Living with a Wolfdog

My go to or mentor on the subject of wolfdogs is Nicole Wilde. She is an owner, author, trainer and volunteer with wolves and wolfdogs. Her books helped me tremendously. I don't pretend to know all there is to know. But I've lived with one and trained many and many owners of wolfdogs. I have volunteered at Wolf Creek Habitat and Sanctuary in the past (not as much as I'd like as my schedule has gotten busier since I first went there.) But I plan to visit them more and take some pictures to share with you. They are also great go to resources on the subject of wolves and wolf dogs. What is Wolf Creek?

Wolf Creek is a sanctuary for wolves and wolfdogs that cannot survive in the wild due to many reasons but a lot is due to people thinking these would make great pets and found out that it is not true most of the time and had no where to go with them. They live their lives in this sanctuary. Make no mistake, they are well taken care of and have great lives. But the sanctuary is at their limit and most wolf and wolf dog rescues are because people give them up when they can no longer handle them.

When owners can no longer handle them, they don't have a lot of options. Dog rescues and shelters usually won't take them. Animal control will take them but will euthanize them. You can't let them go into the wild, they won't survive. And they usually live longer than dogs so you have a dilema on your hands.

Why can't owners handle them? In lots of ways they are like a dog. In lots of ways they are like a wolf. They are like a dog in that you can train them, bond with them, walk them, housetrain them (most of the time). They are like a wolf in that they are destructive (not in a mean way but they LOVE to shred), when left alone in a home they can redecorate it in a heartbeat. They are escape artists. Most times you need a high (7ft or higher) fence for them and absolutely not a shock collar fence. They have a higher than most dogs prey drive which makes living with small animals (such as a cat) or even small children a hazard.

Are all wolf dogs like this? No. You have variations among the percentages. You have some wolf dogs that have made great pets and are even therapy dogs. But it is usually the exception and not the rule. And you may think you have a high content wolf dog (someone or a breeder told you this) and really have a low content wolf dog and he is fine. And you may think you have a low content wolf dog and have a high content and things turn out badly for you and your wolf dog.

They are beautiful creatures and I love them. And I will talk more about their characteristics in a future blog. But I will say that of the wolf dogs that have come thru my classes, only a few have good endings to their stories. Sadly.

In Native American Legend

In Native American Legend

The children of the earth were the animals.

And the child known as Big Mouth,

howled in the forest

and sent spirit messages

to a world beyond.

Today we understand the science of wolves,

but to many their soul has been lost.

A once cunning hunter has become prey to humans.

A magnificent and revered creature,

is now for many considered as vermin.

And what was once a voice to the spirit world,

Now seems a mournful farewell to the world,

from which wolves have been cast.

Graham Greene