As I was driving home today I was thinking of wolves and how magnificent they are and how they work together as a unit so the whole pack can eat/survive. I then had this thought. I know that being "the alpha" can be a controversial topic to some trainers and/or dog owners in general. Some people hate it, other people love it.

I was just wondering, say you have a wolf hybrid (remember, this is hypothetical, not looking to debate on how unfair or "mean" it is to have a hybrid wolf because they can get confused on which instinct to follow) i'm just thinking, you end up getting a hybrid wolf, more wolf than dog. Would you then have to work the alpha angle seeing as that is how it works in a wolf pack or would you be able to avoid having to establish a "dominance over the dog/wolf (shall we call it a dolf)?
I have heard that the "dolf" can have difficulty deciding which instinct to follow, the wild or the domesticated. I have also seen a documentary where a man lives with wolves and he is their alpha. He will get down on his hands and knees and eat the fresh meat before the rest of the pack can. It was quite the documentary.

I'm just looking to get people's thoughts or maybe some of you have owned such a hybrid. I know that in British Columbia (that's in Canada, in case some of you didn't know) they have wolf sanctuaries that also have the hybrid but people out there also breed such hybrids and sell the pups to any joe blow that has the cash for it.

Anyway, that was my random thought for the evening, and unfortunately I don't have any other trainers in my area that I can have a discussion like this with, so I have to post if I want to discuss.

Gena, interesting subject. The man living with wolves, hmmmm, don't believe most sound minded folks with wolf dogs do that, lol. I think overall wolf dogs are treated similarly to dogs, upper content wolf dogs tend to live outside in containment's, and tend to be treated more wild than domesticated, doesn't mean however that they are not trained, etc. The pack structure becomes quite different at that point, when again, speaking of upper contents. I lived with a low content as a teenager, so I do have experience, and well my current husky mix is also a low, although I do not broadcast that here much, I personally do not want backlash about her. Miya is quite dominate, she responds best for me. I called her my demon puppy from hell, and most husky issues that arise here on the forum I have experienced, yet probably in the range of 50% more difficult than what I help advise people on. I call myself the leader and not the Alpha, because, well the alpha thing is considered outdated, even by Dr. Mech, who was the one who coined the term Alpha, he now believes that the pack structure, with wolves is a mutual co-op, for lack of better words, lol. It does get muddled with all these different trainers out there. Anyway, my training with Miya started off as the "me, I am the alpha" It evolved into mutual understanding and respect, and that is something I stress to people for positive results in training, even doggy dogs. I hope that this was the direction you were looking for. Through the last 4 years with Miya, I tend to relate to the husky world, my preference is here on this forum, however, I also belong to a gsd forum, and several wolf dog groups, understanding your dog, imho, makes a successful relationship between you and your dog. Most people do not understand wolf dogs, and a great majority of people misunderstand them, and a vast majority of people should NOT have one. Eh I am blabbing.

Hi Renee, that is kind of what I was also thinking as to what I would do in terms of training as well. I don't have a wolf dog, but if the need ever arises that one needs to be re homed, I feel this is something I would be able to take on. I was just looking at perspectives of training them because they do have the more wild/wolf side to them then your pure bred husky would.
I also completely agree about having mutual understanding and respect when it comes to training any dog.
Thank you for your insight, I feel like I understand a bit more now on what would need to go into training a wolf dog. I also agree that there are people out there that should never own a wolf dog, but sadly i've heard stories from my cousins on the West Coast where they know people that get them and then put them down in a month or two because they couldn't handle it. Terribly sad, and very unfair to the wolf dog.

I have a cousin who had a higher content wolf hybrid. A documented hybrid that was actually proven and not one of these 'hybrids' people on craigslist claim to be selling that are actually just a poor quality husky/mal cross. In his case trying to be his traditional alpha would have been very difficult due to the strict laws revolving around true hybrids. He was required to be in an enclosure much of the time. My cousin was the only one who really got to mess with him and co-op would definitely be a better way to describe how he handled the animal. He had a healthy respect for him and in return he tried to build that same respect in the dog by being the soul provider. Everything came from him. He did not really train this dog so much as he built a routine and set boundaries. His was high enough content that it couldn't be considered a pet really. His kids couldn't play with it. It didn't do well with other dogs. His prey drive made our huskies look like nothing at all. A lot comes down to content in my mind. A low content dog could be taken on by dedicated folk, a higher content dog is not something I would adopt into the home lightly. They can be very difficult and very dangerous to try and acclimate to a normalish dog setting.

MiyasMomma wrote:

Most people do not understand wolf dogs, and a great majority of people misunderstand them, and a vast majority of people should NOT have one.

I think more people need to pay attention to what Renee said here; I think it's the truest sentence I've ever heard about wolf hybrids.

I visited a sanctuary recently and our guides talked to us about every single animal in there (wolves, foxes, dingos, etc.). All of the animals in the sanctuary were rescues and about 90% of them were from people who were trying to own these creatures as normal pets and none of them could handle it. I believe it is possible to own hybrids (not entirely sure about ethical), but I think the person needs to have a deep understanding of what these animals entail.

Yes and Yes! That is why I love the sanctuaries. Too often i've heard of people adopting these hybrids into their families with small children because they love the way they look. Obviously they don't last long, I guess the same is with some huskies as well, people get them because of they way they look, do no research, realize they are too much and then give them up. But the hybrid is just taking it up 100 levels. I am not set up for a higher content hybrid, so I would never take one on, but if you are set up for them and can give them that respect and care they need, wow, that would just be amazing.

