I think your dogs are beautiful!
I do however, want to clarify a few things. Any time you breed large dogs, there is ALWAYS a risk of hip dysplasia, even if none of the animal's parents showed any signs of the condition themselves. Many breeders who test for it and only breed animals with good hips or better will still occasionally get animals with poor hips. While genetics does play a role, research has shown that dysplasia is just as much environment and feed related as it is genetic. It's good thing to keep in mind, and definitely not a bad thing to test for. I'm more a fan of the OFA rating than the pennhip rating. There are just too many variables to account for in the pennhip test, and I also don't like that the ratings are based off of the current "normal" measurement, which is never released to the public.
Other things, such as cataracts among other genetic diseases, are certainly still possible even with healthy parents. Both wolf populations and the large breed dogs mixed with them carry these genes. Some genes are recessive and can hide for several generations. Other genes are dominant and so it only takes one copy of the gene for it to show through. Other genes are partially dominant, or show up much later in life which means parents can "appear" healthy until they are much later and have finished their breeding career. This is why it's not just a 50-50 chance of a disease allele showing up in a animal with such vastly different parents.
Wolves do actually have quite a few genetic maladies which are showing up more and more as their populations are bottlenecked. The wolf gene pool has become incredibly small in recent years. The reason it seems wolves don't suffer from many of these disease is because in the wild, they often don't reach the age of onset for many of them. When they do become affected, they are often unable to hunt properly and they eventually die. Some genetics have even been introduced by domestic dogs into the wild populations. Black coat color is one example, but the research is amazing. I highly encourage digging a little bit to read about wolf populations. While interesting, it's also becoming quite sad.
Just another nitpicky thing that drives me nuts: A wolf-dog is a hybrid, not a breed. Wolves and dogs, while similar, are different species. A breed is an animal that breeds true for many generations. Wolf-dog hybrids do not breed true and every time more wolf blood is introduced, you are changing the genetics that would make up a breed.
I have heard different things about wolf-dogs. Some people love them and say they make wonderful pets. Others have said they are difficult to handle. I'm sure it depends on the individual owner. I can imagine that pecking order in wolf dogs is a bit confused, as domestic dogs exist in linear hierarchy and wolves in pack hierarchy. I think that's a major reason people often run into issues with them.
Interestingly enough, most wolf-dogs I've come across are not wolves at all, or if the are, the percentage is minimal. Too many times, people advertise "wolf-dogs" and the dog they actually sell is just a husky or another similar type dog. If you are set on buying a wolf-dog, be sure to do the research so you actually end up with a dog that is what you are paying for. Now with so many affordable genetic tests, it is much easier to tell the percentage.
I do however, want to clarify a few things. Any time you breed large dogs, there is ALWAYS a risk of hip dysplasia, even if none of the animal's parents showed any signs of the condition themselves. Many breeders who test for it and only breed animals with good hips or better will still occasionally get animals with poor hips. While genetics does play a role, research has shown that dysplasia is just as much environment and feed related as it is genetic. It's good thing to keep in mind, and definitely not a bad thing to test for. I'm more a fan of the OFA rating than the pennhip rating. There are just too many variables to account for in the pennhip test, and I also don't like that the ratings are based off of the current "normal" measurement, which is never released to the public.
Other things, such as cataracts among other genetic diseases, are certainly still possible even with healthy parents. Both wolf populations and the large breed dogs mixed with them carry these genes. Some genes are recessive and can hide for several generations. Other genes are dominant and so it only takes one copy of the gene for it to show through. Other genes are partially dominant, or show up much later in life which means parents can "appear" healthy until they are much later and have finished their breeding career. This is why it's not just a 50-50 chance of a disease allele showing up in a animal with such vastly different parents.
Wolves do actually have quite a few genetic maladies which are showing up more and more as their populations are bottlenecked. The wolf gene pool has become incredibly small in recent years. The reason it seems wolves don't suffer from many of these disease is because in the wild, they often don't reach the age of onset for many of them. When they do become affected, they are often unable to hunt properly and they eventually die. Some genetics have even been introduced by domestic dogs into the wild populations. Black coat color is one example, but the research is amazing. I highly encourage digging a little bit to read about wolf populations. While interesting, it's also becoming quite sad.
Just another nitpicky thing that drives me nuts: A wolf-dog is a hybrid, not a breed. Wolves and dogs, while similar, are different species. A breed is an animal that breeds true for many generations. Wolf-dog hybrids do not breed true and every time more wolf blood is introduced, you are changing the genetics that would make up a breed.
I have heard different things about wolf-dogs. Some people love them and say they make wonderful pets. Others have said they are difficult to handle. I'm sure it depends on the individual owner. I can imagine that pecking order in wolf dogs is a bit confused, as domestic dogs exist in linear hierarchy and wolves in pack hierarchy. I think that's a major reason people often run into issues with them.
Interestingly enough, most wolf-dogs I've come across are not wolves at all, or if the are, the percentage is minimal. Too many times, people advertise "wolf-dogs" and the dog they actually sell is just a husky or another similar type dog. If you are set on buying a wolf-dog, be sure to do the research so you actually end up with a dog that is what you are paying for. Now with so many affordable genetic tests, it is much easier to tell the percentage.
