Wolfdog Cross

Wolfdog Cross

(also known as Wolfdog Hybrids)

divider

leyla
"Leyla" - female - CSV x NI Hybrid

Pictures reproduced with the kind permission
of Averil Roden - Nashoba Wolfdog Hybrids

Wolfdog Breed Standard (to aim for, as with Anglo Wulfdog)

General Appearance
That of a North American Tundra Wolf.

Characteristics
Large, powerful dog of imposing appearance. Long legged with a thickly coated body.

Temperament
Friendly, intelligent and biddable. May be reserved with strangers until they get to know them. Not overly shy. Should not display any signs of aggression.

Head and Skull
When viewed from above skull is relatively narrow in comparison to size of dog. The apparent broadness of the head is caused by the fur ruff in mature specimens. Muzzle is of a moderate width, neither too broad nor too narrow and tapering to nose. Muzzle length slightly less than length of stop to occiput. Slight stop but not overly pronounced. Jaw muscles are powerful but not over developed. Nose pigment is black in all colours.

Eyes
Oblique set of almond shape, of medium size appropriate to the facial features of the dog. Colour ranges from amber through to yellow.

Ears
Small, erect and thickly furred. Rounded tips. Distance between ears when alert only slightly more than the distance between the eyes.

Mouth
Jaws strong with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws. Lips should be tight.

Neck
Thick and muscular of moderate length with a crest of longer hair which is more pronounced in mature specimens. No excessive dewlap or throatiness.

Forequarters
Slightly sloping shoulders of moderate length. Good shoulder angulation and elbows close to the body turning neither in nor out. Chest narrow and of reasonable depth but no lower than point of elbows. Legs are straight and relatively long in comparison to size of animal.

Body
Length from chest to rump slightly longer than height from withers to ground. Back straight with a slightly sloping croup to tail. Back muscular and kept level when on the move.

Hindquarters
Muscular and slightly rounded at rump. Legs straight when viewed from behind, good turn of stifle with second thigh. Moderate angulation allowing for powerful drive when on the move. Hocks well let down. Cow or Sickle hocks undesirable. Pasterns should be straight and no longer than a 3rd of the total length of the hind leg. Dew claws not to be removed, except for medical reasons, if present are undesirable.

Feet
Feet are large in comparison to size of animal. Front feet larger than hind. Tight but not excessively arched and thickly padded allowing for spread of weight. Toes are webbed and thickly furred between pads. Flat or hare feet undesirable. Nails black.

Tail
Low set and thickly furred. When on the move tail can be raised in a gentle curve. May be dropped when the dog is relaxed. Never curled over the back.

Gait/Movement
Free, loping gait covering the ground.

Coat
Thick double coat with dense soft undercoat and coarse guard hairs. Guard hairs longer over shoulders and spine. Pronounced ruff around face in mature specimens. Coat less dense and flatter in the summer months after the spring moult. No excessive feathering on backs of legs or thighs.

Colour
Wolf Sable ranging from pale cream undercoat through to all shades of fawn, apricot and red, must have pronounced sabling (black tips) with a pale throat and underbelly. Face in the sables can be lighter down the sides of the muzzle and extending under the eyes and cheeks. May extend to rings around the eyes. No obvious chest patches or pronounced eyebrows.
Black ranging from all black through smoke and charcoal due to paler undercoat.
White ranging from pure white through to pale cream.
Pigment in all colours should be black.

Size
Height at the shoulder 66cm – 76cm (26 – 30ins) males are larger than females.

Faults
Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree.

Note
Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.

divider

"Drummer" Saarloos Wolfhund x Northern Inuit hybrid

General Profile of this 'type' of dog

Since these are normally a low percentage wolfdog, with at least 50% of their genes coming from the Northern Inuit dog, they retain the characteristics described for the Northern Inuit dog. In my own experience I have found that those dogs containing a percentage of Saarloos wolfhund are a little more reserved, while those dogs with Czechoslovakian wolfdog genes are slightly more confident and assertive. Wolfdog crosses are highly active, very intelligent dogs and require lots of mental stimulation to prevent boredom. The stud dog that I used for my 2009 litters, a 50% Saarloos 50% Northern Inuit, is extremely laid back but has good powers of observation, which he uses to his advantage. He also has a somewhat devious nature with a wicked sense of humour. Although confident in his home surroundings he reverted to the Saaloos timidness when faced with situations or places he wasn't familiar with.

