Caring For Your Hybrid Wolf Pet

Just like a household dog, wolf hybrid pets need proper care.  Annual checkups with your veterinarian and annual shots are needed.  You should still worm them regularly as your veterinarian recommends.  When a new wolf hybrid puppy comes into your home, all the puppy shots and checkups should be conducted as your veterinarian recommends.  You will also want to use some form of flea and tick treatment.  Your veterinarian can recommend a good treatment.  There are many things that can kill your hybrid wolf pet such as heart worm and ticks.  So I implore you, take your hybrid wolf pet to the veterinarian and keep it with you for many years to come.

Next let us look at grooming.  Like dogs, wolf hybrid pets need their teeth inspected for decay and disease.  Wolf hybrid pets need their toenails cut.  Wolves in the wild wear down their toenails thru running and constant wear and tear.  Your wolf hybrid pet will not put in the miles on their feet that a wolf in the wild will do.  So, inspect and cut their toenails regularly.  Wolf hybrid pets that have the second undercoat will shed a lot more than most dogs.  You will therefore need to brush your wolf hybrid pet more often than a dog.  The brushing will reduce the need to vacuum as often but only slightly.  Brushing will also make their coat very shinny and keep it looking good.  Brushing your wolf hybrid pet can also reduce the need for bathing.  If you do need to shampoo their coat, regular dog shampoo is fine.   Your wolf hybrid pet will love the brushing and it is a great time to bond with them.

Next let us look a providing a secure living space for your wolf hybrid pet.  If you keep your wolf hybrid pet outside, you need a six foot fence with a top wire.  The top wire can be electric or barb wire.  Wolves are great diggers as well.  They can dig under a fence and be gone before you know it.  There are several ways to stop them from digging under the fence.  One is to put a concrete walkway or slab around the inside of your fence.  Another is lay part of your fencing on the ground inside the fence.  Just be creative and know that your wolf hybrid pet can climb over a fence that is too short and dig under a fence that has no reinforcement.  I do not recommend any collars, chains, or any sort of runs for a wolf hybrid.  They are great escape artists and can break most chains and run lines.  They are so strong they can pull most collars off with little or no effort.  If you are keeping your wolf hybrid inside, remember they like to dig.  You have to train them what areas they can and cannot get on.  They will dig into your furniture to make a den.  They will dig into carpet and flooring by doors in an effort to escape.  Sometimes they are just lonely.



Lonly Wolf

Next let us look at a companion for your wolf hybrid pet.  Like wolves, wolf hybrid pets prefer the pack to solitude.  A lonely hybrid wolf pet will get into more mischief than one that has a pack playmate.  In this case, two are better than one.  The playmate can curtail the digging to get out and other bad habits.  The playmate keeps them from getting bored and being lonely.  The pair should have lots of toys to play with as well.  This keeps them from playing with your furniture, your shoes, and anything else you don’t want them to play with.   Be careful though and do not pair them with a small animal.  Wolves in the wild feed on small prey as well as large prey.  The instinct to hunt and feed may come out if you pair it with an animal that is not their equal.

Buyer Beware

I want to back up and caution all who are considering bringing a wolf hybrid puppy into your home.  Some states have laws and state regulations that limit ownership of a wolf hybrid pet.  My state has strict regulations of full blooded wolves.  It has no limitations on wolf hybrid pets other than those put on regular pet dogs. The website listed below is a great reference site to make sure you are not going against any state laws or state regulations. http://www.wolfdogalliance.org/legislation/statelaws.html

Another thing I want you to consider is how much time it takes to train a wolf hybrid puppy.  The time it takes to train a wolf hybrid is much longer than a regular dog.  It is also a more intense  training than that of a regular dog.  You have to spend time with them becoming the alpha, socializing them with family and the public, and bonding with them.  These steps are very important to a wolf hybrid and should not be taken lightly or left out.

I also want to caution those that might have even the slightest fear of animals.  Wolves are very instinctive when it comes to detecting fear and a wolf hybrid pet will have this trait as well.  When the wolf hybrid reaches age two, it will start to challenge their pack similar to what a wolf would do in the wild.  This is similar to what teenager will do to their parents when puberty hits.  Any fear you or a family member shows will be automatically picked up by your wolf hybrid pet.  You must be strong willed and hold your ground during the challenge.  Not everyone can handle this pressure.

