Wolfdog: Difference between revisions

A '''wolfdog''' is a [[Canis|canine]] produced by the [[Canine reproduction|mating]] of a domestic [[dog]] (''Canis familiaris'') with a [[Wolf|gray wolf]] (''Canis lupus''), [[eastern wolf]] (''Canis lycaon''), [[red wolf]] (''Canis rufus''), or [[Ethiopian wolf]] (''Canis simensis'') to produce a [[Hybrid (biology)|hybrid]].

There are a range of experts who believe that they can tell the difference between a wolf, a dog, and a wolfdog, but they have been proven to be incorrect when providing their evidence before courts of law.<ref name="Pierotti-Fogg-2017-co‑evld"/>

At the same time, wolfdogs are also often bred in captivity for various purposes. AdmixtureA mixture of dogs and two other North American wolf species have also occurred historically in the wild, although it is often difficult for biologists to discriminate the dog genes in the eastern timber and red wolves from the gray wolf genes also present in these wolf species due to their historical overlaps with North American gray wolves as well as with coyotes, both of which have introgressed into the eastern timber and red wolf gene pools.<ref>{{cite web

|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/28/science/28coyotes.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/06/science/06wolves.html?ref=todayspaper

{{QuoteBlockquote|"I suppose that some of the variability exhibited in these wolves could have resulted from crossings in the wild with dogs. Such crosses in the wild have been reported and the wolf in captivity crosses readily with dogs. Some years ago at Circle, Alaska, a wolf hung around the settlement for some time and some of the dogs were seen with it. The people thought that the wolf was a female attracted to the dogs during the breeding period. However, considerable variability is probably inherent in the species, enough perhaps to account for the variations noted in the park and in skins examined. The amount of crossing with dogs has probably not been sufficient to alter much the genetic composition of the wolf population."|{{cite book |title=The Wolves of Mount McKinley |first=Adolph |last=Murie |year=1944 |isbn=0-295-96203-8 |postscript=,}} {{ISBN|978-0-295-96203-0}}.}}

In 2008, it was discovered that a gene [[mutation]] responsible for the [[protein]] [[beta-defensin 3]] is responsible for the black coat color in dogs.<ref name="solved">

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070303000105/http://www.wolfpark.org/wolfdogs/Poster_section1.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive -->

}}

In first-generation wolfdogs, [[Wolf|gray wolves]] are most often crossed with wolf-like dogs (such as [[German Shepherd|German Shepherd Dog]]s, [[Siberian Husky|Siberian Huskies]], and [[Alaskan Malamute]]s) for an appearance most appealing to owners desiring an [[exotic pet]].<ref name="DEFRA">{{cite web

In 1932, [[Netherlands|Dutch]] breeder [[Leendert Saarloos]] crossed a male [[German Shepherd]] dog with a female [[European wolf]]. He then bred the female offspring back with the male German Shepherd Dog, creating the [[Saarloos wolfdog]]. The breed was created to be a hardy, self -reliant companion and house dog.<ref>

In the 1950s, the [[Czechoslovakian Wolfdog]] was also created to work on border patrol in the countries now known as [[Slovakia]] and the [[Czech Republic]]. It was originally bred from lines of [[German Shepherd|German Shepherd Dog]]sShepherds with [[Eurasian wolf|Carpathian grey wolves]]. It was officially recognized as a national breed in [[Czechoslovakia]] in 1982, and later was recognized by the [[Fédération Cynologique Internationale]], the [[American Kennel Club]]'s [[Foundation Stock Service]] and the [[United Kennel Club]], and today is used in agility, obedience, search and rescue, police work, therapy work, and herding in Europe and the United States.

