So, you want a wolfdog?

As someone who owns a mid-content wolfdog, I feel that I have a responsibility to lay down the facts about what it's like sharing your home with one of these animals.

I've seen far too many people with unrealistic expectations - owning a wolfdog is NEVER without complications, never without struggles, and NEVER without suffering. Believe me.

I am far from an inexperienced dog trainer - I've been training dogs since I was 7 years old, and it's been a passion of mine ever since. I specialize in working with dogs with dominance and aggression issues, and I've never met a dominant dog that I couldn't turn into a pile of pudding by the end of a training session. (This includes APBTs, rottweilers, GSDs and many other big, strong, energetic breeds with a ton of fight drive.)

This being said, nothing could have prepared me for the challenges I face as a wolfdog owner. You think your husky mix is stubborn? Think again.

Wolfdogs are by far the most stubborn, stuck up BRATS on the face of the earth. Your wolfdog will do things for the sole purpose of testing you to see if they can get away with it. While it is true that most dog breeds will exhibit this sort of behavior as puppies, the difference here is that a wolfdog will never stop. They constantly test to see if there is a possibility of them gaining the upper hand and becoming the alpha.

Say your wolfdog takes a shoe (or coffee table, your pick) out back and chews it to shreds, because he or she was bored. Your first reaction is to go punish them for it. Now, not only do they growl in your face when you try to go near them, they do it again the next day with a different shoe/household item. If you plan to own a wolfdog, you can pretty well expect to get growled at, and maybe even bitten by them. I've never been bitten by my boy, but that's because I know how to approach him.

You can never have a wolfdog fully trained. That is a fact, and it is a hard fact. If you are expecting a pet that will be your baby and listen to everything you say, please consider looking into getting a dog from a shelter and save yourself the agony and disappointment of an animal who is unruly and full of himself.

I have spent hundreds upon hundreds of hours doing rigorous obedience training with Motyka. Does that mean he listens to me all the time? Absolutely not. Wolfdogs are never going to conform to your absurd human lifestyle, and they are never going to be the perfect house pet. Why? Because they aren't house pets! They are very much independent animals and they will never see you as their sole provider. They will not become attached to you in the same ways that a normal dog would.

Also, be prepared for an animal that has extreme prey drive towards anything with feathers, fur, or hooves. Do you or your neighbors own livestock? Cows? Sheep? Goats? Chickens? How about horses? If so, refrain from getting a wolfdog.

Do you have children or siblings under the age of 16? Are you yourself under the age of 16? Do you own cats or small dogs? How about hamsters, or other pet rodents? Don't get a wolfdog.

Now, there are exceptions to every rule; our wolfdog loves our cats and considers them his best friends - they even wrestle together - but that is NOT the norm for these dogs, and we brought the cats in for a "test run" with him before officially adopting them. Additionally, for the first 6 months, he was not allowed to be alone with them in any part of the house, because these animals, like any other wild animal, can be unpredictable.

Another point I would like to bring forth is, can you handle the size of a wolfdog? Are you physically capable of restraining 120 - 150 pounds of extremely strong, determined wolf from going after that child/small dog/cat/rabbit/bird/what have you? I am a very firm believer that owning any animal you cannot physically control is absolutely 100% irresponsible and dangerous.

My wolfdog is absolutely tiny - he is the smallest you will ever see. He only weighs 65lbs, and is only 28 inches at the shoulder. By most standards, that's a big dog, but in wolfdog terms, that's about how big they usually are at about 6-7 months old, when they are half grown. The fact that we had him neutered may or may not have had something to do with this - his parents were both quite small as well.

The point I am trying to make is that these are not dogs, they are not "puppies", and they will not act as such no matter what you do.

Consider this before considering making a decision that could negatively impact your life, or the life of a wolfdog. Remember that every commitment you make to an animal should be life long, and you should never have the mentality that your wolfdog can be dumped in a shelter or be someone else's problem if they become too much for you. That is something you should consider before getting ANY pet, but especially pets with needs as different as these.

If you have anything you would like to add, or have any questions, feel free to post. This isn't exactly a debate, but I figured it belonged here since people will inevitably have differing opinions on the matter. :)