How do you define these terms? Discussions

awww thanks for that,Muddiwarx he sounds lovely (any pics? ;-) )
i can safely say Tupac seems to be a very steady dog,and takes things in is stride,he came from a country town to london and never freaked...unless you are a cat (he's scared of them)or a big dog(he seems to think he is the size of a chi )
reserved with strangers(at first) i would agree with ;-)

There are ALWAYS pictures





Playing with Noobie and Dex


Noobie pats him on the head LOL

he is sweet!! lovely wee face he got away lightly with his ears ;-) ;-)

aww Noobie found a role in life eh? nanny dog

Yes she would love to work in a playgroup - she loves human babies too LOL

And we shall have to agree to differ on this one.

Can i have a go? As a person with no real Knowledge & Only a passing interest, so more GP with a little insight!

Wolf lookalike: A wolfy Looking dog with no wolf Content

Wolf alike: A wolfy Looking dog with no wolf Content, or some alleged content back past 10x gens

Wolfdog: A dog with some Proven Wolf Content, Be it a XB or Established Breed

Wolf hybrid.: A wolf crossed with another species

Does noone use "Wolf Type" The word type is commonally Used in dogs & much more "classy" than lookalike/alike

If the offical "Alikes" Used "type"then it might be clearer.

so u could have Wolf Lookalikes, Wolf Type, Wolf Dog

IMHO the only reason anyone uses 'wolf' at all is to pander to either their own ego or the ego's of potential new owners.

rune

I never said I didn't agree but just stating facts. I wish I could honestly say things had improved over the last 80 years...

Now I am upset

Truth is its all about fashion, once dogs were bred largely for working, now they are mostly lifestyle accessories. All the wolfdog breeds were developed as working dogs and all carry the 'wolf' suffix (or prefix in Italy) in their country of origin: Saarloos Wolfhond (originally: ‘Europeesche Wolfhond’) or the Československý vlčák or the Lupo Italiano. The term is used to describe the breed origins.

It is probably fair to use the term wolf-like to describe a breed that is bred solely to have a wolflike appearance, even if it doesn't 'fool' anyone who knows what a wolf looks like (apparently very few, reading comments on the internet ).

sadly thats why i dont like the term 'wolfdog' for my breed,to stop numpties,not because i deny their history:-(

Thank you all for your very interesting comments.

Personally i don't think many Saarloos or CSV look like wolves either, although i am sure there are many that do, just as there are many NI / Ute that don't and many that do.

As i said earlier my neighbour has two pure bred sibes and she is asked all the time if they are wolves. :?

Yes but which wolves don't they look like?

I have seen European sub-species that look so like some CsVs and even the odd Saarloos..

The other thing is the criteria used for comparison. Narrow chest? Most fail on this alone. Colour? etc

People tend to only think of wolves as those they see in calendars or on TV; the majority of which are photographed in 'wildlife ranches' and are seldom representative of any sub species; even in the USA.

We have several different sub-species near to home in Europe but how many tell the difference between them

I agree some people have this small minded value, but then there are others who want to have a dog that looks like a wolf that is why they want them, and that is the intention behind them so hence they have wolf in their name

I agree the Saarloos and CWD look more like european wolves, the grey wolf or Timber wolf has very many different looks in the wild, and not only in colour. Some wolves I have seen look like dogs, some dogs have got nearly the look of a wolf... Speaking from my own prospective the Utes or British Utes have a long way to go on type and this should be conformation, movement and temperament, as for colour the variations of the Timber wolf are many and this I assume will be left up to the breeders preference, if you study the shape of wolves especially the head they are very different, some large and boxy like the Mal, some smaller and pointier, some have masks down their faces, some have widows peaks, some have white flashes on their chests ... mainly as you say it is in the eye of the beholder what they think a wolf is and the general is a Timber colour with almond eyes, sloping movement etc, I always think the Ethiopian wolf looks like the wolf I remember from fairytales , the sleekit evil one lols... the Timbers remind me of wilderness and nature.

To answer the OP I would say Wolfalike and Wolf lookalike are the same thing Dogs that are created for their looks and movement of a wolf with NO wolf input.

WolfDog: established breeds ie Saarloos and Cwd

Wolf Hybrid a straight cross of wolf with a dog, F1s etc a measure of this on the generations down dependant on crosses

I see wolf lookalike and wolf alike as meaning the same thing, a dog bred to look like a wolf.

Wolfdog/wolf hybrid I also view as beeing the same, that to me beeing a pure wolf parent within 4/5 generations.

I view the csv and saarloos as breeds of domestic dog, same as the gsd.

I wouldnt be bothered if the wolf alike thing was dropped for the NI. When people ask me what Raina and Ela are i say NI then at the blank faces i explain they are a bit like huskies. At no point do i say they are wolf alikes because to me there are NI's and deserve to be recognised in there own right.

Wolfalike and Wolf lookalike : The same thing dogs that look wolfy or have a more wolfy type.

WolfDog: established breeds ie Saarloos and Cwd

Wolf Hybrid: Direct wolf x so an F1, 2 or 3 cross.