Wolf hybrid/ Saarloo

Beans2000 said:
I will as soon as he is home! I have never met him but oh has!
Click to expand...

Best thing about dogs this size. They help carry the shopping home ;)

salembackpack.jpg


http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DOG-BACK-..._Supplies_Dogs&var&hash=item256f249772&_uhb=1
 
Last edited:
That Defra document is very interesting and informative :)

The fact that their are animals out there that can change from being good with children to regarding them as prey like the example of 'Impo" is a little concerning. Though hardly surprising given the nature of the hybrid.

OP if you are going to take on this dog I wish you well.............. but I hope you have a proper plan on how you plan to manage his interactions with the public....its one thing to have a dog thats potentially aggressive, as of course all dogs are, I would imagine that a wolf hybrid would be a whole other scenario....
With a wolf heritage would you expect them not to be good with strangers and a potential danger to young children?no? Do you have access to safe areas to exercise that sort of animal? Are you going to keep on a lead at all times like a nordic breed? How are you muzzling skills for when you have to expose him to scenarios he might like or find fearfull/stressful such as the vet? how do you plan to contain him within your home?and garden,digging and climbing seem to be a running theme/issue?

In my head I always imagined the poor hybrids as timid/scared siberian huskys..on speed. along the lines of anything they can do we can do bigger worser and more dangerously....


I know I may be sounding terribly negative but although WolfHybrids,even F1 crosses, are legal in Ireland...yet again our lack to basic common sense laws have let us down... in out lectures as trainee Vets we were under strict instructions to discourage the practice of breeding these animals and to encourage people against buying them due to their unpredictable nature's, as many retain the wolf characteristics, and the potential danger to the public from them if not properly contained. Timberwolves seemed to be the most common cross here often with a GSD.

I believe they are uninsurable in Ireland as well...... the U.K may be different.

Sorry to have such a negative post. With any luck you will come on here with great stories with a dog who disproves all his ancestry :)
 
blackcob said:
Would love to see pics. :)

I have my doubts as to the authenticity of most supposed wolf hybrids in the UK, the logistics behind having a wolf or near wolf in a pet home in this country with which to be producing crosses is near impossible.

Not to say totally impossible - I once met a very, very convincing dog owned by a Canadian couple who had brought her with them when they emigrated to the UK. There was something distinctly 'other' about her, many dogs had bizarre reactions to her. I forget what proprtion of wolf they claimed but it was less than 50% and she still had behavioural issues as a house pet, never fully house trained etc.

One of the dogs in the pic below is supposedly part wolf. I think sibe/mal/GSD. Please note that neither the wolf or the fat one are mine. :p

312787_10150291831386915_894772236_n.jpg
Click to expand...

Is it the dog on the far left that's rumoured to be part wolf?

It's funny you say about the "otherness". Friends who did dog sledding had a bitch they'd got from the Arctic to use in their breeding program and she was very different indeed. She had many of the characteristics menitoned in the DEFRA paper - I was always fascinated by her feet! - but mostly it was the look in her eyes. Most dogs, even very damaged ones, acknowledge people, even negatively, but she just looked right through you with her yellow eyes. She was definitely no pet!

The unusual dog I had was okay with other dogs but generally very aloof. But when the coyotes came up close to the barn she was down there like a shot, barking but not in a threatened manner (tail wagging, ears up etc). They just stood and looked at her like she was the biggest freak, ever. :D. The climbing was the really odd thing though. She had a route up a stone wall and across a shed onto the roof of the barn. One of her favourite tricks was to sit over top of the doors and woof at people as they came out. You have never seen people jump like that! Unfortunately the horses were less amused so we always had to make sure she was down when turning out/in. She was a fun dog but incredibly hard work, even though I suspect there was a decent dose of collie in there, too. Super territorial and not that inclined to take humans into account. She also slept in the cupboard, for what that's worth, and, when she stayed once with my father, dug a den under the back porch and stayed there until I came home four days later, despite many tempting offerings.

Anyway, I digress. I'm fascinated by how animals think and sometimes it's comparison that's particularly fascinating.
 
Last edited:
Aru- he won't be walked etc in public! I have a fort for a garden! My chickens can't even escape all though they may move house before he gets here
 
Sorry posted before I finished.

He will be going to work with bf who works on a 200 acre site and takes his Mali x gsd too and Dutch shep so no problems there he won't be my dog to walk etc if bf is sick/ away his friend is also very expieteienced with these dogs so he will be in charge!
 
I've ever only encountered one of these dogs - he belongs to someone that runs a tack shop that I frequent. He's an absolutely lovely big mush of a dog. He's very outgoing and quite a softie from what I've seen. I'd have no qualms about having a dog like that in my house with my small dogs, or in fact grooming him.
 
TarrSteps said:
Is it the dog on the far left that's rumoured to be part wolf?
Click to expand...

Tee hee - no, that's my Daxy dog and she is a plain old sibe! It's the big lad standing up in the middle. He's owned by a friend and my dogs love him so I just smile and nod but there's no wolf there, he's just a big soppy inuit cross type thing. Just goes to show how subjective it is.

