Wolfalike/Wolfdog - whats your breed and why? Discussions

and to add...Huskys are not wolfie !! they are meant to be 'fox like'

got to agree tux as young pup was great on lead...now @ 18 months he is abloody nightmare took dogs to farm was gunna take em for a walk out the car he jumped into the field full of gelding he rounded em up wunt recall but he managed up in middle of em heart stopping moments i can tell u lucky tho he eventually came to call but i will not trust im again

Since we're talking 'wolf' like and not 'fox' like....... check out that wonderful boy. He and bro are stunning, but Doughnut Boy takes it for me, everytime

Really stunning dogs throughout this thread.

Take care.

Seoniad.

Isis is one gorgeous looking dog.

That wee puppy is gorgeous congrats on your new addition, all the dogs are stunning, especially like Tupac ,

I`ve got the original (and best! ) wolf look-alike!

Interestingly, this may be only a relatively recent development. Prior to the 1860’s reports from travellers in Chukotka uniformly referred to the Chukchi dogs as “shaggy” and “wolf-like”, but by the time the first US Breed Standard was written in 1930, the breed was being described as “fox-like.” (Thompson and Foley – The Siberian Husky)

The reason for this may lie in a devastating series of famines suffered by the Chukchi people during the 1860’s, which resulted in the death of the vast majority of their dogs. Many died of starvation and some were killed and eaten by desperate Chukchi to feed their families. (Thompson and Foley – The Siberian Husky)

After this devastation, the Chukchi gradually re-established their sled dog stock by breeding their few remaining dogs with other available breeds, including primarily the smaller, red, foxlike, Tungus Spitz.

It is likely that this enforced outcrossing led to a change in the “look” of the Chukchi dogs.

pre-famine Chukchi dog



Tungus Spitz type dog (bottom right of photo)





Mick

Thanks for that Mick, is that a puppy in the bottom pic?

I don't know - the photo was taken in Chutochka in 1904. It does look a lot like my Shiba Inu though!!

Mick

We were introduced to the NI breed by friends of ours and totally fell in love. The rest is history really!! We have Chaos who is nearly 3. She tries our patience pretty much every day but we love her to bits and would not be without her!! Here are a couple of photos of her.

One of the huskies I know who is hardly ever on a lead is 9 years old!

The one in the village is 3 I believe.

Although i believe it possible to have an off lead Husky i think it would be madness to ignore the advice of the breed specific clubs on this matter. Better safe than sorry.
Its the main reason i did not not buy one, much as i would have loved too, on lead at all times is not the lifestyle i want for my dogs.

I know what you're saying ... I get extremely annoyed when people ignore the advice from wolf cross owners re the potential for destruction, likelihood of being able to be left home alone etc. etc. ... however, my experience is that it is possible to let a husky and a mal off the lead ... 1) because I have done it, and 2) I know several owners of both breeds who do it. Both breeds have extremely high prey drives, so you do need to be very careful in researching areas where livestock are safely fenced, or not present in the first place, and you also need to be very careful about roads, but once you have done your homework, it is achievable with time and patience.

Just like I tried my best to stop Hal digging up my garden, and have tried my best with Tai to get him to stay at home just for a couple of hours without destroying the place ... and failed on both occasions ... I believe a new owner to a husky or mal should try to teach their dog a good basic recall. It is possible to do this safely with the use of long lines, and at the end of the day, if one fails, then one has failed, but at least one has tried.

what experience gnasher?
it has nothing to do with recall!!!!
and its not all about prey drive!
that to me, shows you do not truly understand sibes
but hey,what would i know?

Far be it from me to claim I truly understand ANY breed, let alone sibes, I am merely trying to answer just one of the many reasons why sibe experts claim that sibes cannot be let off lead. I don't agree with this statement, but I do appreciate that their prey drive is high and their recall at best inconsistent.

I certainly wasn't trying to claim a level of expertise, because that would be plain wrong. Experience yes, expertise no.

I have absolutely no experience with Sibes but that, plus these posts, demonstrates why it is so important for people to fully research their chosen breed before getting them. It is only the dogs that really suffer when the owners despair when they realise they didn't really know what they were getting into ...

Good post LS. I guess the old adage "Buyer Beware" fits the bill here. I think I would sum it up best by saying you need to be prepared to be flexible, to roll with the punches in order to be a good "northern breed/wolf lookalike/wolf cross/call-it-what-you-will" owner!

Well, you do, don't you? It's certainly not all plain sailing. LOL.

Edited to add it isn't always clear what to expect with Utes etc. for obvious reasons but I do feel that people see that cute husky puppy (and God they are cute) and think that they just have to have one ... I've met people who have done just that and are struggling by the time the puppy is not even past 8 months old.

you mean a good....... dog owner