Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My daughter brought home a gorgeous puppy 2 mos ago. She stated her friends father's wolfdog got loose & had some fun with their female mutt & produced small labors of love. ) Since the puppies were not bred well, they were giving them away... I thought it was just a story & didn't put too much into it until recently.

The puppy has been very hard to potty train, granted we are comparing this to our golden retreiver. He stalks everything... which is cute right now, but may be concerning when he gets older, if his wild instincts are strong. He is quite obedient already, but refuses to be potty trained. I don't have the heart to leave him as an outside dog. Any suggestions on this obstacle? He doesn't even act as though he's going to go, in mid stride he will stop, squat & go.. no smelling or circling or anything like that. So no forewarning... We will have him out for hours & he will go and go, but 10 minutes after he comes in he goes again...

I talked to my daughters friends father & the father of this puppy is 90% TimberWolf (he has papers to prove it)& 10% Husky, the mom is Heinz 57. I've been reading up on the wolfdogs & noticed that they grade them by wolf content %. What would the wolf content be on this puppy? Would it be considered high, med or low content?

From everything I have been reading this puppy has the characteristics of a high content wolfdog, it definately is nothing like training our golden retreiver, Kody. Which was very easy.

Drako is a beautiful animal & extremely smart in all aspects EXCEPT the potty training. He can even untie knots... Scarey.. Right now he's 4 1/2 mos old & weighs approx 45 lbs.

I'll try to post a pic on our website soon to show everyone what he looks like. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

Here's a pic of Drako:

Also, I just re-read my post & don't know where I got the 90/10 comparison.. I was told 70 / 30. 70 Wolf, 30 Husky. Sorry...

>>Here's a pic of Drako:
>>
>>Also, I just re-read my post & don't know where I got the 90/10 comparison.. I was told 70 / 30. 70 Wolf, 30 Husky. Sorry...
>>

Drako is a cutie. Here is a site that explains content.
content

Thanks Jane! I emailed the person you told me about & he explained it to me also. Looks like Drako is 25%. If just this little bit of wolf in him is making him the bear he is (lovable bear, though), I have all the respect in the world for those who have higher content wolfdogs. He hasn't started howling yet but he doesn't bark unless we ask him to for a treat.... yeah, I know once he starts the howling, I'll probably get tired of it, but I can't wait until he does.... thanks again..

thats Kat's site. She is most knowledgeable. She and her close friend Woni are both members of our Wolfdog Rescue Resources Team.
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KenC
*SPCA Point of Contact for Stafford and Spotsilvania County VA - wolfdog rescue
*WD rescue assistance to Full Moon Farm Rescue, Blackmountain, NC.
*Defenders of Wildlife
*Charter Member: Wolfdog Rescue Resources (WRR)
*Keona's (my wolfdog) site: http://www.renokeo.com/keona.html

i would have to see this lil guy standing and some other angles. from this angle..if he has any wolf in him at all.....its very very little. looks more like Northern Breed line to me.
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KenC
*SPCA Point of Contact for Stafford and Spotsilvania County VA - wolfdog rescue
*WD rescue assistance to Full Moon Farm Rescue, Blackmountain, NC.
*Defenders of Wildlife
*Charter Member: Wolfdog Rescue Resources (WRR)
*Keona's (my wolfdog) site: http://www.renokeo.com/keona.html

I'll get some pics of him standing to see what you think & post them

"papers" dont prove anything about wolfdog content. it means nothing. i cant write up anything you want to make your golden retriever sound like a wolfdog.

most wolfdogs are wayyyyyyyyyyy over rated in content. if he has a "90"..which is considered High Content....then it wouldnt even be in the house...they are very destructive and almost impossible to disipline and keep in tow. the percent thing is not used by true wolfdog experts... its low content, mid content, high mid...and high content.

there are alot of great wolfdog sites out there you can go to and get descriptions of what to look for that shows wolf characteristics....and training tips.

so he gave the pups away to folks that never owned wolfdogs........
we in wolfdog rescue just love hearing stories like this....... it never ends......
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KenC
*SPCA Point of Contact for Stafford and Spotsilvania County VA - wolfdog rescue
*WD rescue assistance to Full Moon Farm Rescue, Blackmountain, NC.
*Defenders of Wildlife
*Charter Member: Wolfdog Rescue Resources (WRR)
*Keona's (my wolfdog) site: http://www.renokeo.com/keona.html

Yeah, it looks as though Drako is low content, but still has quite a bit of the strong wolf characteristics. I'm learning alot since this post. And have been able to understand the uniqueness.

