecting a puppy.  If the mother of the puppies is not aggressive
when you come to examine her puppies, you're pup will in all likelihood be just
fine.   If the mother is not around, or acts either nervous or aggressive, you
should probably look for another puppy, or be absolutely certain that your
enclosure 100% secure (not an easy task!)

The other problem that is more common in WHs than in dogs is aggressiveness
around food.  Non-alpha wolves compete with each other for a share the food
that the animals higher in the pack hierarchy leave over.  Especially in young
animals, feeding behavior is voracious and inclined towards theivery and
aggression ("Wolfing down food").  I've trained my WHs to rest (lie down)
several yards away from the table when people are eating (I wish other people
would train their dogs to stay away from people while they're eating!).
Although with proper training, this is not a major issue, it is important that
new WH owners be aware of this difference.

   The pack instinct is very strong. They will only obey you
   if they feel you are the dominant dog in the pack, so obviously, you
   have to know A LOT about wolfpacks to stay ahead of the game. Also,
   hybrids don't automatically assume that the "master" will always be
   the master.  If the owner goes into the enclosure and is sick,
   injured, or otherwise shows weakness, the hybrid may very well test
   the owner for dominance, which can take the forms of attacking or
   defensive fighting.

This just doesn't square with my experience at all.  When I am sick, my WHs
worry and mope, and pay a lot of attention to me.  Likewise, on one occasion
when I was injured in their presence, they put up a distress call and watched
over me caringly.  In the wild, dominance battles tend to begin over food or
sex.  A sick animal may loose such a battle, but that is not (to my knowledge)
how they start.  This makes a kind of ethological sense, since wolves hunt game
much larger than themselves and depend on the entire pack for success.
Attacking injured pack members just doesn't seem adaptive in that context.
There are also social and "personality" issues that make it relatively common
for the alpha NOT to be the strongest animal in the pack.

   WH's are cute as puppies, and for the first two years they will be
   fine but at about 20 months or so they begin to change and you have to
   stay on top of it.  Males at 24 months and the first season of heat
   WILL challenge the perceived alpha (this means you!) and they do it
   every heat season.  This is no mild challenge but an all out fight
   between you and the dog.  Not fun and Not put down by simple commands.
   Learn an alpha roll early and learn to use it well.  Females have this
   problem around 30 months.

Again, through my experience with 3 WHs that I have owned and dozens of others,
this is not what I have found to be the case.  First, the transition to full
adulthood in my male was between 3 and 3.5 years.  At that point he took away
many of the priviledges that the older (alpha) female had over him, although he
to this day (7 years later) still symbolicly submits to her, despite his
substantial size and weight advantage.  Males also do not have "seasons of
heat," and although there have been a few instances where one or the other of
my WHs has disobeyed me in some way or another, aside from needing the courage
to face an animal that weighs more than I do, and some knowledge of dog
training techniques, none of these episodes were particularly difficult.

   WH's should NEVER be allowed access to small children, unless they are
   on a leash and strictly watched for signs of aggression.  Wolves do
   not respect any one perceived lower then themselves so kids always
   have to be careful around the "dog".  If a child trips and falls, or
   gets knocked down by the big furry "dog", it's natural reaction is to
   kick and cry.  This will trigger the predatory response from the
   hybrid and can easily lead to a mauling.  

This strikes me as sensationalism of the worse kind.  There have been far fewer
maulings of children by WHs than by other breeds of dog.  OF COURSE you should
watch WHs around small children, as you should carefully supervise any other
potentially dangerous animal.  How many thousands of children are hurt by
terriers every year??  In fact, to counter the kind of sensationalism found in
this FAQ (and elsewhere), I think WH owners tend to be extra conscientious!

I have found that my wolves are very good with children, through all kinds of
crying, kicking, teasing and other challenges.  The main problem is that the
WHs tend to get playful, and a large animal can easily knock a child down.  Of
course, I supervise all these interactions quite closely, monitoring the
behavior of both the dog and the child.  Several children we know who are
afraid of other kinds of dogs just love to visit our wolves.

   You need to watch the dog around strangers because they will back bite.

You need to watch any large animal around strangers.  Again, WH have attacked
far fewer people than many other breeds of dog.  As I said before, a skittish
WH can be a problem, and should be isolated from contact with strangers.  I
don't know what distinction is being drawn by "back bite" vs. just "bite," but
all the evidence is that WHs are less dangerous than many other breeds of dog. 

   Training: Many respondents emphasized that WH's can be trained, but
   NOT TRUSTED. 

What does this mean?  An animal is either trained or it isn't.  If it only
obeys commands sometimes, it is NOT trained.  WHs are certainly clever, and can
do things that their owners wish they hadn't thought of, but my WHs are
absolutely obidient and completely trustworthy.

   Most obedience clubs will not even allow wolf hybrids in classes.  Wolf
   Country, a breeder near Anchorage, strongly recommends potential owners work
   around the animals for at least a year in order to see if they can handle
   them and do want one.  Apparently they socialize quite differently from
   dogs, are more intelligent but also far different in their response to
   discipline.

