Czech out the play bow! (Bad pun).
The behavior is really interesting, isn’t it?
***
A Czechoslovakian wolfdog is a breed of dog from the former country called Czechoslovakia. It is now two countries called the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Because the development of the breed happened in both the Slovak and Czech parts of the former Czechoslovakia, it is incorrect to call them “Czech wolfdogs.” (I see that name in English a lot.)
Czechs and Slovaks are Slavic peoples, who were put in the same country following World War I. This nation was maintained under communism, which is when this breed developed. The two peoples have very strong identities, so it is very hazardous for someone to tell a Czech or a Slovak that this breed is a Czech wolfdog.
This breed was founded in 1955, when 48 German shepherd dogs were put in a breeding program with 5 European wolves (Canis lupus lupus, the same subspecies shown here.)
This subspecies is the nominate subspecies for the wolf, and its range is actually quite expansive. It originally was found from Ireland through Europe and the steppes and forests of Russia to China. The so-called Chinese wolf C. l. chanco) is now believed to be part of this wide-ranging subspecies.
Beautiful dogs. I didn’t know they existed, thanks. I wonder how they compare to the Sarloos Wolfhound and the Sulimov jackal hybrids in temperamnt and tameness?
I’ve heard they are more wolfy than the Saarlooswolfhond.
I have no idea what the Sulimov dogs are like. They don’t exist outside of Russia.
I’m confused – are visitors bringing their companion dogs to the fence line of captive wolves?
That struck me as pretty odd as well. Also, I wish that we could see more of the companion dog’s behavior. I was struck by how relaxed the wolves are, but they probably know by now that nothing behind the fence is a threat. I’d be more interested in knowing how the dog reacts to the wolf. Is it just another dog to him, or is there some recognition of difference?
Anyway, it was neat to see the one wolf who was clearly eager to make contact.
one of the breeds no one needs … it plays with some kind of romantic feelings (“me and the bad wolf …”) and those mixes are dangerous in our modern world.
You are incorrect here.
You are correct about generic wolf hybrids.
This a dog that has wolf ancestry. It has been selected to no more dangerous than a GSD.
They are capable of doing the same work as a GSD.
I certainly agree with generic wolf hybrids, but these animals and the Saarlooswolfhond are no more dangerous or unpredictable than GSD’s or certain Nordic breeds.
selected to no more dangeraous than GSD – how long? 4 generations? :-D
and who says, that GSD is not dangerous as this breed is “used” in most cases … ;-)
it is one of the breeding-mysteries that you can select in some generations … we have irish wolfhound breeders, telling us, that they have selected for irish wolfhounds without hunting instincts … in 3 generations of course …
if you talk to an serious breeder of czechoslovakian wolfdogs, he will tell you, that it is NOT a “normal dog” …
no, this mix-breed is an experiment but no “normal” dog.
Way more than 4 generations.
They have no recent wolf ancestry.
They started in 1955.
If GSD’s and Nordic breeds aren’t normal, then this one isn’t.
This was a very, very strict breeding program.
This isn’t like the wolf hybrids you see advertised in the paper.
This is a dog with distant wolf ancestry that has been rigorously bred to be safe.
I do not make this up.
It is not considered a Dangerous Dog in the UK– the place that bans pit bulls, Filas, and dogos argentinos.
This breed is safe.
Do you think we should ban Lacy dogs?
You know– the state dog of Texas.
They have wolf in them.
I would love to see genetic evidence on Lacy dogs and Catahoula dogs. I know there is the story of wolf/coyote background in both breeds, but it seems more like just a story.
Genetic evidence is almost impossible to get, but it is well documented that the Lacy dog started by a three way cross involving an English shepherd, a greyhound, and a wolf.
http://www.nationallacydog.org/truewestlacys.html
It’s very hard to even find out which breeds of dog are in a mix, and my guess is that wolf DNA is even more nebulous.
Contrary to the officialdom within the breed, kelpies do have dingo ancestry. Their owners merely lied about the dingo in them to keep their dogs from being taken from them during the dingo bounty years.
BTW, I certainly don’t think GSD’s, Akitas, Basenjis and Nordic breeds should be owned by novice people.
The same goes for the Saarloos and the Czechoslovakian wolfdog.
But we’re not talking about the casually bred “wolf hybrids” that you find in the paper.
Those animals can be a much bigger problem than these dogs offer.
I think I am one of the few people who says GSD’s and the other prick-eared shepherds from the continent require a lot of experience with dogs. GSD’s are usually the top breed for biting or fatalities, I can’t remember.
I think they can be great dogs, but most people don’t know where to get one or what to do with it once they have it.
So many of the purebred dogs are from a small inbred group of show dogs. Many of the purebred breeds are riddled with inherited disease.
There are plenty of good reasons for the right people to produce wolf hybrids: health, intelligence, nose, coat, instincts, usefullness – like the Sulimov dogs.
Agreed that they aren’t for everyone, but neither are Chihuahuas or pit bulls.
To-day, having 400 dog breeds, it is such a number that is quite vain to start to sort out which ones of them are “useless”. In Slovakia and Czech, as other east-European countries, like the Baltia, fierce medium size dogs are typically used as yard guardians in villages and rural areas. In many times they are prick-eared, resembling the laikas, the Alsatian and so.
Well, you guys know I’m not going to let some of those comments stand! Margot–exactly how many people who have wolf hybrids do you know, personally? Saying the only reason people aquire them is for “macho” image is narrow-minded and prejudiced(although this category DOES exist, alas). Being involved with wolf-hybrids for decades, I can tell you there are all manner of reasons and types of people that get them, sometimes for GOOD reasons, believe it or not! Retreiverman, how many random-bred wolf hybrids in the U. S. A. have you been around? I have been arounds many, many of them(and had 5 of my own of various percentage wolf genetics), and there is not ONE that I am(actually) aquainted with that I would call unstable or a problem, except how its human “owners” MADE it a problem–the same as any demanding breed of dog(like some of the ones you mentioned). Should just anybody get one? Of course not–but that should be the case with ANY type of dog or other animal. If wolf-hybrids were as unstable, dangerous, and untrainable and untrustworthy as all the people with NO experience with them parrot(because, well, that’s what’s politically correct these days!), then you would have a set of statistics that would be irrefutable. In actuality, with respect to actual numbers, several dog breeds have higher incidents of attacking and killing humans than wolf hybrids–Pit Bulls(sigh–of course), German Shepherds, Rottweilers, and even Saint Bernards have killed more people in proportion to their numbers than wolf dogs. So, should we say all members of these breeds are unstable or dangerous? Or should we look at each incident and judge it according to how that animal was treated, and find out that it was human neglect, stupidity, abuse, and ignorance that caused the incident(which, in almost every case, it WILL BE humans in error)? During the wolf hybrid fad craze(the late 70’s through the 80’s) THOUSANDS and THOUSANDS of these animals were bred and sold to unqualified people–it is a MIRACLE you do not have grimmer statistics, in my opinion! Which says the OPPOSITE to me–that these animals ARE NOT as difficult as they are made out to be(which in fact, I found out on my own with years of hands-on experience). I could go on and on……
Lane,
I believe you notes on the supposed problematicy with the wolf hybrids. I certainly don’t know any, but I have red some accounts. Some Leonhard Seppala’s dog imports from Siberia were half wolfes – and he never said they were a problem. On the contrary.