I don't have a picture of the one that I was really convinced by but yes, there was something about the eyes and the way she looked straight through you. Also the large splayed feet, very narrow chest and straight-hanging tail etc. described in the DEFRA document (the tail being a very convincing one for me because I met her at a sibe/malamute meet where every other of the 50+ dogs had their tail up at some point - hers never went above level with her back.) She was black in colour which is unusual, most I've seen claimed are grey and white.
 
Beans2000 said:
Err yes. I will not report back to this thread was just seeing if anyone had any expeirence.

My boyfriend is a knowledgable and skilled dog handler and knows what he is doing.

Never mind typical hho get jumped on for asking if anyone knows nything! Lol never mind.

It's probably a frigging chiauaha and the bf is taking the p1ss!!!!
Click to expand...

You've asked for opinions, unless I've misunderstood you. Here's mine, a skilled and competent dog man your boyfriend may be, but I think you want your head looking at. :D

Alec.
 
Someone breeds them in my village. Neighbours don't appreciate the howling and not happy.

Real issue was when their daughter ,not a kid, tried treating one as a pet, causing mayhem for other dog owners. Local vets kept busy stitching ans woman finally moved away when both dog warden and police got involved simultaneously. Long history with both, but neither had communicated their reports.

Hope you are well insured.

Sorry for sounding so negative, but this woman caused a lot of stress, and pain to a number of dogs.
 
He won't be in contact with members of the public, he won't be left alone for long in the house either so fingers x'd he wont howl!!!!
 
Well I know he howls and doesn't bark, he is biiig , strong, wolf traits but no one can say for certain how much wolf he has in him! Could be 2percent could be 20!!
 
Beans, I take it that you've googled Saarloo. I have, and it made interesting reading. I didn't realise that so many had experimented with the use of wolves, when hybridising with dogs, or in quite so many countries, and some of them quite obscure!

They appear to be quite reserved, or withdrawn when in contact with humans who are unknown to them, which is perhaps because their links to living a pack existence would be closer to the front of their displayed behaviour. I would also imagine that who ever the owner was, a seriously switched on approach to the canine mind would be needed, and that fine tuning would be a necessity!

Again, I don't know, but I would think that if they are closer in behaviour patterns to a true pack living animal, then they will hold no allegiance to another, being focused upon themselves, in the main, and I would imagine that they may be a little recalcitrant, by disposition.

All of that said, I wish you well.

Alec.

Ets, frankie7, whilst I can't see me being converted, that's a very handsome animal of yours, what ever it is!! a.

Ets 2, I'm also surprised to hear that as they are hybrids, that they're fertile, and that as hybrids they can reproduce. a.
 
Last edited:
They have a range of vocalisations but they do indeed howl. It's worth hearing but it will make the hair stand up on the back of your neck.

They also yip, I believe, but I only say that because i've be told before that what I thought were coyotes at the time were really wolves.

I would suspect the other issue is in order to make the 'wolf dogs' look like people think wolves look they've put in Nordic breeds and they certainly howl!
 
By the way, the DEFRA position on licensing makes comedy reading. Basically, there is no way to tell if a dog has wolf in it using genetic testing (which is also why they are not hybrids and offspring are fertile) so, unless the dog had distinct wolf characteristics, if you CLAIM it has wolf you need a licence. I love laws like that - they address the problem in an undeniabley practical way. :D

Btw, another interesting bit of reading is the Russian tame fox breeding experiment. I think it's still considered one of, if not the, largest comprehensive studies into the process of domesticication. Warning though, it ends sadly. :(
 
All very interesting reading. Im unsure how different genetically dogs are from wolves but guessing it can't be too different? Beautiful animals but wouldn't want one in my house personally. My friend has two gsds and they move like wolves...but unnerving!
 
Not added my views as I dont really know anything about hybrids, but I am pretty sure Beans OH competes in IPO and/or mondioring so presume he is pretty clued up.
Slight OT, did anyone else watch the programmes about wolves on Thursday night. I only caught the end, but what I found interesting was my dogs reaction to the wolves. Evie will react strongly to puppy noises on the tv, standing up and pressing her nose against the screen, but when the wolf cubs were squeaking and play fighting she took no notice, nor when the wolves were howling. However when the wolves were chasing the buffalo she sat and watched intently. I would have expected a similar reaction to wolf cubs as to puppies but it seemed as if she didn't recognise the sounds they were making.:confused:
 
Vicstress said:
Surely a wolf barks?
Click to expand...

Well, my Salem isn't wolf.....

But IME he WILL bark but only when he feels it's necessary and it's more a warning shout for us. He may bark once a week.

He has many other vocalisations though that he uses CONSTANTLY :rolleyes:.

A hunger growl (where he rolls his RRRRRRs).....Whuuurrrrrrrrr
An angry yip and "wahah-how" (reserved for keeping order in The Pack).
A distressed, "I'm trapped" yip.
A "look at my bone/toy" growl.......Grrrrr-uh-ah.
An "I want walkies" howl.....Wha-woo-hoo-rah.
A proper wolf howl alongside a passing ambulance.
An "I want what's on your plate" yowl.....Wheh-wha-woohoo

And then there is the whining :eek:.

He will also come to you EXTREMELY excited all of a sudden.
It means he needs to pee :D.

They're great fun :D

It's sad that prejudice and poor ownership gives them a bad name.

I can list many more JRT that are true horrors with awful owners......that's not the breed's fault :confused:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top