We never in our wildest dreams thought that he would be 'different' to train or have different characteristics than our other dogs (domestic) that we have owned. Yes, I guess I can call that ignorance.

He's a handful & I think we have decided we need to get him an outdoor enclosure, he prefers the outside much more than the inside unless the whole family is home, then he wants to be in the middle of everything. He's treated with special regards that I'm sure our golden retriever wonders 'what's up with that? How come he can get away with that, but I couldn't?' )

Since reading up on the wolfdogs, I also wonder what this guy is thinking giving away these beautiful dogs, yes, they are beautiful, but I will put $$ on it that out of the 6 puppies this dog fathered, Drako will be the only one alive within a year. 2 have already gotten loose & found 1 dead in the road, the other dead by gunshot. It's sad.

It is reported that 50 to 80 percent of all wolf dogs born each year will be dead or in rescue by their second year. Many others will live out their lives in such deplorable conditions that death would be a kinder alternative. Wolf dogs that come into to local animal shelters often meet immediate death regardless of the temperament, age, or percentage of wolf.

week before last, i assisted fullmoon farm wolfdog sanctuary in a rescue in WVA. turned out... there were 5 animals...all which were kept on chains... two of them were pures. its doubfull the alpha male can be turned around now... the alpha female however is a very sweet and already responding. two black faze 130lb boys are showing progress now too... but not much. it tears my heart up to witness this type of cruelty. bad breeders, and irresponsible owners.....our worst nightmare.

good luck. email me private if you want or have any questions.

if you are going to keep this little guy.. maybe you might want to join one of the wolfdog mailing lists im on. we have experts from all over the country on there....and canada.

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KenC
*SPCA Point of Contact for Stafford and Spotsilvania County VA - wolfdog rescue
*WD rescue assistance to Full Moon Farm Rescue, Blackmountain, NC.
*Defenders of Wildlife
*Charter Member: Wolfdog Rescue Resources (WRR)
*Keona's (my wolfdog) site: http://www.renokeo.com/keona.html

This advice may or may not help you...but as I just joined and saw your post, thought it couldnt hurt.
I am now living with a wolfdog, Neena is 1/4 Wolf and 3/4 German Shepherd. I have had three hybrids before her, two mid content and one high content, all gone of old age. The sisters sixteen years and Kira, my high content at almost 17 years.
House-training them was a challenge and I expected more of a struggle with Neena, a guy gave her to me at the age of 4 and 1/2 months...not one accident in the house to speak of. However. I am with her constantly and DO use a heavy duty dog crate if I am going to be gone for an hour or so. Additionally, if it is going to be longer than that, she is like one of my kids and I take her with. She is extremely intelligent and has such a sense of humor..lol..have to stay two steps ahead of her because I can just SEE her thinking!
If Drako likes it outdoors better, maybe the best thing is a secure dog pen. You sound responsible so I trust he would still get the socialization and not be forgotten because he was outdoors...but if you have someone around the house all the time, make use of them and a crate. They do pick it up eventually with perseverance and patience. At least in my experience.

Thought I would give an update on Drako with a pic. He's now 10 1/2 mos old & is somewhat potty trained. He will at least go to the door if he has to go, which is great, but if you don't get him out the door in a couple seconds from that, he will go. ) We're getting there. He sleeps with my husband & I along with our golden. He will wake me, only me, up when he feels the need to go outside at night. We have learned MUCH on wolf dogs since our daughter brought this 5 wk old puppy home with her, much of it not good for being Michigan residents. We did find a vet that will neuter him in Ohio & is aware that he is a wolfdog.