It is a myth to think wolf is more aggressive than a dog that has been taught or bred by selection (or both) to be aggressive. A dog line that is selected by aggressiveness wins an average wolf’s aggressiveness easily (tho’ in a fight, the wolf may win).
I have red the Finnish professor and wolf-pioneer of our country Erkki Pulliainen. He kept and bred many wolves and the picture he gives of them is so doggish as it can be. Pulliainen was very gentle and otherways good with the animals, so the results were very good also.
No doubt Leonhard Seppala loved his hybrids and could do his thing fine as well.
And yes. It is this (who said it – think it was retrieverman): It is most important to know WHAT to do with them, dogs. The bigger and more libido a dog has, the more it wants to work.
A wolfypoo would be different from a wolfybull. And which type of wolf, the wolf half was would matter also.
Aren’t many advertised ‘wolf-hybrids’ really where there hasn’t been a full blood wolf in the ancestry in 4, 5, or more generations?
Perhaps the seller calls them “wolf hybrids” because he had one litter of puppies from a wolf 40 years ago, and he has been breeding brother to sister and then their inbred offspring together for all those years?
I doubt that all advertised wolf hybrids are first generation hybrids, even though most average people assume that they are.
And what of selection? When a breeder has a litter of wolf hybrids, which puppies does he choose to keep for breeding – the boldest, the bravest, the ones that stand up to people – the ones most likely to grow up want to be boss?
Not all breeders are the same type, and not all foundation stock starts out the same.
But I agree with crossing with wolves, so long as it is done with common sense and the puppies are advertised honestly.
wolfy-poos:
Major experiments were done in Germany on poodle and wolf hybrids.
Wow! I thought that I made that “wolfypoo” up, just to be funny.
Maybe sometimes, you’ll do a post on them? I think I will google wolfy-poo.
>> …I agree with crossing with wolves,
so long as it is done with common sense
and the puppies are advertised honestly. <
sorry, heather –
but i see no ‘common sense’ in breeding domestic-dogs to wolves, period.
if i want a horse to ride or work in harness,
i would not OUTcross to a zebra, notorious in captivity for biting ferociously
and kicking for any teeny-weeny reason possible.
i have a domestic-animal which has been used successfully for millennia –
why would i screw-up those tested genetics?
‘blending’ wolves with dogs does neither species any favors;
the resulting progeny fit nowhere comfortably.
once or twice a year, i get a phone-call from someone with a hybrid,
who wants to become a FORMER hybrid-owner.
they want help – rehoming or finding a sanctuary for their supposedly
‘loved’ pet, who has become massively destructive,
bit someone, doesn’t like their fiancee, they’re moving
from a rural-house to a rented-apt…
all the usual excuses, plus a few.
i will tell U what i tell them:
the nearest ‘no-kill sanctuary’ with an opening is in their own living-room.
every *ethical* SANCTUARY or RESCUE is full to overflowing;
most have a 2 to 3-year waiting list.
DoG help all they wolf-hybrids; they have no place in the world –
they are hypervigilant, reactive, destructive, don’t rehome well,
don’t bond to new-people easily, and most are neophobic.
many become aggressive post-puberty.
the last estimate i saw was that 75% are dead by 2-YO.
shelters + dog-rescues don’t want the liability and won’t take them.
it’s a sad, short, stressful life; i pity them.
JMO + IME; Ur mileage may vary,
— terry
If horses were as ill-tempered, stupid, or inbred and sickly as some breeds of dogs are, you might look to zebra as a long range outcross.
The situation in horses is much different from the problems in dogs.
I know of a few wolf hybrids kept as pets:
One ran loose near where I lived, it didn’t bother cats, chickens, horses, people, or other dogs. He was calm, and not even a watchdog.
I remember that his owner said that he saw the pure wolf that the breeder had, but I don’t remember if that was a parent or a grandparent to this dog.
He was better behaved than most dogs.
I know someone else who has 2 hybrids and a few pure German Shepherd Dogs. The GSDs he has are dangerous, the wolfdogs aren’t.
The owners says he likes the wolfdogs more, they are less of a problem, and they are not even watchdogs either.
I have know a few 1/4 or 1/8 hybrids, and they seemed normal but more intelligent dogs.
>> One ran loose near where I lived…
He was calm, and not even a watchdog.
…someone else… has 2 hybrids and a few pure GSDs. The GSDs he has are dangerous, the wolfdogs aren’t.
The owners says… the wolfdogs… are less of a problem,
and… not even watchdogs either. <
hey, heather –
anybody who claims wolf-hybrids are WATCHdogs
is to be blunt, lying in their teeth;
wolves protect turf, young + food from other k9s –
or other predators; NOT From Humans.
why do U think some yahoo with a shovel can TAKE their pups,
right out of the den, put em in a sack + walk off?
not being a watchdog does NOT mean hybrids won’t bite;
hybrids rarely bark, but that means nothing in terms of aggro,
RG, defensive or offensive behavior.
given the option, hybrids usually FLEE –
but on a leash, inside a fence, chained?
they cannot flee – and may aggress.
hybrids are also prone to defend food + objects with an intensity
that most people would never see in a domestic-dog.
being very non-vocal does not mean non-aggro.
— terry
>> If horses were as ill-tempered, stupid, or inbred and sickly as some breeds of dogs are… <
name some ‘ill-tempered’ and ‘stoopid’ dog-breeds, please? thanks,
– terry
Don’t worry Terry, I wasn’t think about bully breeds – one good thing about pit bull breeding is that they are usually NOT inbred.
I was thinking more of some show breeds which I have had personal experience with.
