I recently adopted a Wolf Dog hybrid about two months ago. She is 1yr old. We did so, so that my girlfriend and I's husky (1.5 years old) had someone to play with. We didnt find out she was half wolf till the person we adopted her from told us a week later.

When we got her, she was incredibly hyper and had a little bit of anxiety at first not much though. The two dogs played great together and matched each other's energy. Our husky quickly claimed dominance which wasn't an issue since our hybrid (koda) is less dominant anyhow. The husky does pick on her a little bit but she is smaller and koda stands her ground fine.

The other night we kenneled both dogs and left for a few hours. Both dogs are kennel trained great, never had a problem. They sleep in them every night too. We came home and Koda pushed her bottom tray out and some how escaped with the door on the kennel being locked still. In the process she tore the carpet up trying to pull herself up. I yelled at her, which I learned she doesnt take well. My husky on the other hand listens very well when I am mad, considering she is probably the most stubborn dog in the world.

Fast forward to the next night it was July 4th witch I decided to hang at home with Koda as I knew she would panic like she did with the noise.

Currently I feel like we took a step back in training her and working through her seperation anxiety. I dont know that I am comfortable leaving her in her kennel again outside of at night. I wouldn't want her to get stuck or hurt trying to get out nor destroy anything. I have left them outside since for an hour at a time as I run errands. She seems fine but comes in whimping and crying to see us like we had been gone for days.

Problem I
Anyway to combat this anxiety problem? I love my dogs to death and just want the best for them.

Problem II
Would it be better to build an outside/small garage area for shade when we leave? I am still timid to let them stay inside because they chew out of boredom. When they get to the 2-3 year old age I think it will be fine but for now, I am not sure what to do

Thanks guys anything will help

Yikes I'm sorry! Are they exercised thoroughly before going into the crate? Have you tried leaving them kongs or other puzzle toys? It could also just be a bit of boredom so providing mental simulation could help.

Also the way you approach leaving can affect then. If you say goodbye and pet them and make over them that could help build excitement so it's best to leave with as little ceremony as possible.

Sorry I can't be of more help.

Okay, to start with, if this dog is truly a wolf mix you are going to have a much different bear on your hands than a normal husky. In fact, most states require a permit to own any hybrids that have a mix over 2%. If caught you could be fined and the dog taken from you. Wolf hybrids of any higher content do often need to be kept outside in a concreted kennel. I've met a lot of "wolf hybrids" that aren't actually wolf mixes at all. People often just say that for awe value. I don't mean that to be rude or anything, definitely not my intent. Just wanting that out there if you are dealing with a PROVEN wolf hybrid. That would change my advice a bit if that is the case.

Huskies need a ton of exercise and your dogs are at a prime age to start biking and running and lots of it. We are going through a dog theft issue where I live right now so I don't tend to ever suggest leaving dogs outside even in a fenced in yard. Many here on the forum use carabiner clips to keep their dogs from prying the walls of their crates loose. My crate is zip tied at every seam.

As Danielle said, don't make a fuss over leaving. I found that leaving for short periods of time and coming back, then leaving again, for a little longer to desensitize a little to the leaving process helped with mine when I first got her. A radio being on while I was gone helped too.

I've done a ton of research on hybrids and decided against it, which is why I have a husky. I'm in the situation now with the dog so I'm not going to give her up to a pound, not an option.

The only other dog she could be mixed with is a German Shepard but I've never met a German Shepard with this high of anxiety and skiddishness. She had all the markings of a wolf so I'm not completely 100% she is a hybrid but I have a good feeling she is.

Yes I know huskies need a ton of exercise I've had mine for a year an a half and she's probably the most energetic dog I've ever met. Both dogs get plenty of exercise and both wear each other out in the backyard.

Back to my problem, I'm not sure what to do. I'll try the puzzle/toy idea with her. I usually don't make a big deal when I put them in the kennels but I'll keep tabs to make sure I dont.

Just last night they both went on a run came back tired. I kenneled both of them for bed. Went downstairs for a couple minutes to grab something and koda was having a panic attack up stairs.. she wasn't like this 2 weeks ago but it's like her training did a complete 180.

I think I'll try toys or puzzles with a treat everytime I put her in there maybe.

Any other suggestions would be great, thanks guys!

Are they crated in the same room where they can see each other? The other dog freaking out can cause the original to think that there is something to freak out over and trigger regression.

Sometimes throwing a blanket over the crate helps to den it in better so they feel more secure. There are also thunder shirts that I have heard do good things for extreme cases. A lot of people at my vet swear by them. Huskies are notorious for having major anxiety to the point of massive destruction to property and themselves. Some even go as far as to needing medication.

Define : Both get plenty of exercise. How many walks a day, how long are they walked....

I hesitate to believe shes a wolf hybrid as well, because whoever gave it to you saying that a week later? that makes me side eye them and their knowledge of dogs at all. They may have been saying that from the look of her. If you really want to know, you can get a DNA swab, or post a few photos and see if we can help.

You say you've never met a GSD with this anxiety, I understand, but any dog can have anxiety, and huskies can get it too so it may have nothing to do with what she is mixed with, and huskies are master escape artists. So good luck on the crate. A blanket over may help her relax and think its a den, putting in treat puzzles can help occupy her mind as well.

To be honest, you adopted this dog 2 months ago. All the training that they did or didnt do is still with her. It takes a while (two to three months) for a rehomed dog to show their true colors and problems. You could just be seeing what she's actually like. The anxiety might have more to do with what her previous owners did or didnt do than her "mix"


My suggestion? Look into a reputable trainer, figure out with them her issues and work on resolving them.

I agree with Jenn, Danielle, and Kelly. I will go a step further and say that many people for whatever reason sell or give away odd looking dogs and say they are part wolf. I too got this with my girl, sold as 50% wolf 50% husky, I can honestly say she is husky/german shepherd. Posting some pics of her will at least help us help you. I did massive research on wolfdogs, because I wanted to be able to train Miya properly, once I read and read some more, it became apparent that she was not part wolf. The proper term is wolfdog, it is no longer agreed upon to call any dog that may be part wolf a hybrid, just wolfdog, just a little fyi. By saying that your dog may be part wolf is borderline detrimental, beyond what the others have mentioned. By telling people she is, can place her in great jeopardy, if she ever nips at anyone, with the belief she is a wolfdog, she will be automatically put down, no questions asked. So please try and remove that portion out of your vocabulary for the protection of your dog. Now to your other question, any dog can have separation anxiety, even german shepherds, they can also be skiddish, it depends on what training they have had, as well as how they have been treated. Perhaps she was locked in her crate most of the time, since the owner before you was in a belief that she was part wolf, makes sense to me. She probably sees the crate as a punishment. I would seriously do as suggested in the previous posts, and more specifically what Kelly suggested and get a professional trainer in to help. and by all means please do not tell trainer nor your vet she is part wolf(if you really believe she is). I would love to see photos of her, I believe with the amount of research I have done I may be able to at least see if she may be, although an expert would be better to know for sure, again just through my research I "may" be able to tell. As far as a dna test, they do not include wolf dna, so it would not work to pin point if there is any wolf in her or not. Also Jenn brought up a good point that most jurisdictions do not allow wolf dogs, you need to know your area's laws on this.