Wolf Hybrids

[Fallen]

Sometime next month, I will be going to NC to pick up my new wolfdog. I've some experience with large breed dogs, and a background in veterinary medicine. I know that raising one of these animals will be a particular challenge, and I am greatly anticipating the months and years to come.

Having said that, I am also a bit apprehensive about exactly how I am going to train the dog. All of the books I have read regarding this particular breed of animal go as far as to rule out any and all manner of negative reinforcement when dealing with the animal.
As i've said, i've grown up with dogs, and all of them wore chokes. The animals were extremely well trained, and after a fashion no longer required a leash to walk safely. My parents also believed in hitting an animal when it was caught in the act of doing something wrong. Nothing too abusive, but enough to get the anmal's attention. Again, these dogs were not overly fearful or skiddish.

-------

My question to all of you here is does any of the PC posters have experience with wolf hybrids? If not, have any of you trained large breed dogs (successfully)? If so, what type of stance do you take on training? Any sources you would recommend?

Advice is welcome.


P.S.

No, I won't take the advice of not getting a hybrid.

Grin

[HarmNone]

By putting "Wolf hybrid" into Google, I was able to find quite a few sites with information that would be helpful to you, Fallen. There are also organizations of wolf dog owners that supply educational materials to prospective owners. :)

[Fallen]

Yep. Believe me, i've looked and learned. I was simply looking to see if anyone on the PC boards had any insights to offer.

Thanks for the advice, HN.

[HarmNone]

Sure, hon. By the way, what breed of dog is involved in the mix, and what percentage of wolf is the puppy?

[Fallen]

Http://www.youngwolf.com

My guess is either husky or Malinwah (Never spell that word right). I've owned huskies before, and worked extensively with Mals.

Mine will be a mid - high content. No 98% for me, thanks! I prefer to retain possession of my limbs.

[Brattt8525]

Forget choke collars, they are inhumane. The solution is a prong collar it applies even pressure without cutting off the poor animals windpipe as chokers will do.

Hitting a dog is never acceptable unless it has one of your children in it's teeth. I used to raise rotties and training should start at as early an age as possible, especially with a breed such as this.

Bear in mind it may not be pure wolf, but it has those instincts and as much as you don't want to hear it I advise against them.

The best way to teach a dog to stay by you without a leash is by doing so while it is very young IE 7-8 weeks of age. The reason is at that age they consider you the king/queen and out of pure insecurity they want to stay with you.

If you go the route of the leash <advisable seeing as it is part wolf> teach the puppy to stay with you not by keeping a tight leash but a loose one, keep him/her focused on you with treats. Work short sessions, reward alot make it happy time. Everytime you go to move forward say <animal name> heel and in no time the pup will realize heel means just that be at your side and stay there wherever you go.

Be consistent and be fair, and please for the love of all thats holy don't hit the puppy/dog.

[HarmNone]

Heh. That seems to be the most prevalent suggestion. I also read something about these animals reacting better to hand signals than to the spoken word. It got me interested, so I'll be doing more reading. Fascinating creatures. :)

[Fallen]

Bear in mind it may not be pure wolf, but it has those instincts and as much as you don't want to hear it I advise against them.

The best way to teach a dog to stay by you without a leash is by doing so while it is very young IE 7-8 weeks of age. The reason is at that age they consider you the king/queen and out of pure insecurity they want to stay with you. >>

Heh. I won't be letting this dog off its leash while outdoors. I mean... it's part wolf.

I understand yours and other's viewpoints about negative reinforcement. I also believe that if your dog runs up and steals the food off your plate as your eating, it deserves a healthy smack with a rolled up newpaper and be placed in its crate.

The books I have read have gone so far as to advise against the use of prong collars. They suggested what looks to be a head halter for dogs, called the Gentle leader. It looks interesting, and I think I will give that a try first.

My main worry is that the dog will throw its collar and take off should it get the chance. I've had a dog do this to me before when it wasn't wearing a choke, and it nearly got hit by a car.

[Brattt8525]

The halter leads they have I read somewhere that they are not good as they can cause neck problems? I will have to look that up again.

I have never read that prong collars were bad, just choke collars. I used the prongs on my rotties and never had any issues with them.

