New to site / Questions on the CW WolfDog and Wolf Hybrid
 

Hi guys, i've heard many stories that wolf hybrids are unpredictable and dangerous, especially since there have been many reports of children being killed and seriously injured by this particular breed. From what i've heard wolf hybrids are the type of dogs you can have in your backyard, a dog that loves its owner, but a dangerous dog to take outside due to their wild nature.

Are Czechosolovakian wolfdogs the same as these hybrids i hear about? I have always had a fascination with wolfs and would love to raise a young wolf hybrid or cw wolfdog, but was wondering if anyone could give me some ideas on the breed?

Also i live in the U.S. so i was wondering if anyone know of any good breeders here they could recommend?

Hello,

As wrote a many times, you can find it in the forum, there are no breeders in the USA.

But I can tell you, that a CSW is a DOG and not a hybride. They are known as a breed in the West europian breeders clubs and they are allowed to coming on a dog show organized by the FCI ( International Breeders Association).

But this is a dog with a great ambition to his owner, and his family, but one person of the family is favorite. You can walk with him, bycicling, tracking, and in a certain way also IPO, SchH. or acquility or another way of dogtraining.

But there is allways a part of wolfblood there and you have to live with that part and you have imagine in the way of living of a wolf.

Wolfhybrides are often dangerous, because they are mixed with several dogs???? of what kind of they are.

But a Wolfdog is not such a common dog like a German Shepherd. He is more, cq very, very intelligent and has his own maners and way of life.
Allso he can jump very high and to let him into your garden or yard, you have to make it for him not possible to get out. Jumping without a run, easily 2.00- 2,50 high.

If you want to know more about, you can ask me or other breeders,
and I hope, I have giving you a littlebit information about a CSW.

greetings
Letty from Holland

Hello,

you can?t compare wolfdogs with wolfhybrids, they have been selected as working dogs for a lot of years now and in the countries they originally came from they have to have a charaktertest for breeding to select dogs with wolflike behaviour out of breeding. I know both wolf and dogs quite well and wolfdogs definetly are dogs.
Wolfhybrids mostly get dangerous when they are sexually mature and then they are mostly dangerous for their own owners in first place because of social expansive behaviour. Though some wolfdog males tend to get dominant they are no problem if the owner keeps a good rankorder and obedience from puppyhood on, in this point they are very much like Rottweilers.
Wolfdogs have a good problemsolving ability and are able to learn by watching others, they are easily bored. Because of that they are - for some people - more difficult to train. In some situations it is a little difficult to keep up with your dog :D . For me personally that makes them more easy because I don?t like much routine either :cheesy:

Regards Ina

how do the czechoslovakian wolfdog differ from the Saarloos wolfdogs? i know Saarloos wolfdogs are from the netherlands but do they have the same personality and behavior? and do they look the same?

also, it seems that the cw wolfdog doesn't seem that big. it seems like the normal german shepards are bigger than the cw wolfdog. i thought with the wolf blood in them they would be bigger but they look pretty skinny though

Have Saarloos wolfdog breeders in U.S.A??
the saarloos wolfdog is very differ, it is calmer than the CzW, for what I read it is more for the company of whom the work stops, to opposes it of the CzW that is an breed for work... I'm certain? :mrgreen:

Try this link:
http://www.wolfdog.org/php/index.php...ewtopic&t=2299

how big are cw wolfdogs? are they generally bigger than the regular German Shepards? and do they like the water?

I was checking out a few videos of cw wolfdog in the movie section, and it seems that they are very independent and seem to like playing by themselves instead of having to need their owners to play with them at all times like throwing the ball around... this is what i like the most about them, 'cuz a lot of times domestic dogs are very narrow minded and will seem almost lazy and dont know what to do if you dont toss the ball for them. They also seem VERY VERY agile and fast. What a remarkable breed.... now all i have to figure out is how to get one to the U.S. hehe

Will they protect the owners if their master is in danger?

also do cw wolfdogs howls like the wolf?
and if purchased is it better to get 2 so they can have a friend to play with when i'm at work?

i wonder why nobody has tried to get a female and a male in the u.s. and hope for some offsprings hehe

In this topic I'm the visitant :wink:

"Hi guys, i've heard many stories that wolf hybrids are unpredictable and dangerous, especially since there have been many reports of children being killed and seriously injured by this particular breed. From what i've heard wolf hybrids are the type of dogs you can have in your backyard, a dog that loves its owner, but a dangerous dog to take outside due to their wild nature."

