GERMAN SHEPHERD/ WOLF HYBRIDS - Page 1

What are your views on german shepherd/ wolf hybrids? How are their temperment? Any health problems? Do you agree or disagree about breeding the two? and why?

I'm just carious about the topic and tried to research it for more information. I happen to run into one at Petsmart and wanted to know peoples opinion about the mix.

don't know about hybrids but you might be interested in the breed: american tundra shepherd - ats. they bred tundra wolf with american gsds back in the 60 - it was a military run program - so the breed is a dozen generations or so from the wolf input so are no longer hybrids but an actual breed - i believe the breed is 1/4 wolf.  the little i know is: pretty good overall health with solid hips etc.  temps are more varied i think, you can get some sharp shy temps but they can also be very solid when carefuly breed.  i know some have been amazing sar dogs but i don't think they have been too successful at police work though great guard dogs; i'm not sure i haven't kept up on the breed.  there was a really knowledgeable breeder we met a number of years ago but i not sure he's still breeding but his name is R. W. Jacobsen - jake - and his kennel name was von Valhalla the only pict i have is of a female named  Frija von Valhalla wish i had a pict of his male dracul who i believe was frija's sire.  i think these dogs are bred primarily around ks & mo. they can be great but not for the faint of heart imo

It is a stupid idea!!!

If the person actually had a dog/wolf in Petsmart they are stupid also. Only a fool that does not truly understand what they have would take one of these hybrids in to a place with as much commotion as a pet store or any other store, especially during the holidays. 

The real issue here with the wolf/dog hybrids is that you have taken a wild animal with its fear of man (this is a part of how it survives) and you cross it with a dog that through evolution has no fear of man. You have created a wolf that does not fear man. This is very dangerous, especially for small children that the hybrid may view as prey. To answer those who might ask the question about all wolves potentially viewing children as prey I agree with you, except that we have not invited all wolves to live amongst us. Wolves stay away for a reason. 

The wolf/dog hybrid is an animal that has a brain that has travelled two very seperate paths and is now trying function as one. It makes for a very un-stable animal.

I always find it interesting that when someone breeds hybrids that they came from a military program. This is complete bullshit!

The only government run program was in Communist Czechoslovakia. They bred GSD's and a few other breeds of dogs with Carpathian Wolves. They stopped the program because it was a miserable failure.

The pic looks like a long hair sable gsd :)

The dog I seen at petsmart looked like a overgrown bicolor gsd. (looked to be 100+ lbs) I spoke to the owner and pet the dog not realizing what type of dog it was. I just said nice looking shepherd. He said oh its a german shepherd/ wolf. I was shocked because it looks like a large bicolor gsd. The dog seemed anxious though (his eyes were a bit red) and kept pacing. I don't know much about this hybrid but it was interesting to see one in person.

I kept a wolf hybrid for several years, she had to be put down after loosing her sight.  She was a wonderful creature in that she bonded so closely to me sometimes she would hold on to me and not want to let me leave her.  Sometimes it broke my heart that she couldn't be a real wolf in the wild with a pack, running free.   Almost pure she was not an animal to take lightly, the wild instincts always showed thru.  Extremely intelligent.  The breeder did a poor job of breeding, too much inbreeding, thats what caused the eye sight problem.    I did breed her to a German Shepherd I had at the time, he was also amazing, someone shot him at 14, he was still running the country side.  

Anyway, the pups they produced looked mixed, not a dog and not a wolf, and got into very much trouble.   One was even dumped off in my part of the county and had people hunting for him.    I would never repeat the experience.

A low percentage cross is a dog with an unpredicable temperment, the higher percentage wolf hybrid is a wolf, not a pet period.   Anything that doesn't bump back is potentially food and that includes domestic animals and small children.

I would not recommend owning a hybrid wolf, there are breeds that look like wolves without the wolf blood.

I would own another wolf but only as a wolf, raising wild animals is a whole different experience.  If you don't have the facilities and the know how I wouldn't recommend this either.

Stay away from people like petsmart..  

Check into some of the exsisting breeds that mimic a wolf instead.

http://www.atsfoundation.com/history.htm

You tell 'em, Two Moons!

I have no experience with hybrids, but what I've heard is exactly what others have said above.

The brother of a friend used to do SAR in Italy with a purebred Italian wolf. He was the only one who could handle the animal, it was definitely a one-man wolf. He was walking it in the park one day when an off-leash dog came running over to say 'hello' Following his instincts, he hid in some bushes. The dog followed it. He warned it to stay away, by growling and rasing his hackles. When the dog insisted on coming closer, he ripped its throat out.

That's the instincts you are dealing with when you cross a wolf with a dog!

Sorry justcurious, but, I do not see one iota of eveidence about our military starting this project or why they would turn it over to him. What I do see is a person that wants to breed hybrid wolf/dogs and wants fools to help him pay for it through "contributions"???

Where is the proof that his "creations" are being used in the military, SAR, law enforcement, etc??? Not even one story about a satisfied customer?

His web site is a joke and so is he!

Breeding dogs with wolves is a very ignorant thing to do IMO