[Sylvan Dreams]

There's other lead options than the Gentle leader. There's some harnesses that apply pressure around the torso when the dog starts to pull. I used that on my dog and it works so well that now all I have to do is tug the leash slightly (I use one of those stretchy ones) and she starts moving again. She tends to sniff things a lot and lags behind me at times. The gentle lead option is good though but so far I've not come across an animal that really needs it, as the torso one I mentioned works better. I'd always prefer to use a harness than the traditional collar-leash combo for the same reason you like the choke. It's a lot harder to get out of a harness that's strapped around you.

There's several variations of the no-tug harness. Since you're going to be driving your animal back home, I would also suggest a safety harness for use while in a car. Most people just leave their dogs loose in the vehicle and don't consider that if they get into a wreck, their dog could be seriously injured by being thrown just like a human would.

Here's a link to harnesses:
http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_list.jsp?ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=2534374302 023689&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302032961&bmUI D=1137041709853

The car harness is on the first page, there's also one on the last page that doesn't have the fleece lining.

Here's link to the head harness:
http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_list.jsp?ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=2534374302 023689&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302032900&bmUI D=1137041709853

[longshot]

Originally posted by Brattt8525
Forget choke collars, they are inhumane. The solution is a prong collar it applies even pressure without cutting off the poor animals windpipe as chokers will do.

Hitting a dog is never acceptable unless it has one of your children in it's teeth. I used to raise rotties and training should start at as early an age as possible, especially with a breed such as this.

Bear in mind it may not be pure wolf, but it has those instincts and as much as you don't want to hear it I advise against them.

The best way to teach a dog to stay by you without a leash is by doing so while it is very young IE 7-8 weeks of age. The reason is at that age they consider you the king/queen and out of pure insecurity they want to stay with you.

If you go the route of the leash <advisable seeing as it is part wolf> teach the puppy to stay with you not by keeping a tight leash but a loose one, keep him/her focused on you with treats. Work short sessions, reward alot make it happy time. Everytime you go to move forward say <animal name> heel and in no time the pup will realize heel means just that be at your side and stay there wherever you go.

Be consistent and be fair, and please for the love of all thats holy don't hit the puppy/dog.

Listen to the Hillybilly princess.

She dun know her stuff.

[Brattt8525]

Darn tootin I do, just ask ma good hunting dawg Jeb!!!!

On a serious note get a new hobby LS I am beginning to think you like me :P

[Amber]

The only wolf hybrids I've had any contact with were kept penned constantly and had no human contact other than a weekly pen clean up. Obviously, they were extremely skittish. These were owned by some folks with a mink farm, and were kept purely for breeding purposes, not as pets.

I know they're not the same, but I've had some success with training coyotes. The trick is to start young, remember they're not domesticated dogs, and to be gentle and consistent. Also, sorry, but no hitting! When I worked with coyotes, we had one adult male, Grover, who someone had found as a pup and tried to raise as a dog. They turned him in to the game department when he was about 2 and they subsequently brought him to us (wildlife rehab center and zoo). I worked with him quite a bit and we'd gotten into the habit of playing tug of war together. Once, he bit my finger and must have thought I was playing tug of war with him when I tried to pull it away (instinctive reaction on my part, but very stupid) and pulled back. I couldn't get him to release me, and wound up slapping him, not hard, but a slap, nonetheless. He let go my finger instantly, but it took months until he'd let me touch him again, and he never played tug of war again. It shook his trust in me, and I don't think he ever realized he was biting me, so he didn't know what he'd been slapped for.

[Fallen]

Thanks for the story and advice, Amber.

I will be getting the pup at 3 1/2 weeks old or so, and I fully understand the importance of proper socialization. I have one of those PetSmart stores near my house so I can work on him (or her) getting into different classes and association sessions.

I may actually take some time away from GS so I can concentrate on making sure that first few stretch of impressionable months do not go to waste.

[Brattt8525]

>>I will be getting the pup at 3 1/2 weeks old or so<<

I hope you mean your getting the dog in 3 1/2 weeks or so.

[Sean of the Thread]

On bit the face off of a close friend. She was awarded $400,000.00 from her friends insurance and all the "hybrids" we destroyed.

[Skeeter]

Just keep it staked to your gas meter out front and it will protect your doublewide from the lesser "regular" trailer folk.