=== The Volkonsoby WolfdogVolkosob ===

The Volkonsob,Volkosob [[Literal meaning({{Langx|lit]].ru|Волкособ}}, ‘''Wolfhound''’plural: in Russian,{{Langx|ru|Волкособы|translit=Volkosoby|label=none}}) was initially developed in the 1990s after the [[Dissolution of the Soviet Union|fall of the Soviet Union]]. Russian [[Borderborder guard|border guards]]s wanted a dog that would possess the trainability and pack mentality of the German Shepherd, combined with the strength, superior senses and cold-resistance of a wild wolf, able to cope in the harsh conditions of the vast Russian borders. In 2000, a [[Steppe wolf|Caspian Steppe Wolf]], noted for being unusually friendly and cooperative towards humans, was bred with German Shepherds of an [[East European Shepherd]] line, until an F3 generation was standardised. Unlike the previous hybrids, the VolkonsobVolkosob was the only breed that was an effective border guardian as they are renewingrenowned for not being too shy.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-03-28 |title=Volkosob - The Wolf-Dog Hybrids Bred to Defend Russia's Borders |url=https://www.odditycentral.com/animals/volkosoby-the-wolf-dog-hybrids-bred-to-defend-russias-borders.html |access-date=2022-03-10 |website=www.odditycentral.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

|title=Der Wolf |langlanguage=de

|trans-title=The Wolf <!-- Bibikow Moskau, 2. -->

In Europe, unintentional mating of dogs and wild wolves have been confirmed in some populations through [[genetic testing]]. As the survival of some Continental European wolf packs is severely threatened, scientists fear that the creation of wolfdog populations in the wild is a threat to the continued existence of European wolf populations.<ref name=Rincon-2004-04-08-BBC-N/>

In Canada, the provinces of Alberta, Manitoba, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island prohibit wolfdogs as pets.<ref name=Bruch-2007-Almanac/>

The view that aggressive characteristics are inherently a part of wolfdog temperament has been contested in recent years by wolfdog breeders and other advocates of wolfdogs as pets.<ref>{{cite web

* Balto, Aleu and Kodi are fictitious wolfdogs in the animated films ''[[Balto (film)|Balto]]'' (1995), ''[[Balto II: Wolf Quest]]'' (2002) and ''[[Balto III: Wings of Change]]'' (2004), respectively. The actual [[Balto]] was not a wolfdog but instead a [[Siberian Husky]] (similar to Steele, the main villain of the first film).

* ''[[The Wolf Dog]]'' (1933) is an American [[Pre-code Hollywood|Pre-Code]] Mascot film serial starring Frankie Darro and [[Rin Tin Tin]] Jr.

* ''Wolfdogs Magazine'' self-describes as a progressive "community based publication for wolfdog enthusiasts".<ref>{{cite book

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{{Commons category|Wolf-dog hybrid}}{{Portal|Dogs

<ref name=DEFRA-RSPCA-2013-01-23>{{cite web

<ref name=Ottawa-Humane-c2013>{{cite web

|doi-access=free

— The archived documents are two open letters, the June&nbsp;1997 from R. McBryde to D.R. Parsons, and his letter in reply, July&nbsp;1997. At issue is the use of known wolf-dog hybrids derived from the Ghost Ranch, formerly on display at the ‘Living'Living Deseart Zoo’Zoo' in Carlsbad, NM, in the Mexican Wolf Recovery Program. The two letters are followed by more extensive reports of the status of three [[Mexican Wolf]] lines, as believed in late 1996.

<ref name="Pierotti-Fogg-2017-co‑evld">

|langlanguage=fr

<ref name=Willems-1994-AWIC>{{cite web

|first=Robertlast A. |last= Willems

|title = The wolf-dog hybrid: An overview of a controversial animal

|date = Winter 1994–1995
|orig-date = 1994

|periodical = AWIC Newsletter

|volume=5 |number=4 |pages =3–7 5

|archiveaccess-date =2014 <!-12-16 2008-05-17 --> 2021-09-10

* {{cite web|url=http://www.renokeo.com/wrr.html |title=Wolfdog Rescue Resources|website=www.renokeo.com/wrr.html|access-date=2007-01-13|archive-date=2007-01-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070102182453/http://www.renokeo.com/wrr.html|url-status=dead}}