There's A Wolf In My Living Room

[Kevin565]

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I'm not postitve but I do not believe your aloud to import them unless theres been 5 generations or more removed from their purebred non-domestic ancestors.

 

[Kevin565]

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What a wonderful story. I'm so glad you rescued him and found him a great home.

 

[Kevin565]

Hunting:

I forgot to add some crucial information on hunting behavior. Wolf Dogs kept by themselves do occasionally hunt. However it's not usually on a daily basis. Wolf Dogs kept in pairs or packs do tend to hunt quite often. Many Wolf Dogs do not start hunting till they become more mature at around 3 years. When they turn 3 their personality tends to change. They become much more wolf like and problems with being submissive may arise. NOTE: DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE YOUR WOLF DOG. They are powerful creatures. By 8 months old they can easily take down small prey. However, when hunting they are at risk of injuries when taking down prey. Once they are mature a pack of wolf hybrid are a formidable opponent. It's not unheard of adult wolf dogs taking down sheep,horses,cows, deer, possums,foxes. They have also been known to kill hunting dogs that are on their territory.

 

[lishah2000]

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Years ago we had a client at work that had coyotes. They were pure though. The one they often brought in was a very sweet girl. Not shy and enjoyed attention. He was very quick to point out she had lots of training and socialization (she went everywhere with him). Also that they were not like having a dog.

We once had a wolf or wolf dog come into the shelter I was volunteering at. She was called a shepherd mix for the brief time until a rescue could come and get her - just to protect her. Watching her there was no doubt she wasn't a dog. Beautiful and friendly, but very different than a dog. It was an experience I will never forget and I was thankful she was able to get into the proper hands.

 

[Kevin565]

I came across a video that I think sheds some light on how smart wolfdogs truly are.

 

[Jamie_Dog_Trainer]

I really don't know that this illustrates an unusual intelligence on the wolfdogs part. It shows a dog throwing a fit inside a crate, and the dog escaping.

 

[Kevin565]

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I probably should have said the brute strength however the video does illustrate some exceptional thinking capacities. Most dogs that "throw a fit" have sporadic movements and would not think to continuously chew in a weakened area to free themselves. This is why many Wolf Dogs do not crate train well.

 

[Jamie_Dog_Trainer]

Many primitive breeds tend to have confinement issues. High strung dogs with nerve/confidence issues often are excape artists. I know regular dogs to chew out of wire and plastic crates. I have worked at boarding and training facilities and have seen what even smaller breeds of dogs will do to escape, including destroying chain-link fencing. It's acually quite common. I don't argue that wolf-dogs are intelligent, but escaping doens't seem to be a special trait they have.

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

My evil poodle chewed through welded wire fencing. It's not like he didn't have a huge area for him to roam...broke enough wires to push his body out. Apparently not without scratching himself. He was torn to ribbons.

 

[Jamie_Dog_Trainer]

Dogs that are chewing through walls, crates, fences when confined are not showing a huge amount of intelligence, they are in a panicked state of mind. The focused chewing eventually becomes a learned behavior after it is accomplished one or more times. The initial chewing out of confinement the dogs stress relief. Focusing on something like chewing relieves the dogs stress for a time, that is why, when rehabilitating fearful dogs one of the first things you try to do is find something that they can focus on.