While I do not intend to compare Csw with wolfxdogs I hope you will visit this site and learn some facts about them,
http://www.kc.net/%7Ewolf2dog/index.html

"i wonder why nobody has tried to get a female and a male in the u.s. and hope for some offsprings hehe"

I hope that this does not happen soon. As a Csw owner in the US I have to say that I am feeling very protective of this breed. Responsible breeding is not so simple as just getting a male and a female. most breeders do not repeat breedings except when there are exceptional results. You can import a Csw without any problem, if the Csw was easy to find here, I have no doubt that they would be used to Wolf up the appearance of Wolfxdogs.(There are many irresponsible breeders of wolfxdogs here in the US)This sort of connection would not be good for the future of the Csw in the US. It would be better(in my opinion)for people who really want a Csw to import one and enjoy it.Perhaps one day there will be enough owners in the country to form a club to protect this special breed.

I would like to add that as someone who has lived with German ShepherdxWolf dogs since 1987 I find the use of the word Hybrid to describe them to be inacurate. A hybrid is a cross between species and Wolfs and dogs are all the same species.
http://www.kc.net/%7Ewolf2dog/wdgenes.html

That being said I would like to once again make it clear that I am not trying to equate the Csw with a Wolfxdog.The Csw has been carefully bred for a purpose while here in the US wolfxdogs have been bred without any control and in many cases, with no intent other than profit.


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hey there
 

thanks a lot for the clarification man. so importing a cw wolfdog is not much of a hassle? Could you tell me where you got yours from and how much it cost. I hear that due to the vaccination period only dogs over the age of 12 weeks could be imported. Could you tell me your experience on importing your pup?

How long have you had your wolfdog now? Could you maybe tell me a bit about your thoughts on living with a cw wolfdog? They seem to be smaller than the regular german shepards or maybe i'm just mis-informed. And do they howl much like their wolf ancestors? Cuz if i do decide to get one I will most likely not be living in the rural area. Let me know what you think. I hope to hear from you soon.

Where do you live by the way

hey there
 

I think you might find answers to many of your questions here, on the forum. If you read articles and the posts from the last 6-8 months you will find plenty of information about prices of pups in Western and Eastern Europe, specificity of the breed, various uses of CzWs, their character, temperament, health problems, training methods. You may also obtain practical info on the import requirements, what a good breeder should be like, what to pay attention to when you decide to buy a pup, etc.- i.e. if the puppy is well socialised from early age and if both parents have good HD results. (and what HD is :) )

I'd also like to confirm and stress what other people have already stated earlier- CZWs are not wolf hybrids, but dogs! It is a relatively young, but well established breed of a dog. It is true, that they have 25-30% of wolf's genes, but the last "addition" of wolf's blood was conducted about 30 years ago. You cannot compare CzWs with wolf hybrids, which are much less predictable as far as the pups' looks and character are concerned, i.e. with wolf hybrids the proportions of dog's and wolf's genes cannot be easily established/calculated/predicted and may vary from pup to pup even in the same litter - one pup may be more like a dog, and another - more of a wolf. And this, of course, affects the animal's looks, character, and to some extend - behaviour.
There are plenty of irresponsible breeders all over the world, and CzW breed still needs special protection of responsible and wise breeders and owners - otherwise it could be easily spoiled and destroyed.

Since honest, creative breeding does mean production of puppies for money and requires a lot of knowledge of genetics, herd books, rules and principles, etc. etc. if you decide to buy a CZW you'll have to undertake a bit of this responsibility....
There has to be certain number of studs and bitches relatively genetically remote, from a few herd lines, to start reasonable breeding in a given area. Thus for geographical reasons it is easier to breed CzWs in Europe and mix dogs form various countries, regions etc.

I'd really advise you to conduct reserach before you take any decisions - though the Czechs are great dogs, this is not an easy breed and its relative "freshness" puts an extra challenge on the owner, not to mention the breeder. Good luck!

I spotted a crucial error in my earlier text. Here is the correct version:

To make it clearer - such an owner's responsibility for example might require a decision of NOT BREEDING if one cannot find a good match for the dog. Any CzW match is just not enough since it might lead to reinforcement of negative features or health problems in next CzW generations.

Hello. I'd like to read comments about this too :roll:

DO they howl though? i can't seem to find information on it on the board anywhere and wouldn't want to get a dog that howls all night because most likely I will probably be living in the city.

Also, if the czw wolfdog is a cross between wolf and GSD, how come they seem to be smaller than the regular GSD?

