6/4/2023 0 Comments Wolf hybridIn terms of intentional breeding efforts, the first documented wolfdog breed, the Saarlooswolfhond, did not begin to be developed until the 1920's. Noted historic cases (such as the Cevennes, France wolf-attack incidents of 1764-1767) of large wolves that were abnormally aggressive towards humans, may be attributable to wolf-dog mating. 1.3 Wolf-dog hybrids and threatened wolf populationsĮvidence for prehistoric domesticated wolfdogs in the Americas dates back at least 10,000 years while fossil evidence in Europe points to their use in hunting mammoths. Since wolf hybrids are genetic mixtures of wolves and dogs, their physical and behaviorial characteristics cannot be predicted with any certainty. In first generation hybrids, gray wolves are most often crossed with wolf-like dogs (such as German Shepherd Dogs, Siberian Huskies, and Alaskan Malamutes) for an appearance most appealing to owners desiring to own an exotic pet. In 1998, the USDA estimated an approximate population of 300,000 wolfdogs in the United States (the highest of any country world-wide), with some other sources giving a population possibly as high as 500,000. Rescue organizations consider any animal with wolf heritage within the last five generations to be a wolfdog, including some established wolfdog breeds. Professional organizations such as the American Veterinary Medical Association and government agencies such as the United States Department of Agriculture refer to the animals as wolf-dog hybrids. The term "wolfdog" is preferred by most wolfdog proponents and breeders since the domestic dog was recently taxonomically recategorized as a subspecies of wolf. This Czechoslovakian Wolfdog shows a distinctly wolf-like appearance.Ī wolf-dog hybrid (also called a wolf hybrid or wolfdog) is a canid hybrid resulting from the mating of a wolf ( Canis lupus) and a dog ( Canis lupus familiaris).
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