No, I am not going to expose the already exposed problems of those show breeds, there are plenty of sites that do that or watch Pedigree Dogs Exposed.
And I most certainly did NOT, mean for anyone to try to interpret that to mean that anyone should cross pit bulls with wolves!
i didn’t ask about inbreeding – i can name any number of breeds on both ends, shallow puddle and oceanic gene-pool.
i asked which breeds U would characterize as ‘bad-tempered’ and / or stoopid?
thanks,
– t
>> Perhaps the seller calls them “wolf hybrids”
because he had one litter of puppies from a wolf
[cross] 40 years ago, and he has been breeding
brother to sister and then their inbred offspring
together for all those years? <
then again, heather –
this would produce animals even more-inbred
than the current Shar-Pei in Europe and the USA,
which have only 7 founding individuals.
in the case U hypothesize above, there are Two
founding individuals, 40 – 80 generations ago –
one wolf, one dog, and their progeny.
that’s intense inbreeding, and not ‘improving’.
– terry
I never said that all or even most, dog breeders are improving dogs. In some ways wolves are superior to dogs, especially in intelligence and appearance – I find wolves more attractive than dogs.
I admit that many dogs might be easier for some families to live with than wolves.
Why would anyone assume that all breeders strive to improve dogs, or that they would have any idea how to do so?
>> Why would anyone assume that all breeders strive to improve dogs,
or that they would have any idea how to do so? <
the intention of any purebred litter is to exceed the quality of the parents – **when done by ethical breeders**, who want to maintain the health + working ability or temperament of their breed.
BYBs and industrial-breeders who breed simply to sell for profit are NOT interested in ‘improving’ anything; all they care about is that both dam + sire are fertile.
anything else is secondary, altho RARE colors, oversize, undersize, patterns, etc, may be nice – as they are ‘unusual’ and can be used to justify a bigger markup and larger profit.
BLUE despite blue-dog syndrome,
Merle or double-Merle,
white or piebald genes [deafness, eye problems, etc],
dapple in Doxies, etc,
are all popular BYB or pup-mill ‘specialties’, as are teacups, giants, ‘king’ sized anything, long-coats of normally smooth-coated breeds, and any other variant that can command a hefty premium, when flogged with cunning sales-pitches to ignorant puppy-buyers.
ethical breeders want the progeny to have all the best of both parents, and for each parent to compensate for any flaw in the other;
profiteers or casual breeders don’t worry about that frou-frou stuff.
they also don’t screen, test, WAIT for maturity to breed, ad nauseum.
good breeders have a number of tools to improve their litters quality.
the simplest of all? WAIT to breed until every prospective sire + dam is a minimum of 2-YO; this alone with no screening, adds an average of 2-years to the lifespan to their progeny.
cheers,
— terry
Oh Terrry, this is so hopelessly naive, that my first instinct is to say “write me again in 20 years”!
Who was it who said something like: “It’s not so much the people are ignorant, as it is that they know so many things that just aren’t true.”? (Will Rodgers???)
Dog breeders say things, but people lie. When people gang together in a club, and they all tell the same lies, does that make the lie true?
You mention breeders who breed for the odd, but WHOLE BREEDS OF DOGS ARE BASED ON THEIR HAVING A MUTATION.
What is the Rhodesian Ridgebacks’ distinctive feature? The ridge on his back, which is a mutation that can cause infections to get directly into the spine. Some RR pups have a real problem because of this gene.
What of the English Bulldog? Sure doesn’t look like a pit bull anymore does he? Have breeders improved the breed?
If a breeder of English Bulldogs bred “odd” puppies who lacked these impediments to good health, wouldn’t the other breeders complain?
Did you watch Pedigree Dogs Exposed? It’s on youtube. It’s a free education on some of the problems. For example: it mentions that the RR club there, says that RR puppies born without the ridge on the back should be killed – they kill the healthy puppies with out the mutation.
That’s a big part of the problem, it’s like the leadership his been couped, silently but surely replaced with people who aren’t setting the right course to produce the types of dogs the public needs, and that the dogs themselves are happy being.
But you are absolutely correct about waiting until the dogs are 2 years old to breed them. Many diseases will show up by then.
So add to “Wait until they are 2 years old to let them breed”,
“don’t breed them if they have or are developing inheritable diseases or unhealthy conditions”, because there are many people who will breed them anyway.
A dog breeder is just simply anybody whose dog has puppies – it’s nothing special. You don’t have to go to school for it.
And what good is it to aim to produce puppies that are good at dragging a sled across snow, if you live in Miami and sell the puppies as pets.
I believe that if you are selling puppies as pets, then your should have chosen dogs to breed that will make the best pets, even if they are not the best sled pullers, show dogs, or the longest haired dogs.
It’s weird to say that people should look for dogs that “fit the breed standard” to breed together, if the puppies are sold as pets.
Common logic should tell everyone that if you are selling puppies to people who are buying them as pets, then look for dogs that are good with children, that are healthy, that can live in the housewith dirting the rug and tearing things apart, and who don’t bark much.
just talk to regular people – not dog people – talk to people who have had one pet dog for 10 years. Talk to people who do NOT rad about dogs.
Ask them, the consumer, what traits they value – they wont mention tail set, ear carriage, or shoulder angle!
What would happen if there was only one major car company, and they tried only to produce the most arty cars? To heck if it can run – make it look like Picasso designed it.
What if most of the information on cars told you how to choose the most artful design, but nobody mentions looking under the hood?
>> What is the Rhodesian Ridgebacks’ distinctive feature?
The ridge on [her or] his back, which is a mutation that can cause infections to get directly into the spine. <
the RIDGE of the Rhodie is an inheritance from a native-dog breed
of the local people in Africa, incorporated into Euro-breeds
to improve their tolerance of the heat, waterless environs, etc.
it was not a spontaneous ‘mutation’ in a domestic Euro-breed.
even today, Rhodies are more tolerant of heat than other dom-dog breeds, and can go without water for longer than Euro-breeds – altho for obvious reasons, i will not suggest denying water to a thirsty dog, it should be freely available.
DERMOID SINUS is the term for the skin-defect,
and if it occurred in the African dogs, they would not have survived to produce progeny unless they were very lucky.
simply increasing the dam’s intake of FOLATE – a-k-a folic acid – can virtually or entirely prevent *dermoid sinus* –
one vet-tech breeder has never had a pup with a D-S defect in over 20-years of breeding Rhodies; she supplements her dam’s diets before they are ever in estrus, and thru-out the pregnancy.
if the African dogs have a more-consistent folate source, they may never have suffered from the defect.