They do howl sometimes, but not every day and not all night, because they normally sleep at night. :wink: They also bark like any dog, but on average CzWs are relatively quiet dogs. Most of them tend to be reasonable creatures and act rationally. Unless their owner is weird .. then they pick up his manners :mrgreen:


There are great differences as far as the size and weight of a various kinds of wolves are concerned - from just 15 kg, to over 90 kg.
Check this for CzW size:
http://www.wolfdog.org/php/index.php...ewtopic&t=3328

Hello,

wolfdogs aren´t noisy dogs and normally don´t howl all night but they are no breed that is very suitable for cities.
They are not smaller than GSD but they shouldn´t be build that heavy.

Regards Ina

Do not be afraid wolfdogs do not howl all night. I have got a wolfdog and a dog of mixed races, the latter often bark all night, but the wolfdog does not bark at all, but sometimes howls (not very often).

Ancestors of Czechoslovakian wolfdogs are European wolves, they are smaller than their American relatives.

I think that CSWs are not for protective work, they are quite timid of unknown people. I have a five-year old wolfdog bitch, she have not hurt anybody in her life, but she is very agressive if another bitch is getting closer.

HEIGHT AND WEIGHT

Height at Withers:
Dogs at least 65 cm
Bitches at least 60 cm

Weight:
Dogs at least 26 kg
Bitches at least 20 kg

Hi, basically the wolfdogs do howl, but not very frequently. It also depends on the dog. For example my bitch used to howl sometimes and not from loneliness (as we were at home). She once even howled when there was a fight between dogs and she couldn't interfere. When we had a dog for mating with her, they howled together, it was very beautiful.

CsWs are not smaller that german shepherds, but they are lighter built. Some wolfdogs (especially bitches) are quite small, but as mentioned above, they have to be higher than 60 cm, which is 23.62 inches. But there is no upper limit, so the males and females also may be bigger than GSD.

CsW can be used for protection, they are not timid if brought up properly. They are great dogs for a very wide range of work, but it is required that the owner don't expect them to learn on their own. Because learn they will, only not what you expect, if you don't teach them.

I don't have a csw but i ead just about the howling today in the italian forum. They do howl, but usually only when the owner is away. The reason why they are smaller is beacause wolfs are not really big as most people belive, and have diffrent sizes dipending on the wolfs race (czw and artic wolfs are not the same just like a beagle and a husky are not the same).

Research
 

You need to do a lot of research and reading, most of your posts here have already been addressed many times (in the forum and in articles), and your hastily thrown out information about Hybrids is inaccurate. I know because I have owned a high content (95%+ Wolf Blood) Eastern Timberwolf x German Sheperd.

Hybrids have no more of a biting problem than any dog. In fact they are beautiful creatures, but act almost nothing like a domestic dog does. They are far smarter than any dog I have ever been around, which presents very interesting challenges for training (since they only like to do things on their own terms). Also, a Hybrid (particularly with greater than 50% Wolf Blood) will never be fully socialized. My experience is that they become extremely comfortable around you and your family (who they see as their pack), but will always be on edge when visitors are on your property.

In the wild Wolves are agressive only when hunting, they're defense mechanism is flight over fight (this is evident if you ever handle a Hybrid, try taking him/her to a dog park and it is almost a certainty it will be cautious of other animals and run if approached). In other words they will only bite for one of two reasons: either if they are put in an extremely uncomfortable situation with no escape route, or if they view their target as prey. The latter would never happen to a Hybrid who is raised properly and is around children and other animals from a young age. And the former would only happen if the owner/handler doesn't know what he's doing (I've seen this, where people introduce animals on leash and won't allow the animal to run if they want to).

Most wolf bites probably come from people who say what you're saying (which is a dangerous attitude): I like the appearance of a wolf, so I want to own one. In reality a Hybrid can make an excellent pet for a very rare person, but most would hate owning one.

There seem to be a number of misconceptions which have been introduced into this conversation, and which it would be better to clarify quickly.