Another word of caution is to buy a puppy not a full grown animal.  You need to train your animal and bond with it.  You have no idea what the former owner of the full grown wolf hybrid has taught the animal.  You know nothing about the animal or its’ temperament or how it interacts with others.



Puppy Mill



Another word of caution is buyer beware.  Make sure you see the living conditions of the parents and the puppies.  There are all kinds of breeders out there who operate puppy mills and are deceptive.  Learn wolf features before you go or take literature with you describing wolf features.  You want to make sure the breeder is not lying about the percentage of wolf in your puppy.

Training Your Wolf Hybrid Puppy

Now that you have decided to go with a wolf hybrid puppy, the next step is training.  I will give you some of my experiences and a few steps to follow.  If you are successful, you will have a loving new addition to your family. 

Let us look at what you will need for training supplies next. 

1.      Leash

2.      Collar

3.      Toys – Lots of chew toys because wolf hybrid puppies love to chew.

4.      Training reward treats

5.      A place to isolate the puppy – such as a crate, an unused bedroom, a basement, or six foot chain link fence.

Now we start the training process.  Remember you must be patient and that your wolf hybrid puppy will try your patience.

1.      The first step is to socialize your wolf hybrid puppy.  Hybrid wolf puppies need lots of contact with their family.   So start the socialization process with the family if there is a family.  This can be with other family pets and the human family members.  Next take the wolf hybrid puppy out in public to as many places as possible as soon as possible. Be sure to use the collar and the leash anytime you take your wolf hybrid into a public setting.  The collar and leash are for your protection as well as others.  Lawsuits are in abundance these days and you do not need one.  The more experiences the wolf hybrid puppy encounters the less likely they are to be overly aggressive or shy which wolves tend to be.  My wolf hybrid male is still very shy and timid in public because he did not receive enough public socialization early on. 

2.      Visit your veterinarian for shots, heart worm, and a general checkup.  This is a good way to get them around other animals and people if you have no other pets or family members.  This step is probably the most important step for your peace of mind to make sure your puppy is healthy and ready to be trained.

3.      If you have never owned a pet before, you are going to need help.  This can be thru online research or an animal trainer.   If you can afford obedience training and have a class in your area, enroll the two of you in obedience training.  This will help in the socializing of the animal and teach you how to become a better trainer yourself.  If you cannot afford obedience training, websites such as www.eHow.com or http://dogs.lovetoknow.com are great tools to learn how to train your hybrid wolf puppy.

4.      Daily interaction with your hybrid wolf puppy is very important from the first day you bring home your puppy.  Play games with them.   Teach them which toys are their toys.  Without these parameters on what they can and cannot play with, your home and property will be destroyed.  You may find clothes and shoes chewed.  Or, a couch that the puppy used for digging its’ den.  Wolves dig and chew as an instinct and this instinct has to be curtailed.  You should also exercise your hybrid wolf puppy daily.  A game of fetch is a great exercise for the puppy and you. Once you teach the puppy how to fetch properly, you do not have to do as much work.  Wolves are high strung and have lots of energy that needs to be expended and therefore so does your hybrid wolf puppy.  

5.      Your puppy should also be handled daily.  The puppy needs to get use to a humans touch.  So as the owner of a hybrid wolf puppy, start with petting of the body and ears.  Then start checking the puppies’ teeth, eyes, and tail.  Then check the puppies’ genitals.  These habits are important for the owner and the puppy both.   This allows the owner to check for health issues and makes their trips to a veterinarian a little easier too.  It also allows the owner to check for any flee or tick problems that need to be addressed.   

6.      Wolves have larger brains than dogs and are therefore more intelligent.  For you as the owner of a hybrid wolf puppy, this means you will need to stimulate the puppies’ brain daily.  Teach it new tricks and games.  Introduce new toys to the puppy.  Do not leave your puppy without brain stimulation for long because it will learn things on its own that you may not want it learning.   Talk with your puppy.  Yes I said talk with the puppy.  Wolves are very vocal animals and like to talk.  If trained properly, the puppy will carry on a conversation with you just like a human would.  I still do not know what my female hybrid mother wolf is saying to me but we talk two and three times per day.  I have learned thru the years to ask her certain questions to start our conversations.  As a puppy she had no example of how to howl from another animal, so I taught her by example with a Tarzan yell.  Now I can say “Do Tarzan” and she will howl.  She prefers to howl at night though just like a wolf in the wild would. 