Originally posted by Brattt8525
Hitting a dog is never acceptable unless it has one of your children in it's teeth.

That's ridiculous, of course it's acceptable to smack your dog while you are training it.

[Sean of the Thread]

100% agree with Tea & Strumpets.

[Czeska]

I grew up with a dog that was a mix of shepherd/doberman/wolf. The wolf was by far the minority, but was there nonetheless.

He wore a choke, but it was used with quick, light tugs. Never constant pressure.

He was the smartest, gentlest (but with quite the fierce growl if his family/home was threatened), most amazing dog I've ever met, or had. He died when I was 14 and I still miss him.

[xtc]

I dated a girl in High School who had a Wolf Hybrid, it was an absolutely beautiful creature. I was one of the few people who would go near it or play with it. I have never been afraid of dogs however it did turn on me one day and gave me a chomp. Luckily for me it was winter and I was wearing a lot of layers so little of the bite reached the skin.

[Atlanteax]

I used a prong collar while training my two dogs.

It was very effective, as its pressure would only increase if they pull on the leash, and ease when they stopped pulling. The dogs were quicker to stop pulling, as previous dogs would keep pulling even with a choke collar.

I will never be using a choke collar again.

[CrystalTears]

In the words of Carlos Mencia: "White Tiger! *growl*"

[Sean of the Thread]

Originally posted by Atlanteax

I will never be using a choke collar again.

Then take the one off in your avatar.

[SpunGirl]

It's nice to see people who take getting an animal as a serious responsibility. Yay! I wanna see pictures of the puppy when you get him.

-K

[Atlanteax]

Originally posted by Xyelin

Originally posted by Atlanteax

I will never be using a choke collar again.

Then take the one off in your avatar.

That's for ID purposes. It's lighter and more comfortable for the dog to wear than a prong collar all day.

(local laws require dog registration tags)

He will sometimes go into the neighbor's yard to play with their dog, but he is trained to come back when I call for him.



[Edited on 1-12-2006 by Atlanteax]

[Back]

Originally posted by Atlanteax

Originally posted by Xyelin

Originally posted by Atlanteax

I will never be using a choke collar again.

Then take the one off in your avatar.

That's for ID purposes. It's lighter and more comfortable for the dog to wear than a prong collar all day.

(local laws require dog registration tags)

He will sometimes go into the neighbor's yard to play with their dog, but he is trained to come back when I call for him.



[Edited on 1-12-2006 by Atlanteax]


Heh, I thought he meant YOUR choke collar.

[Sean of the Thread]

I did mean HIS choke collar. Lol bad tie.

[Czeska]

I got the tie reference. Even funnier now that Atlanteax didnt.

[Skeeter]

People that own a wolf, or a wolf hybrid are asking for trouble. It makes me question that their overall intelligence is less than average.

owners of Aligators, tigers, enormous snakes, basically any pet that can decide to eat you, also fall into this category.

GL not being killed by your "dog"

[Fallen]

Cool beans, Skeeter.


>>I will be getting the pup at 3 1/2 weeks old or so<<

I hope you mean your getting the dog in 3 1/2 weeks or so. >>

Any longer than that length of time and the pup begins to imprint on to the mother. Not a good thing.

[Wezas]

I thought the common practice was to wait until at least 4-5 (6 in the case of my newf) weeks before separating the pup from the mother.

[Atlanteax]

Originally posted by Backlash
Heh, I thought he meant YOUR choke collar.


Originally posted by Xyelin
I did mean HIS choke collar. Lol bad tie.


Originally posted by Czeska
I got the tie reference. Even funnier now that Atlanteax didnt.

BAH !!! :forehead:

[CrystalTears]

Originally posted by Skeeter
People that own a wolf, or a wolf hybrid are asking for trouble. It makes me question that their overall intelligence is less than average.

owners of Aligators, tigers, enormous snakes, basically any pet that can decide to eat you, also fall into this category.

GL not being killed by your "dog"

QFT (stands for Quoted For Truth.. the stuff you pick up from WoW posters, I tell you)

Be careful please. Seriously. I don't want to end up seeing a post with, "I can't believe he scratched me!".

[Edited on 1/12/2006 by CrystalTears]

[Wezas]

I agree CT.

SUYP

(Show Us Your Puppies)