DERMOID SINUS also occurs in ridgeless purebreds or Rhodie-crosses –
it is not only associated with the presence of the ridge.
Rhodies are not the only dog with this variant –
the Thai Ridgeback is a very old breed, vastly predating the circa 1860s/1890s Rhodie.
since the native-African dogs are an extinct breed, we cannot recreate their genetics or know the age of the breed.
no-one that i know outside of ENGLISH BULLDOG SHOW-BREEDERS and recent deaf-blind puppy-buyers of the breed, defend their current physiognomy or structure.
breeding a dog who cannot mate without help, or free-whelp, is among the stoopidest endeavors i can name.
= I = am not a defender of the practice.
i think the current incarnation is an abomination.
>> Did you watch Pedigree Dogs Exposed? It’s on youtube.
It’s a free education on some of the problems. <
i wish U would stop assuming that i am an ignorant twit – it’s irritating.
>> …it mentions that the RR club there, says that RR puppies born without the ridge on the back should be killed –
they kill the healthy puppies [without] the mutation. <
as i noted above –
the RIDGE need not be present, in whole or in part, for one or more dermoid sinuses to be present in any one dog.
so they are not culling “healthy” dogs –
they DID kill pups without the ridge, but few modern breeders indulge in such idiocy.
clear into the 1960s + 70s, GSD-breeders culled any WHITE pups born in their litters – despite the undeniable fact that the recessive has been present in GSDs since 1916/1920s when the breed was first established.
some damfools even killed any DAM who threw a white-pup, on the bizarre theory that she was somehow responsible.
why the dam + not the sire?
well, U cannot ask them – most are now dead, and i cannot imagine their possible answer.
stoopidity + cupidity are possible in any human-endeavor; breeding is not exempt.
i repeat, ethical breeders DON’t breed stenotic nares, luxating patellae, dysplastic hips, UAP-elbows, cryptorchid sires, bitches with poor maternal skills [more than once], etc, etc.
Unethical breeders will reproduce anything with functioning gonads.
i am privileged to know some ethical breeders who are lightyears beyond casual moneygrubbers and Missouri BLUE-RIBBON puppy-millers. thank DoG for them.
the Kennel-Club is changing the game in the UK; the Swedish, German + other purebred registries are extremely strict.
THE USA LAGS WELL-BEHIND –
and the UKC is far-ahead of the AKC, tho the AKC still has the numbers advantage.
vanity-registries [Crystal, Continental, etc] are not worth the price of the paper the registration is printed on.
the LEONBERGER Club of America, the US-Basenji breed-club, and the Berner-breeders of the USA have made tremendous improvements + are diligent in their care for the future of their breeds.
the Swissie-breeders of the US are attempting to reduce inbreeding depression – i wish them the best in the effort.
cheers,
– terry
Yes, I have read about the theory of large doses of folic acid for RRs, but the question that I would ask, would be:
Why do some RRs require large doses of folic acid to make sure their spine closes properly?
Is it right to produce dogs that require a diet beyond normal dog food in order to be able to produce healthy puppies?
Often inherited problems can be seen by one clue, but the problem is more widespread in the affected dogs than what can be seen.
If a breed of dog requires a special diet, shouldn’t the club tell the breeders to post this information on their website so that people looking for a puppy will know this ahead of time?
I think only some RR breeders give extra folic acid, but maybe many dogs in this breed need it?
Why, why does this one breed need so much more of this vitamin?
As for the ridge not being associated with human problems like spina bifida – I have read that it is. But I am willing to read experience of RR breeders to the contraire. Do you breed RRs?
As for the RR getting it’s ridge from a common local African Basenji type dog – have you read this anywhere except a dog book?
Where is this native breed of dog now?
Are you sure the ridge didn’t come from a mutation in a Thai dog, or from a mutation in an African dog?
And even if there really were a country of ridged African Basenjis, is there a reason to continue to breed for the ridge?
>>> As for the RR getting it’s ridge from a common local African Basenji type dog… <
i did NOT say ‘Basenji’ –
i said a native-breed, which happened to have a ridge of turned-hair.
>> Where is this native breed of dog now? <
as i noted –
the progenitor native-breed is extinct.
cheers,
– t
>> Why would anyone assume that all breeders strive to improve dogs, or that they would have any idea how to do so? <
U originally suggested that out-crossing dom-dogs to wolves could ‘improve’ dogs –
9-15-10, 3:02-pm
——————————–
>> So many… purebred dogs are from a small inbred group of show dogs. Many [pure] breeds are riddled with inherited disease.
There are plenty of good reasons for the right people to produce wolf hybrids: health, intelligence, nose, coat, instincts, usefullness… <
U also suggested that wolf-hybrid sellers might be inbreeding from a single-pair outcross indefinitely –
9-15-10, 2:56-pm
—————————————————–
>> Perhaps the seller calls them “wolf hybrids” because he had one litter of puppies from a wolf 40 years ago, and he has been breeding brother to sister and then their inbred offspring together for all those years? <
so which are hybrid-breeders doing?
‘improving’ dogs or merely inbreeding hybrids?
– terry
SOME breeders use out-crossing to restore health in a breed.
OTHER breeders just breed whatever they have -and that incluses SOME people who have wolf hybrids.
I am going to go now and look up wolfy-poos.
good night
the casually-bred domestic-dog X wolf hybrids,
sold in the USA as 50/50,
F2 75% wolf-backcrosses,
F2 25%-wolf dog-backcrosses, etc, with immediate wolf-ancestry,
are much more likely to be involved in serious or fatal bite-events or maulings and killings,
than is any breed or type of domestic dog.
the biggest percentage have seen quoted for recent-wolf ancestry hybrids
in the US-popn of owned CANINES is 1 to 1.5% –
the average number of fatal dog-attacks / year is 11 to 12.
yet hybrids account for 1 or 2 human-deaths annually, on average.
there are [last i saw] 75-million dogs in the USA.
if i am generous and presume that 2% are wolf-outcross hybrids,
that’s 1M 500k wolf-hybrids.
lets say 12 deaths for that 75-million CANINES total –
we don’t split-out the higher-risk hybrids.
and we use the larger number of annual deaths.
that’s 1.6 x 10 to the negative-7th logarithm,
or 0.00000016 deaths per canine.