7.      Wolves have a bone crushing bite.  Wolf hybrid puppies will want to bite and chew everything.  Find them things to chew on that have nothing to do with furniture or shoes or anything you want to keep.  My favorite chew toy to give my hybrid wolf pets is old milk jugs.  They love them and I still have all my shoes and most of my furniture.  I made the mistake of letting one puppy chew on a scrap piece of wood.  One day I came home to a couch leg that looked nothing like its’ original state.  Next, let us address the biting your puppy will want to do nonstop.  You must stop this habit when the puppy is very young which means from bite number one.  Different forms of discipline are available to you.  You can make crying sounds and tell them that they hurt you.  You can slap their nose and tell them that they hurt you and to not bite you.  It is important to talk with your wolf hybrid puppy when disciplining them.  They are very intelligent and learn very fast.  Do not let any bite go unpunished.

8.      We will now talk about housetraining or potty training your wolf hybrid puppy for those who will keep their puppy inside.  The easiest way to potty train any animal is by example.  What I mean by this is if you have another animal that is already potty trained, they will just go in and out with them and lead by example.  You of course have to go with them to ensure that they have done their business.  You will then praise them for what they have done.  After a few trips, you can gage if more training is needed.  If you have no other pets, the process is a little more labor intense and drawn out.  Do not put papers down for a wolf hybrid puppy to use.  This gets them in the habit of going inside which is the wrong behavior to teach.  You take them out at regular intervals to do their business and praise them when they have done so.  Be patient.  This takes time and accidents will happen.

9.      If your hybrid wolf puppy has demonstrated bad behavior and you want to punish them,   the best form of punishment for a social animal is isolation.  This can be done thru crate training.  One may opt to put the puppy in an unused bedroom.  Another option is put the puppy in a basement if you have it.  I happen to use the basement because I have it and they cannot tear up as much of my personal belongings in the basement.  Depending on your climate another option is a fenced in area outside.  This is a little like a child’s time out.  You put the hybrid wolf puppy in isolation and tell them why they are there.  As you bring them out, you remind them why they were there and not to do the bad behavior again.

10.  Reinforce good behavior with treats, hugs, petting, and words of praise.  You like to be recognized when you do a good job and so does your wolf hybrid puppy.  Use the same treat each time you are rewarding them for one particular lesson.  An example would be giving them a dog biscuit and only a dog biscuit after each successful potty training session.  Be consistent with your training and your verbiage.  If you want your puppy to learn what it means to  get in their bed, do not use “Go to your bed” one day and “Get on your pillow” another day.  You will only confuse your puppy. 

Good luck with your new hybrid wolf puppy.  I know it will bring lots of joy and love to your household as mine have to my household.  As always, if I can help or answer any questions feel free to post them.

Acquiring a Wolf Hybrid Puppy

When you are looking to acquire a wolf hybrid puppy, there are certain features that are different than regular dogs.  The stronger these features are the higher the concentration of wolf mix in the breed.  First is the coat, of which wolves have a heavy undercoat.  Next is the eye color, wolves have a golden yellow color primarily.  A few can be brown or black but never blue.  Next is the size of the paws, which wolves have very large paws.  Their hind paws also have no dew claw.  This is the equivalency of a human thumb.  Next is their size, which is up to 175 pounds and up to 63 inches long without the tail.   You will have a hard time judging the size of the puppy and therefore will need to see the parents to gauge size of what the puppy should be.  Last and certainly not least are their ears.  Wolf ears face forward, stand straight up, are furry inside, and have rounded tips.

There are many ways to find a wolf hybrid puppy.  The first wolf hybrid puppy of mine was a gift from customers who owned the parents.  The next one was acquired thru a large metropolitan newspaper subscription.  I kept the subscription till I found a wolf hybrid puppy that met my specifications.  There are many online sources for purchasing wolf hybrid puppies. A simple search will give you loads of sites.   I caution you though to go see the parents of your puppy.  And whatever you do don’t buy an older puppy or adult wolf hybrid as a pet.  You must train your wolf hybrid puppy from an early age that you are the alpha and in charge.