First, concerning wolves, there is only one reason why a wolf has ever attacked a man, and that is rabies. There has never been a documented attack of a non-rabid wolf on man. Not a single one. (ref: The Wolf, The Ecology and Behaviour of an Endangered Species, by L. David Mech). Wolves are not innately aggressive (if they were they could not maintain their intricate pack structure) and hunting certainly does not make them more aggressive, if anything it shows how cautious they are. (they in fact go to great pains to ensure that they only attack weak animals, for instance wolves only attack roughly 10-12% of the elk which are actually within striking distance during the hunt)

Now about the CSW…

First the CSW is to a wolf-dog cross (which you refer to as hybrids) approximately the same as what a wolf is to a mongrel. In both cases we are talking about the same species (Canis lupus) While the character and physiology of the wolf and his behaviour are set within certain known boundaries those of the mongrel are not – as the effect of the crossed genes cannot be accurately predicted. It is the same for the CSW and the wolf-dog cross, the only difference seems to be that everyone can intuitively grasp that a wolf is not a mongrel, for some reason the fact that the CSW is not a wolf-cross (or hybrid) seems to escape the understanding of many, even some who should really know better.

A final note about why breeding in the US is not happening and will probably not happen for some time. First there is the fact that breeding dogs need to meet certain particular requirements. Not every dog is suitable for breeding. For instance in the countries of origin (Slovakia, Czech Republic) where the criteria for breeding are probably a bit on the strict side (again for a good reason – to maintain the race as a viable race of working dogs) only 10-20% of dogs are actually apt for breeding. Add to that the fact that in order to have a viable population of any animal it is required that you have some 30 breeding couples, (this number varies from animal to animal, but it is roughly the number below which the genetic diversity of large mammals is considered to drop below the level from which they may not be able to recover). The end result of that is that if you wanted to seriously breed wolfdogs in the US you would need to have some 30 breeding couples, and assuming that you carefully selected your dogs, lets say that 50% would be viable for breeding… so you would need to import a sum total of 120 dogs, not 2. (there are ways around this, which include breeding with dogs outside the US, either by travelling there or by the wonders of artificial insemination, though I do not know of a single breeder who has even considered this very costly procedure).

Finally about the CSW: One things which no one has mentioned so far is the fact that you really need to know what you are doing before you can take care of one of these animals, while they do have some admirable traits they are difficult to handle, to say the least. Don’t be fooled by the fact that they are independent, they require an awful amount of attention, or else they will not respect you and you will lose control of your CSW, which can have some unpredictable consequences (though aggressive behaviour towards humans, while possible is relatively rare, aggressive behaviour towards other animals, dogs in particular, is a different story). Because of their particular character many of the techniques which work to educate and socialise most breeds give at best only mixed results with CSW.

Since the only dogs I have ever been into prolonged contact are our CSW (please note: I married into the CSW world, my wife is the one who knows about them and taught me how to live and handle them, for which incidentally I am eternally grateful) I have had never been really able to compare the characters of CSWs to those of other dogs. However, this summer our whole family seemed to be adopted by a friendly German Shepherd. The difference in behaviour between him and our dogs was evident. While at first it was difficult to win the trust and confidence of the German Shepherd, once he gave it to us it was never again put in doubt, the German shepherd followed us whenever we called and was always friendly and welcoming. The CSW on the other hand put you to the test every day, often many times a day, to make sure that you are worthy of leading their pack. Should you fail to pass those tests even once, it can take weeks if not months of hard work to rebuild their confidence in you.

I trust that all this has given you some useful insight into the CSW.

Hi Dharkwolf, I must put into detail one of your good remarks and make a slihgt adjustment to the other.

First - the attack of wolf on man - maybe not all would understand why a wolf would not attack a man as a prey. It is very simple. It is widely known thet wolves prey on diverse group of species. What is mostly not appreciated (and what is stated in the book cited by you), is that only whole species is this general, in fact single subpopulations only prey on one or two bigger species, which they specialize on. For example it can be moose and/or deer in US, it is wild boar predominantly in central europe, with red deer in second and roe deer which is plenty is almost not preyed on by wolf. To prey on species requires knowlidge of that species, therefore wolves would change their favourite prey only in need. Therefore wolf sees man as not its prey and indeed a very dangerous oponent and try to avoid him. Even this winter there was a man in Slovakia who got lost in mountains in winter, met a pack of wolves and though he was afraid and very week the wolves did not attack him, to his utmost surprise.

Second - the percentage of animals suitable for breeding in Slovakia and Czech Republic is biased by the fact, that not all animals which are born are tested. Only animals which pass the bonitation, 40 km run (in Slovakia) and 2 dog shows may be used in breeding. Most of animals which are tried pass the tests, but some of them are never used for breeding, and a large grup of animals is never shown or tested not because they would not pass, but because their owners are not interested. So probability of your dog passing the test is higher that would seem from the numbers of whole population / dogs approved for breeding.