1 or 2 deaths per year, among 1.5M wolf-hybrids,
is 6.66 x 10 to the neg-7th –
or 0.00000066 deaths per wolf-hybrid –
IF we use the single-death per year number.
if we use TWO deaths per year and 1.5M wolf-hybrids,
the ratio is now 1.33 x 10 to the neg-6th –
or 0.00000133 deaths per wolf-hybrid.
the ALL-canines deaths including hybrids + dogs is
0.24 that of the deaths-per-hybrid with ONE death annually.
if i use TWO-deaths per year and 1.5M hybrids,
the all-CANINES deaths per year is 0.12 of that.
this despite including wolf-hybrids in the k9 pool.
75M minus 1.5M is 73.5M domestic dogs –
using 11 deaths per year, that’s
1.49 x 10 to the neg-7th deaths per domestic-dog.
or 0.000000149 deaths per dom-dog.
6,711,409 dom-dogs per death.
using 2 annual deaths + 1.5M wolf-hybrids,
there are 751,879.6 wolf-hybrids per death.
6.7M per death, vs 751.8k per death.
which is the greater risk?
– terry
terry pride, APDT-Aus, apdt#1827, CVA, TDF
Well, if that is so,
I want to defend the poor fellows and claim that
it is because the wolfies go to the wrong people. To persons, who couldn’t take care of themselves.
I claim that many times, people who have somethings wrong in their personal files, take dogs which have a certain image.
>> I want to defend [wolf-hybrids] and claim that
it is because the [hybrids are bought by] the wrong people. [SNIP]…
I claim that many times, people who have somethings wrong in their personal [lives], take dogs which have a certain image. <
no problem, bridget – :–)
they can get a Schutz /bite-sport /border-patrol GSD,
a Rott from a petshop out of a puppy-mill,
a pitbull-type from a backyard-breeder who sells the GOOD ones to dog-fighters,
an Akita from a dam who was never socialized properly,
a Livestock-Guarding Dog of any LGD-breed and then fail to train or socialize or habituate…
the WRONG-owners can still exercise their civil-rights,
and get the WRONG dogs from the WRONG source.
but if [as i would prefer] all breeding and sale, or even gifts,
of dog x wolf progeny BELOW 5-generations and up of domestic-dog breeding is outlawed…
those WRONG owners who get dogs for the WRONG reasons,
will not be able to buy, trade-for, or be given an F1, F2,
F3 or F4 wolf-hybrid of any percentage whatever.
C-W-D + Saarloos would still be perfectly acceptable;
but NO recent-outcross wolf-to-dog hybrids.
any hybrids determined to be such, would be confiscated;
unless a rescue or sanctuary offered to home them for life, euthanized…
UNLESS the owner is prepared to be
—————————————————-
* permitted to have that animal/those animals
* the animal[s] is/are S/N by 16-WO
* the animal[s] is/are microchipped
* the owner provides an escape-proof enclosure of stipulated size,
height, materials, etc, etc, suitable to safely and humanely
confine this/those animals.
* the permit is reviewed + renewed annually –
the animal[s] and housing inspected,
vet-care records reviewed, rabies-vax status, etc.
if all wolf-hybrids are PERMIT ONLY like other wildlife,
their lives will improve – they will be trackable
via chips,
their rabies-status known, all S/N so no pups –
and no SALES to inapropos buyers.
all the macho-men + drunks + wild-wannabes
can go buy a Sibe, a Mal, an Akita, a Presa.
they will still be lousy dog-owners, neglect or abuse them –
BUT they won’t neglect or abuse wolf-hybrids.
one step forward… ::thumb-up::
ya gotta start somewhere.
— terry
Terry, be careful what you ask for – you may get it.
I guess you slam the wolfies, as a way of defending pit bulls, yes?
How does it help pit bulls to write about banning wolfdogs? Ranting about wolfdogs, Retrievers. or Chihuahuas wont help pit bulls.
Too many people have mostly good experiences with some breeds, and mostly bad experiences with other breeds – just ask our host about cute little red doxies.
IMO, pit bull people need to work on reasonalble ideas to regulate their breed, before the government does it for them.
>> I guess you slam the wolfies,
as a way of defending pit bulls, yes? <
no, i did not –
they are IMO utterly separate issues.
i am saying BAN the crossing of wolves with
domestic-dogs, period; PERMIT ONLY for any
recent wolf-outcross of any percentage of
F4 or less generations to dom-dogs.
i said nothing about BSL re dogs –
just wolf-hybrids, who IMO are unfortunate
creatures who have no comfortable niche;
they cannot + should not be -wild-
and are not + cannot be -domestic-.
– terry
leashed-for-life/Terry–as an actual EXPERIENCED wolf hybrid owner over many years, with various percentages of hybrids), it is very obvious to me from your comments you have ZERO practical experience with the actual animals yourself(yet these VEHEMENT comments! It is a very common knee-jerk reaction to these animals, as I well know!)–you mentioned people calling you to get rid of their animals(yes, all too common a phenomenon)–but do you judge the ANIMALS by the people that FAILED them? My experience with a wide variety of demanding, independent dog types has showed me also how very few of them live their full lives–look at how most Siberian Huskies are dead before they are 2–it is terrible! But should such an amazing wonderful breed as Siberians are be OUTLAWED because of the stupid moral majority that doesn’t do their research and doesn’t have a clue? Of course not. I also don’t know where your dog bite fatality statistics come from, but considering the number of wolf dogs out there, and the abusive IDIOTS that often have them, a measely couple of fatalities a year is damn low, in my opinion, condsidering the potential for tradgedy! The report I saw was involving ALL types of dogs for several decades–one must remember these do fluctuate do to rise and fall of the popularity of certain breeds–and was not an anti-wolf dog bit of propaganda–of which there is a LOT of media B. S. out there about them, which is all most people ever see(PROPAGANDA–i.e. NOT the TRUTH!!!)–and wolf dogs, for their numbers were somewhere around SEVENTH on the list for causing fatalities. So, sure, it can most definetely happen! But are they MORE dangerous than other dog breeds? Absolutely false! Raised properly, socialized well, and humanely kept and trained, they are splendid animals to share one’s life with. Are they for everyone? Of course not–I liken them to something like falconry, where only truly dedicated and committed people be involved, and I’m all for liscencing the practice, like with falconry, and even requiring taking and passing courses on their care(I would institute this for ALL exotic type animals if I were King…), but OUTLAW them? Never. What about wolf dogs and coy dogs that are produced naturally withoout purposeful human intentions? I had two friends with wild-bred coy-dogs in Montana that were great pets and companions, and lived long, happy lives. With wolves now reclaiming more and more territory, these”accidents” will occaisionally occur–should they all just be euthanized even with committed people ready to give them good homes? Outlawing ANY other living creature, to me, is the ultimete arrogance in human attitude and intolerance…..to be continued…..