Before you jump into buying a wolf hybrid puppy, you should do your research.  Things you want to look into are listed below:

1.      Do I have enough space for a wolf hybrid pet?

2.      Will a wolf hybrid pet mix well with my family? 

3.      Will the wolf hybrid pet get along with my existing pets?

4.      Do I have the time to train a wolf hybrid pet?

5.      What traits does a wolf hybrid pet have?

6.      Are the traits of a wolf hybrid pet what I would like in my pet?

7.      How is training a wolf hybrid pet different than training a regular dog?

8.      What are the drawbacks to owning a wolf hybrid pet?

9.      Am I willing to put up with the howling and the complaints from neighbors?

There are many sources online to find the answers to all these questions.  I will be happy to answer any questions that I can on the subject.  I am now on my fourth wolf hybrid pet.  My second is the mother of the third and fourth wolf hybrid pets.  I can give a word of caution when breeding wolf hybrids.  Do not breed with Labrador Retrievers.  The breed is noted for having large litters.  My female wolf hybrid had thirteen puppies.  This made for a very difficult pregnancy and delivery.

I have owned dogs for many years prior to owning wolf hybrids.  Now that I have owned wolf hybrids for the last 20 years, this is the only type pet I will ever own.  They are the most loving animals and are a huge part of my life.  Other family members are always asking “How are the babies?”  They are truly my children and grandchildren.  I know to some people that sounds strange but do not knock it till you have tried it.

Meet My Hybrid Wolf Family



Cherokee At 4 Weeks Old



 I want you to meet my hybrid wolf family.  First is Cherokee who is a mix of wolf and husky.  She is the mother of Buster and Cheyenne who are a mix of wolf, husky, and chocolate Labrador.  I call Buster and Cheyenne chocolate wolves. 



Cherokee At 8 Months Old



Cherokee At 8 Years Old



Cherokee stands about twenty five inches high at the shoulder.  She is forty eight inches long not including her seventeen inch tail.  She weighs about ninety pounds.  Cherokee has a soft fluffy coat that is softer than the softest blanket.  She has the typical undercoat that most wolves have.  The coat hairs are about two inches long.  Female wolves are smaller than their male counterparts.  Cherokee is about the size of a large male husky only with longer legs and a lot of wolf features.  She is very loving and gentle.  She loves her hugs and belly rubs.  She shows strong alpha traits but I am the alpha in this house.  I am certain that when I am not around, she is in charge.  Cherokee is very vocal and will carry on a conversation with me.  She also will howl when prompted by my Tarzan yell. 



Cheyenne



Cheyenne and Buster are from Cherokee’s one and only litter of thirteen puppies.  Cheyenne stands about twenty three inches high at the shoulder.  She is forty six inches long not including her fifteen inch tail.  Cheyenne weighs about eighty pounds.  Cheyenne has a blending of the chocolate lab and the wolf when it comes to her body style and coat.  Her body shape looks like that of a Labrador.  The coat is a blend of wolf colors and chocolate lab colors.  The coat is a longer length coat than a Labrador but shorter length than that of a wolf.  Cheyenne has strong beta characteristics and will quickly move into her mothers’ role as the leader when Cherokee is gone.  Cheyenne tends to be more of a loner when interacting with the family.  She will sleep in a room all by herself while the other two are with me.  Cheyenne is very loving though.  She loves her ears and back to be rubbed.  Cheyenne is the only one of the three that I can take outside of the fence area.  She stays right with me and will not run off.  This is probably because she has more Labrador traits.  Cherokee and Buster will run off and scope out their territory which is a wolf trait.  This is a trait that I could live without.



Buster



Buster is about twenty five inches high at the shoulder.  He is forty eight inches long not including his seventeen inch tail.  Buster weighs about eight five pounds.  If Buster had a larger percentage of wolf genes in him, he would be larger than his mother Cherokee.   Buster has a unique blending of wolf and chocolate Labrador.  His body looks like a wolf with long legs, a tall stature, long nose, and a straight tail.   He does not have the wolf ears which point forward and up.  The ears point forward like a wolf and flop down like the Labrador.   His coat is all chocolate Labrador though.  His coat is short in length and has a silky-shinny texture.  Buster is very much the omega in the family hierarchy.  Buster is very sweet and gentle with all of his girls.  He is out numbered three to one in the female to male ratio in the household.  He loves any form of petting he can get especially his belly rubs.  Buster was neutered at the age of one so there will be no more surprise litters.

Cherokee, Cheyenne, and Buster all have no dew claw on their hind paws.  This is a strong wolf trait.  All three have large paws like the wolf with Cherokee’s paws being the largest.  In the photos, you will also see a strong wolf trait in all of their eye color.  Wolves tend to have a golden yellow color eye and all three of my hybrid wolf pets have that color.  Cherokee comes into heat once a year while Cheyenne comes into heat two times a year.  Wolves have annual estrus cycle while dogs have a semiannual estrus cycle.  All three shed their coat twice a year in the spring and the fall.  The summer and winter coats then form after the shedding.  This makes for a lot of vacuuming and lint rolling of my clothes.  This is three times the work due to the fact there are three hybrid wolf pets in my home.