There is an element of truth to this.  Certainly the advice about getting to
know WHs before buying one is good.  And getting a trainer who has some
experience with WHs is a good idea, although not absolutely required.  However,
the following statement in particular strikes me as sensationalistic and
incorrect:

   The normal methods used on dogs do not work at all on a hybrid which has a
   fair amount of wolf in it.

I have personally trained three WHs, and know a trainer who specializes in WHs
in Maryland (Wolfspirit, in Gaithersburg, MD).  The techniques are basically
the same, although there as some things that wolves know that dogs have
"forgotten" that you can use to good effect when training them.   

   Housing: YOU DO NOT (repeat NOT) PUT A HYBRID ON A CHAIN IN THE BACK
   YARD!  You need to build an enclosure of at least 10000 square feet to
   allow it to explore.  Also it must be fenced with at least 7' high and
   an overhang.  Not only that, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to put a
   gate to your back yard to prevent children from wandering out there,
   because if you stick something into its area, it will try to pull it
   through, regardless of whether it is living or just a stick.  Some of
   these animals are so strong destructive that they can not be let in
   the house, and will destroy any house you make for them.  There are
   many areas where owning a WH is illegal.

Again, the sensationalistic tone really interferes with the useful information
that is mixed in.  It is a good idea to have a fence that keeps strangers and
small children from wandering into any large dog's territory.  And WH's (like
other active, large dogs) benefit by having a lot of space.  However, the
10,000 sq ft number sounds pretty arbitrary.  Our pair is happy in a 1/4 acre,
which is a good bit less than 10,000 sq. ft.  And at least one of our WHs is
quite adept at escaping from even 8' fence.  We've found that a long cable run
and a relatively weak fence works better for us than trying to completely
dog-proof the fence.  What does "strong destructive" mean?  Almost all of the
dozens of WHs I have known were completely house trained.  The parents of the
puppy I got that did not work out in the suburbs were the only ones I had ever
met (outside a zoo) that were housed exclusively in outdoor cages.  Their very
strong teeth and digestive systems can pose some extra teething problems, which
is balanced in my mind by the speed at which they learn to be housebroken...

And there are relatively few jurisdictions where wolf hybrids are illegal.

   Health: Most medicines for dogs do not work and you may have harder times
   getting them over kennel cough, parvo, distemper, etc. In Indiana it is
   illegal to vaccinate a wild animal (including hybrids) and often the
   vaccines will not work on them.

Again, I have not found this to be true.  Many medicines work fine (e.g.
wormer, antibiotics), although we did have trouble with anesthesia once.  It is
helpful to find a vet that is familiar with wolf-hybrids before you get your
puppy.  Often the breeder will have a suggestion.   The FAQ fails to mention
that WHs appear to be more disease resistant than domestic dogs.  Also, it
appears that WHs live a relatively long time compared to other dogs of their
size. 

There are other important pieces of information that you left out.  WHs are
more acutely social beings than other breeds of dog, and they often fail to
thrive when raised in isolation.  In almost all circumstances it is best to
have at least two WHs so they can keep each other company.  At the very least,
a WH ought to have the companionship of another dog.  I suspect many of the
problems WH owners have arise because the WH is totally removed from its social
mileau.  Also, in my experience, having two is not much more effort or expense
than having one.  I make this recommendation very strongly.

Another issue concerns the interactions between WHs and other dogs.
Domestication has breed out the particular behaviors that wolves perceive as
submissive (probably substituting ones that people see as submissive), so WHs
confronting strange dogs, especially on home territory, seem to perceive the
other dogs as challengers, leading to fights.  Almost all dominance battles are
"sham" fights, with more ear nipping, wrestling and growling than real attacks,
but it is still a problem.  With WHs it is important to take extra precautions
to keep other dogs out of the WH's yard, and to always keep WHs on a leash when
in public.


   More Information: There apparently are national societies on hybrids- and
   magazines to read, although no one gave me the exact names of any of them.
   Behavior seminars are offered by Wolf Park in Battleground IN, directed by
   Dr.  Erich Klinghammer.

I've seen these magazines, too, but don't know the names.  Try asking your
local librarian.  And in Maryland, Wolfspirit in Gaithersburg (301)353-0768
offers WH (and owner) training and helpful consultation.

   Also, a very good article on wolf-dogs/hybrids appeared in the Friday
   Chicago Tribune. March 13, 1992.

This was a sensationalistic scare piece after a bite story that made national
headlines!  Is that where the information in this FAQ comes from???  I suspect
that if everytime a doberman/shepard/great dane/etc.  bit somebody badly it
made national headlines, all dogs would have a reputation as bad as WH's.

In summary, in appropriate contexts, with responsible owners, wolf-hybrids can
make excellent pets.  The sensationalistic hype around them has more to do with
the "big bad wolf" than with the reality of wolf hybrids.  (BTW, if you think
US wolf stories are bad, ask an eastern european what they think of wolves!)

Larry

--
Lawrence Hunter, PhD.
National Library of Medicine
Bldg. 38A, MS-54
Bethesda. MD 20894
(301) 496-9300
(301) 496-0673 (fax)
hunter@nlm.nih.gov (internet)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.dogs