>>> …wolf[crosses] and [coyote-crosses]… are produced naturally
withoout purposeful human intentions [snip]…
With wolves now reclaiming more and more territory, these
”accidents” will occaisionally occur… <<
i said nothing about “ACCIDENTS”, lane –
altho may i point-out that chaining an in-heat bitch
out in coyote-country is not an “accident”, nor is allowing an in-heat bitch to roam at large.
considering coyote are now in all 48 mainland states,
coy-dogs are doggone rare; without deliberate ‘accidents’
i think “accidental” wolf-hybrids will be no more common.
and may i add specifically –
IMO, all such animals should be under -Permit-.
obviously, ‘accidental’ progeny are 50/50.
also IMO –
if any owned-F gets “accidentally” pregnant by coyote or wolf,
i think the F in question should be summarily spayed,
at the owner’s cost; as that owner has proven to be
inept or utterly irresponsible re intact-dogs.
many municipalities are passing 3-strike laws:
intact-dogs at large are a larger fine on 1st-offense,
a warning is added on a 2nd-offense, and the dog is
desexed before the owner can claim the dog,
if there is a 3rd roam-at-large violation.
if the owner refuses to pay the desex-cost,
the dog is put up for adoption, and the adopter
pays desex-cost or adoption-fee, depending.
having seen the same people turn-in 2 litters a year,
for 5 years or more, i think this is an excellent idea.
there are MISMATE treatments to prevent litters,
if a bitch is accidentally-bred.
they are cheaper + safer than whelping + rearing.
all my best,
— terry
>> I also don’t know where your dog bite fatality statistics come from… <
from the CDC multi-year study. ]
– t
…and Leashed-for-life/Terry–you don’t think wolf dogs have a “niche” probably because YOU personally are not interested in them! But some of us ARE! And have kept the animals for years, and they live happy, fulfilled lives, and have much they can teach us! I learned SO much from my own animals–and they were tractable and faithful till their last breaths. I learned much on the likenesses and differences between domestic dogs and wolves–knowledge SORELY lacking in a world that accepts stupid, poorly thought out theories of dog domestication like the blathering Ray Coppinger’s! I roamed for years and miles with my pack of hybrids, and I’ve never had tougher, smarter, more “natural” canines in my life(although I love and value ALL the many types of dogs I’ve been fortunate enough to experience). They were probably the BEST “woods dogs” I’ll ever have. They varied in wolf genetics from one that was 75%, to two that were 50%, and two more that were just one-quarter wolf. They ALL had obedience degrees from an actual dog school classes, and were always in the top five in their respective classes(I did this more for socialization than the need for obedience….)although it was HELL finding a class that would accept them due to such ignorant prejudice about out there!!! And they were good sled dogs, and perfectly reliable off-lead. This took a LOT of time and work, of course, the kind most people are not willing to commit to(but does that mean NOBODY can?). Wolf dogs are like “do-it-yourself” dogs, just like some of us like to learn to practice primitive skills and keep them alive, like camping in a tipi, or hunting with bows and arrows–most people aren’t up to those kinds of activities either, but should they be OUTLAWED for all people for all time? Watch dogs? Terry, you are OBVIOUSLY just parroting the usual negative propaganda put out to discourage people getting wolf dogs(which some people do thinking they’ll make good watch dogs…)–it depends on the situation and the individual animals, and the relationship they have with their people. They are NOT effective guardians or watch dogs for people they could care less about(this is true of many types of dogs!!!). My own animals, every one, would have DIED protecting me! I would rather have them with me than ANY other dogs if I encountered an aggressive bear, cougar, or human. They didn’t bark much, but they were alert as heck, and never missed anything, and if you payed attention, nothing would escape your notice(as the normally dull human) either! They very correctly interpreted certain peoples’ behaviour that were up to no good that I was oblivious to on several occaisions–I soon learned to trust their reactions explicitly! And with certain individuals, I really, really wished I could have allowed them to join in the fatal attack statistics, because those people really deserved it! I have no doubt they saved my life on more than one occaision, and were a heckuva lot more trustworthy than most humans I’ve met! So please excuse me for defending some of the best friends I ever had! The way the world is going, alas, more and more REAL life is getting outlawed and legislated and crowded out of existence because of ignorant peoples’ intolerance. I’m sure glad I got to experience some of it before you overlly civilzed, over-controlling types muck it all up!
>> Watch dogs?
Terry, you are OBVIOUSLY just parroting the usual negative propaganda
put out to discourage people getting wolf dogs (which some people do
thinking they’ll make good watch dogs…)
– it depends on the situation and the individual animals, and the relationship
they have with their people.
They are NOT effective guardians or watch dogs for people they could
care less about (this is true of many types of dogs!!!).
My own animals, every one, would have DIED protecting me!
I would rather have them with me than ANY other dogs if I encountered
an aggressive bear, cougar, or human. They didn’t bark much, but they were alert… <
lane, U are lumping 2 things together –
WATCH dogs alert, and WAIT for someone else to act.
GUARD dogs may or may not alert, and ACT – they bite.
ergo, wolf-hybrids who rarely bark, are lousy watch-dogs.
and as i already said, wolf-hybrids are often fearful –
of objects, noise, new settings, strangers… –
and fearful animals are MORE likely to bite than confident animals.
a watch-dog can be any breed willing to bark alerts.
wolf-hybrids are not suited, as they’re rarely vocal –
except for howling, which can be problematic.
– terry
Lane, you roamed with a pack of wolf hybrids? OMG!
Did you write a book on it? A blog? Dang, you must have had some experiences!