I do not allow any of my hybrid wolf pets on the living room furniture.  Wolves dig instinctively for their dens and to get to cool soil to lie on.  I made the mistake of allowing my first hybrid wolf Maggie on the living room furniture.  I came home one day to find that Maggie had dug thru the couch cushions to the framework of the couch.  I learned an expensive lesson about hybrid wolf pets that day.

All three of my wolf hybrid pets are very intelligent with their own personalities.  Cherokee and Cheyenne have both learned how cool my marble top coffee and end tables are to the touch.  Now at least one end table and the coffee table are designated for them to lie on and look out the big plate glass window.  As I write this blog, Cheyenne is sprawled out on the coffee table sleeping.  I expect her to start snoring anytime.  Yes she snores but not the other two.  Buster has learned to push open the basement door so he can go out thru their doggie door.  He has not learned how to turn the knob yet and I have to turn it for him.  Cherokee will put her front paws on my shoulders when I say “Up” and pat my chest.  Each of my hybrid wolf pets are able to understand what I am saying to them.  I have spent many hours training them and stimulating their brains.  The outcome is I have three wolf hybrid pets that obey me, keep me company, understand what I am saying, and make wonderful additions to my family.  I will only own hybrid wolf pets now because there is a difference in their intelligence and their family dynamics over that of a regular dog.















Traits of Hybrid Pet Wolves

When most people think of wolves, they think of blood thirsty killers who travel in a pack.  These facts describe wolves that live in the wild.  These facts do not always pertain to a hybrid wolf that is raised as a pet. 

Hybrid pet wolves still have some of the same traits as wolves who live in the wild.  Hybrid pet wolves still have a pack mentality with ranking in their pack.  There is an alpha, beta and omega in the group if there are three or more members of the pack.  Owners of the hybrid pet wolves should always take on the alpha role in order to maintain control of the pack.  The beta, omega, and any additional roles will develop on their own as the pack develops.  There are sometimes two of the same roles if the pack has a male and a female who act as leaders within the pack.  Pack rankings can be complicated if you have a large number of hybrid pet wolves.  Pack rankings can also change with age and growth of each individual animal.

Hybrid pet wolves will also meet and greet each other similar to wolves in the wild.  One greeting is to place a paw on another pack members head.  Another greeting is to nibble on another pack member’s cheek.  Other greetings will show pack member rankings.  This is done when an alpha or beta growl at a lower ranking member such as an omega.  The omega will then lay on their back in a submissive posture with their tails curled under. 

Hybrid pet wolves also have a close family bond as do wolves in the wild.  Wolves in the wild are very loving and protective of their family.  This holds true for hybrid pet wolves but their family also includes humans.  Wolves like hugs and so do hybrid pet wolves.  Humans can give hugs much easier than wolves can though.  Hybrid pet wolves, just like wolves in the wild, protect their territory.  The difference is the size of the territory.  Wolves in the wild may cover ten to one hundred mile radius while hybrid pet wolves can cover one half acre and up.  This trait in hybrid pet wolf makes a great pet to own that will guard your property very well.  

Some differences in hybrid pet wolves and wolves in the wild are how they interact with humans and other animals.  Wolves in the wild think of humans as an enemy.  Hybrid pet wolves think of humans as the alpha member of their pack.  This statement holds true if and only if the owner of the hybrid pet wolves has established their rank in the pack as an alpha.

  Wolves in the wild think of other animals as a food source.  Hybrid pet wolves should not be feed raw meat so that this trait of eating raw meat and hunting for their food source does not come out.  The hunting instinct is still in most breeds of dogs today and will probably be there in the very distant future.  Owners of hybrid pet wolves should be very careful with feeding habits of their pups early on to prevent problems later.  Once an animal develops the habit of hunting and killing their food source, there is no going back to a previous state of eating regular dog food.  In many cases, the animal will have to be put down or returned to the wild if this trait is acquired by the hybrid pet wolf.

I would love to have feedback from other owners of hybrid pet wolves.  Any photos and comments you have are welcome.

Wolf Photo

Wolf That Looks A Lot Like My Cherokee