100% Wolf X Dog Controversial

If anything I've personally said has offended you then I publically apologise, it was not meant to. I understand as best I can where you're comming from. It'd really p*** me off if people I didn't know from adam, kept ripping members of my family to shreds, or making inaccurate statments about them.

I have never claimed to be an expert, and have never, never met any wolfy looking dog personally exxcept for mals/sibs.
As a guide dog owner I was genuinly curious as to how a dog like the Saarloos would do as a guide/assistance dog. Going only on the info I've read including the CW site, I thought they were quite shy, wich made me concerned mainly if they'd take to/like the work. As you own crosses of them, would you be abled to answer this question.I know that some will and some won't, that is nature both dogs and humans have different personallities thats what makes life interesting.

I'd love to know more about your dogs, about their temperaments and some pics plz.

Hi, I haven't mastered the art of posting pictures on here, but if you have a look in the gallery section of the cry-wolf website you'll find lots of pictures of my dogs, which are called Tali and Raani. Also at the bottom of each post there's a link to my blog, which contains many more pictures. Not sure if I'm allowed to post blog links here.

Temperament-wise they're fantastic with other people and other dogs. They have no protection instinct and even complete strangers who visit the house get licks as soon as they walk in.

They are remarkably intuitive, highly intelligent, very friendly and playful and, as they mature, they respond better and better to commands and recall is improving dramatically.

All dog owners think their dogs look great and of course I'm no different. But the number of people that stop me and ask about them and make positive comments about them increases with each passing day, which tells me that other people find them pretty spectacular 'in the flesh'.

I've given two talks about them to the local branch of the Petcare Trust. Each time, they been left off lead and simply wandered amongst and interacted with the audience, who all loved them.

As to guide dogs, I don't know about my two. The intelligence and intuitivity and there, but Tali's hunting instinct might be too strong, and Raani is probably too boisterous. But then, neither of them has been brought up to be a guide dog since infancy, and they're both used to running free for two hours a day or more.

I've met a number of other 50% Saarloos, and all are fantastic dogs both appearance-wise and temperament-wise.

The pure Saarloos I've met have all been kennel dogs, and that has implications for their reaction towards strangers, of course. But none were aggressive towards me, and two in particular warmed to me within about three days.

So put that in the mix, and then imagine my disgust when I see people who have probably never met any of the dogs, or the breeders, blythely slagging them off from a position of pretty much total ignorance. If you're going to slag off a breeder, at least familiarise yourself with what he's producing first!

I think people are getting the wrong end of the stick here, this thread is about wolf hybrids not wolfdogs. An if its a good idea in this contry to outcross breeds to a pure wolf, its the other thread about wolfdogs that are going on about CWD ect . .

I had a Timber wolf cross rotti the best pet I ever had I, he use to sleep in my daughters room till the stairs got to be to much for him. Played great with my bostons as well as our ferrets and he just loved all animals and adored children... My daughter learned to walk by holding onto his tail lol and he use to pull my children as well as I around in a sled.

I no just because he was the animal he was I no we would never get another like him- I would not recomend this type of animal for anybody def not for the novice owner thats for sure. If I could have Taz all over again I would do it in a heart beat. Just like any animal you must show them who is boss (alpha) plus obedience and socialization is a must. They are def pack animals, you have to really understand them- but yes I would much rather see a wolf running in the wild then caged up thats for sure. His mate was a shepherd collie and I believe since she was older she kept him in line she was alpha over him- he was the bottom of the pack- even when I got our bostons they were alpha over him as well. When his mate died we brought him into the house, house trained him at 8yrs olf and to this day I wish I kept them in doors you never really know what you missed when your dogs live outside- they both prefered it outside then inside... Funny he never had a mean bone in his body he was just a huge teddy bear.

Do I recomend people to go and get one? NO! Just because we lucked out does not mean you will to. R.I.P TAZ

Have you got any pictures of taz i'd love to see some xx

I don't think I was referring to Saarloos/CWD when expressing concern over wolf hybrids (other than wondering about their suitability as a guide dog, which is fair enough since if you read the websites and a few posts here about them they point out that the founder was trying to breed them as guide dogs in the 50s but it didn't work spectacularly well). F1 hybrids between wolves and dogs, like you find in the US or Canada where it's legal, are more of a concern due the specialized knowledge and resources needed to safely manage them.

You need to remember that if there had been no hybridisation/crossing of wolves then there would be no such thing as a CSV, Saarloos, GSD, and probably several other breeds as well - aside, of course, from the fact that all domestic dogs have evolved/were genetically engineered from wolves if you go back far enough.

Obviously there can be responsible and irresponsible crossing, there has to be a plan in place for what you do with the F1s and F2s, and the F3s have to be placed with great care, but to immediately knock anyone who's considering doing it without a full insight into their reasoning seems to me to smack of blanket condemnation rather than considered criticism.

Your dogs are stunning, and actually, sound to be a lot like my labs in temperament. My guide dog isn't exactly the picture of calm, he can spin 360 degrees in the air when he gets excited lol.
I can understand your anger and frustrition, I'd be the same.

Thanks! Glad you like them.