Wolf hybrids CAN be quite effective watch dogs, as I said(it certainly varies on the situation and the animal–and there is ENORMOUS variety among different wolf percentages, dog breeds involved, training, socialization, etc.). They most certainly CAN and DO bark–just not as inanely and pointlessly as most domestic dogs–whenever my wolf dogs DID bark, I paid attention, because for sure, something was not right! Nervousness in wolf hybrids is because the people who have nervous animals did not raise or socialize their animals properly–if properly socialized(and you have to really put a lot of time and effort in that!!!), they are ANTYTHING but shy or nervous! My guys were EXTREMELY outgoing, and I could take them anywhere. If they DID shy from anyone, GUARANTEED that person was up to no good. I learned to trust their behaviour in this explicitly–they DID NOT just accept humans or submit or defer to them as most dogs tend to–which is why most people have problems with them. Me? I liked that about them–I trusted their judgment(after they had to teach ME!) on that better than any other dogs I’ve had–although I have also had some wonderfully protective and intuitive dogs, as well. Basenjis also don’t bark(much less than any wolf or wolf dog!), but they are also considered good watch dogs. They GROWL very effectively as a warning, and they are incredibly alert, and if you PAY ATTENTION, they will absolutely let you know if and when you have intruders! Have you never seen a documentary with wolves giving warning barks at things like bears near their dens? Wolves have a very distinctive warning bark. Mix some dog genetics in there, and you get plenty of barkability. I think this ability is why wolves were tolerated around ancient hunter-gatherer campsites, which was the first step in leading to the domestication of dogs. So YES, FROM LOTS OF EXPERIENCE WITH THE ACTUAL ANIMALS, wold hybrids CAN be effective watch dogs AND guardians(but yes, those two ARE different things if one wishes to get super technical about it, although they both tend to occur at the same time if required by circumstances–warning, then physical discouragement if necessary….) Trying to lump ALL WOLF DOGS into one, negative(or positive!) category, with the plethora of wolf genetics and various dog breeds involved in the backgrounds, is very unrealistic. Low percentage wolf dogs tend to be easier to train than many other difficult, high strung dog breeds–a Wolf lecturer/expert(as expert as a human becomes in this subject) used my Azawakh as an example of a dog that was much more difficult for the “average”(whatever THAT is….) person to deal with than many of the gregarious, wag-friendly wolf hybrids out there. I couldn’t agree with him more(but I LOVED my Azawakh, and LIKED that he bit people that came around unnannounced! that’s one reason I got him!)…..
…. this is the REAL problem wolf hybrids face, and this discussion is a classic example of it—always the negative/against folks are spouting “I heard’ or “I read”–it is never based on real experiences. And what they heard or read is also from a long line of politically correct parroted information. OR in cases involving real tradgedies(and absolutely they do occur!), it involves people who did everything wrong and/or were abusive—NOT a fair way to judge an animal, in my opinion! I would have reacted the same way as many wolf dogs have, were I treated as I have seen some provoked wolf hybrids treated that were accused of “turning” on their owners! Perhaps I have a bit of wolf blood myself! The fact that they often don’t tolerate human stupidity and abuse is one reason I LIKE the animals! But make no mistake, it takes real committment–I lived very isolated so I had a safe place to range with my animals. I spent fortunes on huge, expansive fenced compounds. I spent virtually all my free time with them(and had no human family I lived with), and I WANTED wolfish behaviour–I didn’t try to make them into something they weren’t. And I just happened to enjoy doing things wolves(and most dogs, in truth!) enjoy doing! No T. V. reception, no nights at the movies(or at least, only rarely), no hanging out in malls or going to bars–and I tell you, I enjoyed every minute of it! Of course someone doesn’t have to be quite so feral or reclusive(those were just my choices), but you DO have to be very committed and understanding of the animals–they sure aren’t going to defer or respond to you or even like you if you don’t give them a decent home and spend a LOT of time with them. Funny thing is–ALL DOGS prefer this kind of treatment, too……..
A good site on Dog bites (thru 2006):
http://www.dog-obedience-training-online.com/dog-bite-statistics-by-breed.html
Wolf /hybrid wolves account for a number of bites, so do Akitas. I’ll note that Labradors don’t come off that great on this either.
1. Being one of those pointy eared wolflike breeds, Belgian shepherds have a W6/D6 MTDNA that is identical to wolves (the subject wolves were from Romania, so I’m presuming C.lupus lupus). They are considered reliable enough to be the first official police dog (Ghent, Belgium), war dogs, messenger dogs, herding dogs, SAR dogs, service dogs, and general family pets. There is no evidence that Belgians are less “reliable” or less trustworthy than German Shepherds, Border Collies, or even Golden Retrievers. At some point there was obviously, a “hybrid” dog/wolf in there – the MTDNA indicates this. She had to be manageable and bring something beneficial, otherwise she wouldn’t have had offspring.
2. In large part, some of the problem is the dogs’ owners and lack of management—people who want a “nasty, junkyard dog” don’t tend to think of using a Beagle.
3. Some of the dogs and some of the crosses are done by those who aren’t particularly careful about the temperaments of the sire/dam. Nor are they always good about early socialization and handling. The more “fringe” a dog breeder is, the more likely there will be some issues resulting from these factors.
4. It’s getting quite tedious to hear purebred bashing. It’s very hard to compare a given purebred to “general mixed breed population”. For example, greyhounds have a LOWER than average incidence of hip dysplasia than the general population. It’s quite true that some issues have come about as a result of very closed and fairly small breeding pools. It’s equally true that a lot of the highly sought characteristics like “birdiness” also come from that careful, selective breeding.
5. In the countries formerly behind the “iron curtain”, a lot of dog breeding was instituted both by a very severe “working criteria” AND politics. And some of what one is told isn’t truthful. (I’ll believe that the Russian Black Terrier has no Bouvier in it when I see the DNA comparisons. I don’t particularly buy off on the use of Newfoundlands to create the breed and would like to see DNA verification of that). However, as with the Fox breeding experiment, the funding of such ventures coupled with strict selection criteria could easily yield a dog that was “safe” (or as safe as any other breed of dog) if started more than 50 years ago (1955).
6. The assertion that wolves are “untrainable”, etc, pretty much has been based on assumptions of what “trainability” means, how one raises a dog and the wolves selected. I haven’t seen, for example, attempts to do this using the “Arabic” or “Mongolian” subspecies / races of wolves. You aren’t going to get the average Siberian Husky to herd sheep effectively either. That doesn’t make them “unreliable” nor “untrainable”. It means they aren’t herding dogs. Yes, the F1s are likely to be difficult. As with the foxes, by the time one gets to the F30s, it’s rather likely something different will be present, even without any “dog” being involved.
Peggy Richter
Peggy, did you have in mind “dogs bite” instead of “dog bites”? Try:
http://www.dogsbite.org
It is a site for dog bite victims.
no. I chose the obedience site as they have no ax to grind regarding breed. The CDC data is out of date, so I did not use it. The obedience site has reasonable statistics broke out in an understandable fashion. And what it shows is pretty much that any breed over 30 pounds can provide a devistating bite and that pretty much ANY breed CAN bite. Some breeds tend to end in the hands of those who employ the dogs as so much “animated weapons” or who simply ignore training, socialization and plain common sense regarding child/dog interactions. A 80 pound canine delinquent is no more safe than a human 200 pound teenage delinquent.