Sansorrella Lady in Red - Saarloos x NI hybrid

The cross litters that I bred here in 2009 were only 25% Saarloos wolfhund and this tended to calm down the OTT exhuberance of the Northern Inuit dog, but it has also made them slightly more reserved and shy with strangers. In my experience, the higher the Saarloos wolfhund content, the more reserved and timid the dogs are. This is not really what is required of a family pet. I would only recommend the lower percentage dogs as domestic pets, 25% or less. Higher percentage wolfdog crosses (50% - 75%) may be used in breeding, providing that the resulting pups available to the general public are lower percentage wolfdogs.

"Taloowa" CSV x NI hybrid

Behaviour and temperament of individual dogs will be shaped as much by Nurture as Nature. Handling, training and socialisation affects how a dog will behave. As with every breed there are always exceptions to the rule. There are dogs who will guard their territory, some are more independent and aloof than others. Not all will submit when challenged; as they are predominantly a pack animal there will always be those with Alpha tendencies. It is common sense that no child be left alone with any dog, especially a large breed and they should be supervised by an adult at all times. Even the most friendly of dogs can accidentally knock a child over or 'mouth' them as they would their siblings during exuberant, over excited play. Training must be started young, be consistent and reward based, making it fun for the dog as well as the owner. Owners will get out of a dog what they are prepared to put in. These dogs are unique and by no means perfect, requiring a special type of owner who is experienced and fully committed to their dogs. It must always be remembered that these are NOT German Shepherds and will not behave like one. You will not get the instant obedience that you might expect from a GSD, as these dogs will very often weigh up the pros and cons before deciding whether or not it is 'worth' doing what you want. They have a "What's in it for me" attitude. (See my training section for more info).

Prospective owners would be well advised to meet as many adult dogs as possible, so they are fully aware of the 'unique experience' before buying a puppy; also learning the differences between the various crosses so they are able to choose the one most suited to their lifestyle.

Here at Sansorrella visitors are encouraged to meet the pack before viewing any puppies that might be available. We are pleased to answer any questions about the 'breed' and enquiries are welcome by email, telephone or personal visits by appointment.

divider

It is my belief that the future of the 'wolf look-alike' type dog lies in expanding the gene pool.   One obvious way to do this, without losing the wolfish appearance, is to include genes from the established Saarloos wolfdog and Czechoslovakian wolfdog.

These breeds have already been crossed successfully with 'Northern and British Inuit' dogs, resulting in a healthier and more robust wolf-lookalike.

2009 saw the result of the addition of these hybrid genes to my Sansorrella 'Northern Inuit' dogs - creating a healthy, loyal, trainable, companion wolfdog that is a joy to own.  These and future litters will be registered with the Anglo Wulfdog registry. The offspring from these matings may, in the future, be put back to good, health tested Northern Inuit, Malamute, Husky, Tamaskan or GSD studs, with the hybrid genes being included intermittently to maintain the health and vigour without losing the character of this type of dog.   The wolfdog content will therefore remain fairly low on most of my litters.   Even so, they will not be a dog for the novice owner.   The aim is to ultimately produce a Tundra wolf appearance with a biddable temperament.

NB 'wolfdog hybrid' in this context refers to an existing wolfdog breed being crossed with another breed - in this case Northern Inuit dog.   This is NOT a wolf hybrid or wolfdog hybrid as described by Wikipedia.

Any Czechoslovakian Wolfdog bitches owned by Sansorrella may be crossed in order to produce a suitable 'Wolf Lookalike' stud that can be used in the Anglo Wulfdog breeding programme. This does not take anything away from the Csv and she could still be bred purely to a Csv stud in the future.

drummer and quest

"Drummer" Saarloos x NI with "Quest" CSV pup

"A girl is a person who screams at the mouse and smiles at the wolf"

divider

logo