Wolves in Sorcerer's Apprentice the MovieDoes the wolf in the following photo look familiar? His name is Takoda and he was one of the "wolves" that played a part in the Disney movie "Sorcerer's Apprentice". I had the honor of working with him and assisted in training him to perform his "part" in the movie.
Yup! That's me!
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A little bit on the differences between Wolves and Wolf-DogsWOLVES AND WOLF DOGS
From the very start I want to stress that wolves are not vicious animals.
Wolf-dogs are no more an endangerment than any other dog.
And I personally DO NOT approve of keeping wolves as pets.
I also DO NOT approve of breeding wolves and dogs to create a “wolf-dog”. This article is meant to help those that have them already and are just looking for another person’s perspective. Or are thinking of getting one...please consider a rescue!
PLEASE DO NOT SUPPORT PEOPLE WHO BREED WOLVES AND DOGS!
Believe it or not, your little Poodle or Chihuahua really are descended from wolves! Wolves are amazing animals. But are there any real differences between wolves and what we refer to as “dogs”? Since dogs are descended from wolves, aren’t they the same? Definitely not! What about wolf-dogs? (a wolf-dog is a dog that has some wolf in recent ancestry) Since they have a higher percentage of “wolf blood” recent in their breeding, aren’t they the same as well? Ummmm….no.
Before I really dive into this article, I will let you know I have plenty of first hand experience working with numerous wolf-dogs of varying content (percentage of wolf blood), as well as having spent time with 2 wolves. If you have a “wolf-dog” that on paper is 97% wolf, and 3% dog, you may as well consider it a wolf.
So let’s talk about breeding and genetics. I will admit I am no geneticist. I am not even a scientist. Although I have heard it said that a huge part of being a good scientist is having good observation skills and reasoning powers, both of which I have. I have had some minor experience in breeding for traits, and the whole genetic thing when I spent a number of years breeding mice for specific traits. Good record keeping was imperative during that whole “experiment” (which was informative and fun). I have also spent an unfathomable amount of time reading on the subjects of genetics, breeding, wolves, and dogs.
I read about a study that a man did in Russia with foxes. He wanted to see how long it would take to “create” a “domestic” fox in the same way we have “created” a “domestic” wolf in the form of a dog. In less than 100 generations (not long really) he succeeded in producing a fox, that looked basically foxy, but had the personality traits and behavior patterns desirable in a dog. He would specifically choose matings between animals that had the personality traits and looks we would want in a “pet”. This is no different than what early man did with the wolf. Man would of course only allow to breed (or would have the opportunity to breed) those animals that would make good companions because of their personalities. And during the course of time, as more people began to desire certain physical traits as well, this is how the hundreds of dog breeds came into existence.
With the passage of time and specific breeding, the basic personality traits that dogs have are now far different from those of wolves. There are still some basic similarities, and there are of course exceptions to every rule. But if you get a wolf or wolf-dog and expect it to behave like the family dog, you will be sorely disappointed. That is one reason why “breed specific” shelters that only take in wolf dogs are in operation today. Before acquiring one of these animals, you also need to make sure of the regulations of your state or county in which you live.
So now that we got through all that, just HOW are they different? There are many schools of thought on this. There are so many “experts” out there that will agree with everything I will say, and just the same there are many that will say I have no idea what I am talking about. All I can do is relate to you my personal observations and experiences. I will say that IF you are considering adding a wolf-dog to your family you should first find a shelter that takes in wolf-dogs and work with them for awhile first, then take one in that needs a home, as opposed to buying one from a breeder.
Dogs have a basic “need” for us. Again, please keep in mind that there is an exception to every rule. But for the most part dogs enjoy and even require human companionship. They also enjoy doing things for us. Whether this stems from a real desire to please us, or just to get the desired treat or attention from us doesn’t really matter. They, for whatever reason, will try to please us. This is what makes them easier to train than other animals. They don’t have the same way of thinking as some other animals do, like wolves in fact, and dogs are more inclined to look to us for direction or instruction.
Training wolves is more akin to training cats, or sugar gliders! Wolves have greater reasoning powers than dogs, doing better on tests requiring this type of thinking. Wolves will not look to us for a solution, they will come up with their own. In training you also cannot use any negative reinforcements, only use positive. As “punishing” a wolf will only cause him to fear you, and that fear can lead to undesirable behavior later. Training a wolf is more about relationship as opposed to master/pet ownership.
Wolf-dogs can have the traits of both wolves and dogs, in various amounts, depending on the amount of wolf and just plain personality traits. You never know when a wolf-dog will be feeling more doggish or more wolfish either. It is important to have a good relationship with your wolf-dog and be able to read his moods, and be willing to respect those moods. But this is true of any animal in your care.
If I love wolves and wolf-dogs so much, why am I against breeding them? There are many reasons. First of all I feel it taints the wolf lines. But the biggest reason I am against it is for the wolf-dogs themselves. While I love them dearly and pray for the day I can have a shelter and rescue them as well, the fact that they NEED rescuing is what I am against. Too many people breed these animals to sell and too many people buy one for the wrong reasons. They want a wolf but that is illegal so they buy a wolf-dog. And unfortunately too many of these gorgeous animals end up abandoned because their owners couldn’t handle such an intelligent animal and were misinformed on what to expect.
While many are purchased by “dog people” I sometimes feel that wolf-dogs are more for “cat people”. Do you want an intelligent animal who is happy to share time with you, but at times wants to be left alone and may even be aloof? That is indicative of cat ownership. And similar to what you MAY experience with a high content wolf-dog.
Wolf-dogs are also best when given plenty to keep them busy. Such as a large outdoor enclosure, and lots of toys. Do not expect them to be happy left inside all day. You may come home to a couch torn to bits from boredom. Remember these are very intelligent animals and they will get bored easily and need mental stimulation to stay content.
While there are exceptions to every rule, you need to be prepared to accept them for who and what they are. Most higher content wolf-dogs have a high prey drive as well, meaning their instincts to chase small squeaky animals is very high. Keep that in mind if you have small animals around.
So please, if you have a wolf-dog and are having problems with him, please contact a shelter that specializes in wolf-dogs and see if they can help you with any behavioral problems. NEVER let it loose thinking it will survive just because it is part wolf. IT WONT! All it will do is look to humans for help and cause trouble and the ones to be blamed are the wolves, never the dogs.
One of my favorite wolf-dog sanctuaries run by a wonderful woman is Full Moon Farm. Please feel free to visit her site by clicking here: Full Moon Farm http://www.fullmoonfarm.org/
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