Gena, Jenn, and Rocio, I do know people with all different kinds of contents. The majority of upper mid contents are outside in very well maintained containment. I do know of a guy in California with 2 high contents that he hikes with and does heavy socialization of his 2. He is the exception for upper mids and higher. Most with upper mids and higher live similar to how Jenn describes on how her cousin worked with his. Solid mids and lower are max half and half, some can be difficult and are regulated by the owner to be outside and the rest are like me. Train like crazy, and they live indoors. Just like any other dog breed, it has a lot to do with a breeder, and I am a snob when it comes to wolf dogs and breeders, there are only 2 breeders I would go to to get a pup, one breeds upper mids and higher and the other lows and mids. I'm going to be honest, the issues with wolf dogs is breeder/owner and not the dogs. Just like any breed, there are way too many byb's, and too much ego. If there was a way to regulate that was similar to a breed club like SHCA, I personally think some issues would disappear. There are few, and i mean very few people that should have a wolf dog that is more wolf than dog, for various reasons. When talking mids and lower, some responsible owners of huskies I think would do fine. Training is different in that they sense more than a highly intelligent dog like a husky or gsd. Having a owner who may not be highly skilled in posiitive reinforcement training and NILIF training will have a heck of a time training. Like I said earlier, Miya had every issue that people ask questions on here, most husky owners may have a mouthy dog for instance, but don't have the issue with destruction. Huskies will have a few issues and wolf dogs will have them all. Now with all of that bad, they have equally awesome issues as well. They learn faster than any dog I have had, as long as you are diligent, slacking off is not an option, ever. Miya knows over a hundred commands, hand signals, verbal cues, and short sentences, I swear she knows exactly what I am saying As comparing Sofie is from a great breeder, she is a gsd, and most people when speaking of a gsd will say they are extremely smart, they are. My gsd at 17 months old is at the equivalent of Miya at 7 or 8 months old as far as commands and behavior. I wanted to say all of this, not to encourage, because yea I am lucky with Miya, she is a great companion and my best friend. As much flack as the common person gives the husky double the flack that people give a wolf dog. I did quit my job to be with Miya, because training her was a 24/7 thing, there was no hope in crate training her, the only time off I had was when she napped. My gsd on the other hand, can sit and play by herself, was always like that, she was trust worthy at 10 weeks old, a totally different animal. I love both of my girls, but my bond with Miya is like no other, because of all the work her and I did. I am happy to answer questions, and I can also talk about my other boy who was a low.

I had no idea Miya had some wolf content in her, Renee; thats incredible! Glad to hear you take the time to work with her and it sounds like it's really paid off.

It's unfortunate that there are so many bad byb out there; especially for wolf hybrids.

Yep Rocio, I don't really talk about that aspect of her, because I would hate for people to ignore me like on the forum. Miya is mostly husky, and she fits this forum best. Miya was sold as a 50% mid content. Some days, when she was a baby I would have/be totally on board with that number, other days, I say she is a low. Miya does come from a byb, and it does irk me to no end on bybs, and that goes for bybs of pure bred dogs, it is rampant in the the dog world, all doggy and wolf dogs alike. and we both know that bybs hurt the pups in the end. and I wont go into huge detail, but the misrepresentation of wolf dogs is even worse. The claims of poorly bred huskies being wolf dogs, ugh, it sickens me. Karma in California is a good example of that. Karma the Mythunderstood Husky is something to learn about. That poor husky, although she lives in a wonderful wolf dog sanctuary, will never be with her people, because someone claimed her as a wolf dog.

I really love that you went to a sanctuary Rocio, it gives you a different perspective for sure.

Gena, if you ever get a chance visit a sanctuary like Rocio did, it will open your eyes, not only of the majestic beauty of these animals, but also see the realities of why these sanctuaries exist.

My neighbors were up in arms when we brought Miya home, today they love her, and appreciate the work I put in with her. They realize that proper care and training, a wolf dog can live amongst people and animals just fine.

I almost stopped at one on my way home from BC this summer, but unfortunately did not have time. We are heading back that way this coming summer again and I am planning on stopping in and checking one out. I wish that we could have sanctuaries instead of shelters. Only in a perfect world though.

In our Louisiana husky group we have several people who have mid-high content wolfdogs. They aren't housepets and are kept in proper containment pens. However they do socialize them a TON, even take them to the dog park near where they live. I haven't had the opportunity to meet them yet but they are beautiful creatures and NOT for most people to own. They strive to educate people about wolfdogs.

This is one of the guy's wolfdogs. He's an upper-mid content. Beautiful animal for sure.

Ashleigh, lol, funny you posted that pic. Phil the owner of that lovely dog is a friend of mine. and he is an educator for sure. Faelen is a solid to upper mid wolf dog and yes his containment is outside. Typically said low mids and lower do fine inside with proper training, like my Miya. You have to meet Phil, I have not personally met him, but he is very knowledgeable.

Yeah Phil is in our husky group. Him and Lily have been amazing resources on wolfdog education in our group. We get SO many people who say they have wolfdogs when in actuality they have northern breed mixes.

One of these days I hope to meet them! Just gotta make a 5 hour long trip north. lol.