Wolfdogs sit in an awkward, fascinating space between the wild and the domestic. They are not a distinct species or breed but the hybrid offspring of a wolf and a domestic dog, or of later generations descended from such a cross.
Dogs and wolves are able to interbreed because the two remain genetically similar enough to produce fertile young. Wolfdogs can arise in the wild, usually where wolves and free-ranging dogs overlap, but they are more likely to be bred deliberately in captivity.
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Where do wolfdogs live?
Hybridisation has occurred in wolf territory across Europe and Asia, and to a lesser extent North America. In Europe, studies suggest there are hybrids present in nearly every country that hosts wolves.
They tend to occur near human settlements or farmland where free-ranging dogs are common, partly because wolves are more likely to encounter dogs there, but also because hybridisation appears to increase where wolf populations have been reduced, fragmented or socially disrupted.
In contrast, captive wolfdogs, including recognised breeds such as the Saarloos wolfdog and the Czechoslovakian wolfdog, are now established well outside the landscapes in which wolves naturally live.
How long have they existed?
Wolfdogs have existed for many thousands of years, since humans first domesticated wolves. Some researchers have argued that ancient canid remains from Wyoming, dating to around 10,000 years ago, show wolfdog characteristics, though that interpretation has been disputed. More concrete archaeological evidence of intentionally bred captive wolfdogs comes from Teotihuacan in central Mexico, where the remains of wolfdogs found in a warrior burial date to roughly 2,000 years ago.
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In Britain, the first clear record appears to be from 1766, when what was thought to be a male wolf mated with a domestic dog described at the time as a ‘Pomeranian’. Their litter of nine pups became a scientific curiosity. The better-known named breeds are much more recent creations of the 20th century.
Why have they been bred by humans?
Human motives have varied. Some breeders wanted animals with the stamina, sharp senses, cold tolerance or physical toughness associated with wolves, combined with some of the trainability of dogs. Others were drawn by the idea of a companion that looked wild while remaining more manageable than a true wolf.
Several named wolfdog breeds have emerged from these efforts. The two best known are the Saarloos Wolfdog, created in the Netherlands in the 1930s by crossing a German Shepherd with a European wolf, and the Czechoslovakian Wolfdog, developed from German Shepherds and Carpathian grey wolves for military and border-patrol work in former Czechoslovakia in the 1950s.
What do wolf dogs look like?
In general, wolfdogs tend to have longer limbs, larger teeth and a larger frame than many domestic dogs, but their looks vary enormously, making identification by appearance alone challenging. Wolf-like dogs are often mistaken for wolfdogs, while genuine wolfdogs may be described simply as unusual-looking dogs. Named wolfdog breeds are an exception, with more predicatable, standardised physical traits.
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How do they behave?
A wolfdog is not simply a dog with a wilder look, nor a tame wolf in disguise. It is an animal with a mixed inheritance, and that can produce behaviour that varies sharply from one individual to another.
Breeders and owners often use the terms ‘low content’ and ‘high content’ to suggest how much wolf ancestry an animal has retained.
In broad terms, a low-content wolfdog is thought to show more dog-like behaviour and appearance, while a high-content wolfdog is expected to be more wolf-like. However, genes are reshuffled unpredictably in each generation, so ‘content’ is at best a rough guide.
Is it illegal to keep one as a pet?
Around the world, wolfdog ownership ranges from tightly controlled to completely banned. In the UK, first-generation wolfdogs fall under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976 and require a licence, while animals several generations removed may be legal to keep.
Even where they are legal, welfare concerns are significant. Wolfdogs generally need far more space, stimulation and secure containment than an ordinary domestic dog, and they may be difficult to train or settle in a household. Welfare groups argue that, striking though they are, wolfdogs are poorly suited to life as pets.
Do they pose a risk to conservation?
In the wild, interbreeding with dogs can introduce dog genes into wolf populations. For small or pressured wolf populations, that is a serious concern, especially in parts of Europe where conservationists are trying to protect wolves as distinct wild animals.
A study by Sapienza University of Rome revealed that hybrids represented an estimated 70 per cent of the wolf population in the Tuscan-Emilian Apennine National Park and surrounding areas of the northern Apennines.
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Top image: A wolfdog (female wolf×West Siberian Laika). Credit Maris Hindrikson et al, CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