Certainly different breeds have different temperments and aptitudes. But largely, dog bites and deaths caused by dogs come about because the people involved created a situation that was pretty much an “accident looking for a place to happen”. When “researchers” assert that wolves are not tameable or trainable, I am reminded of how long it took them to change their views on “animals don’t use tools” or “dogs see in black and white”. And certainly an F1 “wolf” isn’t going to behave like RinTinTin. A Przewalski’s Horse isn’t going to win the Kentucky Derby either. That doesn’t mean that after several generations of selection, you wouldn’t repeat the “fox” project with wolves, nor that you couldn’t get much faster horses if you selected the fastest 5% out of a Przewalski’s Horse herd for even 30 years.
Peggy Richter
>> Certainly different breeds have different temperaments and aptitudes. But largely, dog bites and deaths caused by dogs come about because the people involved created a situation that was pretty much an “accident looking for a place to happen”. <
too true –
i am often shocked speechless by parents who encourage their child-under-5-YO to hug or kiss a strange dog, who literally just met that child.
or who casually leave kids shouting + racing in the yard, WITH the dog[s] while the adults all retreat to the living-room on the far-side of the house for coffee! :eek!:
>> When “researchers” assert that wolves are not tameable or trainable, I am reminded of how long it took them to change their views on “animals don’t use tools” or “dogs see in black and white”. <
tameable, yes – handleable or approachable by the general public, not necessarily.
trainable, yes – but unquestioning or immediate compliance had better be out of the top-5 criteria, or both subject + trainer are liable to be very unhappy.
movement, scents + novelty are major distractors for hybrids or wild-canids, and virtually impossible to fully-proof.
[i still hear arguments claiming that a J-hook shaped to extract a grub isn’t REALLY a tool… (groan)
but i was already told in high-school circa 1970 that dogs had both rods + cones, but fewer cones vs humans – i was in no doubt that dogs had color-vision.
who was holding-out on k9-color-vision?]
>>> …certainly an F1 “wolf” isn’t going to behave like RinTinTin.
A Przewalski’s Horse [won’t] win the Kentucky Derby either. That doesn’t mean that after several generations of selection, you wouldn’t repeat the “fox” project with wolves, nor that you couldn’t get much faster horses if you selected the fastest 5% out of a Przewalski’s Horse herd for even 30 years. <
most GSDs won’t behave like Rinny, LOL.
then again, i know a number of needle-nosed Rough-Collies who could not impersonate Lassie even to satisfy a doting and myopic owner.
real dogs in real life don’t get re-takes, and editing is only in our memories.
i presume that like the Belyaev foxes, U would select for tameness as the breeding criterion in wolves?
i’d lay odds (and cash) that a Thoroughbred would not do nearly as well as a Przewalski for a year or 3, on the plains of western China or eastern Mongolia.
they need too many concentrated calories, and with long legs, a narrower barrel, less winter-coat, they have more surface-area re interior-volume and will lose an alarming amount of heat in cold temps.
hypothermia, malnutrition or starvation would probably carry the Thoroughbred off, while the Prze might look poor but will survive.
and as soon as green-up, the Prze will rapidly gain back the lost condition.
just so, a dog will not thrive in wolf-country with no human support, trash-dumps, etc – keeping body + soul together on small-game is a struggle for domestic-dogs; competing with coyote or wolves is unlikely to succeed.
all my best,
– terry
One thing people often don’t take into account involving “dangerous dogs” is that the human behaviour and reactions towards them are often the thing that triggers dog attacks. Amazed(and apalled) at the current Pit Bull witch hunt, I wondered WHAT has changed–no doubt human abuse(the wrong people getting the wrong dog for the wrong reasons) is a major factor–but it doesn’t explain every Pit Bull attack. When I was a kid growing up(1960’s), Pit Bulls virtually NEVER were implicaqted in attacks(GSD’s were THE media villified BAD dogs in those days!)–they were considered the all-around great family dog. I’ve handled HUNDREDS at the vet’s and kennels I’ve worked at, NEVER HAD ONE that was aggressive to me or unhandalable. But nowadays, just watch many peoples’ reactions when they encounter a Pit Bull– fear, aggression,distrust—no question the dogs respond to that. So this idea that Pit Bulls are more aggressive and untrustworthy is rather a self-perpetuating philosophy, as such behaviour on the humans’ part certainly can trigger those reactions. I blatantly saw the same thing when introducing people to my wolf dogs, which were all highly socialized with humans, and knew “normal” friendly human behaviour very well. If these people were told or knew my animals were part wolf, they tended to be rather leary, and the wolf dogs reacted to that INSTANTLY–not aggressively, or predatory, but just stand-offish and shy–not really trusting that person. Most such people, after being around my guys awhile, soon got over it, and everyone would become great friends(unless, as I’ve said, they were up to no good, then no efforts on my part could get the wolf dogs to accept them–(what could THAT be? Scent given off by dishonesty? Subtle body postures?) . So I began to NOT inform the uninformed when possible about my animals’ genetic background, and as most didn’t know a dog from a hybrid from a Republican, the reactions were TOTALLY different, humans’ AND the wolf dogs’–everybody friendly and accepting from the start! It was amazing to see the difference! And I think this is the difference, in a large degree of why Pit Bulls never used to be such a statistic(and they’ve always been popular, common dogs wherever I’ve been), and why they are now. Another intersting thing about this and wolf dogs is–yes–SO MANY so-called wolf hybrids out there have very little, often ZERO recent wolf genetics, and yet cause problems–once again, I think it is peoples’ fear reactions and uncomfortable behaviour towards them that trigger it. But how ironic, when the savage wolf dog who attacks someone, ends up being in no part wolf at all!
You are correct in poining out it is impolite to the Slovaks to call CSWs “Czech Wolfdog”:)
A note – There were only four wolves, not five. My CSW has all four of them in her pedigree, the nearest one is eight generations back. If you calculate today’s CSWs pedigree you will see that mathematically they have about 28% of wolf blood, but that’s just a number, the selection was thorough, as was the inbreeding at the beginning. Interestingly there is no straight maternal line left in today’s CSWs left from one of the wolves, said a scientist who is doing a DNA research into CSWs. Could be accident, or could be that that part of genome proved incompatible with the idea of working/companion animal.
The idea behind the army experiment which resulted in CSWs was to improve working GSD lines’ health, agility, endurance, while keeping the GSDs working ethic, trainability and reliability.