Just wondering, how does crossing Cwd or Saarloos with say, an Ni affect the temperament of the offspring in comparison to pure saarloos or cwd. How much variation in behaviour/temperament of the individuals in a litter and what posative/negative traits have been witnessed. Hope you don't mind me asking.

I am still unclear as to the point of crossing the SWH, or the CWD with the NID

It serves only to provide breeders with something 'new and improved' to sell. In its self there is no reason to do it. Dog breeding is just fashion as none of these breeds have any working use.

If the NI is as sick as we are led to believe then it should not be bred from period. To add CWD to a sick crossbred is unlikely to offer any advantage in terms of health but can change the temperament and produce an animal that is easier to live with than a pure CWD, which demands a lot from its owner.

Yes I have alot- he was our baby... I have no idea how to post pics- still figuring this forum out lol

Lol, glad it's not just me then.

Yet you waited years for a Mal and went with one that doesn't fit the standard, was it just the look you went for then, had you saw lots of long coated mals and decided specifically that was for you ???

Please correct me if i'm wrong wolfdogowner but did the czechoslovakian army not use cwd at the borders to stop people crossing?

Yes thats right I did wait years for a Mal..I didn't go out of my way to have a long coat..I wanted a boy, there were 2 in the litter and one happened to be a long coat..

I had seen a few long coated Mals and thought they were nice, but there was no preference in either coat..

When we went to visit the pups and choose which one we would like..we decided on Cruiser, due to his character and interaction with ourselves and the kids, the other boy was laid down away from us and never really took an interest...so Cruiser chose us....we had no intention of showing so the coat wasn't an issue to me..The temprement of the dogs were the biggest issue to me along with health testing..and both of those criteria were met and then some

WHy does anyone choose any dog?? Why did you choose Inka or Kain or Toro...Kain apparently didn't fit the standard either, so why did you choose him?

Adapted from a poster presentations
given at the Defenders of Wildlife's
Restoring the Wolf Conference
Seattle, WA, November 12-14 1998
and Wolves and Humans 2000:
A Global Perspective for Managing Conflict
Duluth, MN, March 9-12th, 1995
presented by the International Wolf Center

Monty Sloan, Institute of Ethology,
North American Wildlife Park Foundation,
Wolf Park, Battle Ground, IN 47920 U.S.A.



The wolf hybrid, or wolfdog as they are increasingly called, has become one of the most controversial canines in North America in recent years. Their increasing popularity as pets has led to an increase of animals that the general public is ill equipped to handle. Shelters are faced with animals that they cannot put up for adoption; veterinarians are faced with concerns over inoculations. Wildlife advocates fear that recovering wolf populations may be directly threatened by free ranging hybrids through genetic pollution, or indirectly affected by negative media publicity when a "pet" wolf hybrid injures or kills a child. As the wolf was once a "hated" species, to a certain extent the hybrid has now taken the wolf's place. Although dogs continue to injure and kill people, mostly children, in far greater numbers, when a hybrid is involved the media attention is far more extensive.

A wolf hybrid is defined as the offspring of a dog and a wolf or the subsequent offspring. Critics argue that hybrids are unpredictable, dangerous, make poor pets and that there is no rabies vaccine available for wolves or their hybrids. Proponents claim the hybrid wolf is a good companion animal and is useful in educating the public about wolves. Many claim "once you have a wolf hybrid, you will never own a dog again."

The wolf and dog have been purposefully bred in North America to produce hybrid offspring for decades and are increasingly bred in parts of Europe as well. However, until recently such hybrids were rare. With the growing popularity of wolves in both the media and with the public, an increase in the numbers of such animals has reached the level of a "fad" pet. Sanctuaries, organizations and wildlife parks specializing in wolves have been inundated with calls concerning these animals. Many calls involve pleas for help when a behavior problem develops, or a legal situation exists that prohibits the owner from keeping the animal. At Wolf Park calls have increased from a few per month, to over thirty. In what has now become a daily routine, we are faced with having to turn down animals offered to us. Many of these animals are probably euthanized.

Legislation designed to curtail or prohibit the ownership of exotic pets or their hybrids often fails when it comes to wolf hybrids for lack of enforcement or in some cases enforceability due to the inability of personnel to clearly identify the animals in question. Currently the trend for hybrid owners is to represent their animals officially as dogs.

Owning a wolf hybrid, or any animal for that matter, is a responsibility which should not be taken lightly. In the case of owning hybrids, all aspects of ownership should be addressed long before the acquisition of a pup. Thorough knowledge of the animal's needs, enclosure requirements, and safety issues as well as legality have to be understood and assessed before considering such an animal in the home. Once an animal has been brought into the home, a 10-16+ year commitment has been made.

Misunderstood and misrepresented, these animals are unwittingly caught in the middle and often fall between legal cracks as critics and owners argue their very right to exist. Members of the wolf community need to address this growing area of debate. The public response to wolves and hybrids is interconnected. The existence of hybrids will affect people's attitudes toward wolves, and how this is handled could eventually affect wolf recovery and reintroduction in the United States.

Apparently so, the dogs were run loose between two fence lines as a deterrent. There were also F3 and F4 dogs regularly used by the military. I would think that they have been selectively bred for better behavior since. Just spent a few days with a couple of friends who have several, they can be a handful even for an experienced owner.

May i ask how you personally feel about people crossing your chosen breed with CWD & NI?