NYT: Wolf Puppies Are Adorable. Then Comes the Call of the Wild.

[inanna]

By JAMES GORMAN
OCT. 13, 2017

No matter how you raise a wolf, you can’t turn it into a dog. To find out why, scientists have to spend a lot of time cuddling and testing puppies.

NICOLET, Quebec — I’m sitting in an outdoor pen with four puppies chewing my fingers, biting my hat and hair, peeing all over me in their excitement.

At eight weeks old, they are two feet from nose to tail and must weigh seven or eight pounds. They growl and snap over possession of a much-chewed piece of deer skin. They lick my face like I’m a long-lost friend, or a newfound toy. They are just like dogs, but not quite. They are wolves.

When they are full-grown at around 100 pounds, their jaws will be strong enough to crack moose bones. But because these wolves have been around humans since they were blind, deaf and unable to stand, they will still allow people to be near them, to do veterinary exams, to scratch them behind the ears — if all goes well.

Yet even the humans who raised them must take precautions. If one of the people who has bottle-fed and mothered the wolves practically since birth is injured or feels sick, she won’t enter their pen to prevent a predatory reaction. No one will run to make one of these wolves chase him for fun. No one will pretend to chase the wolf. Every experienced wolf caretaker will stay alert. Because if there’s one thing all wolf and dog specialists I’ve talked to over the years agree on, it is this: No matter how you raise a wolf, you can’t turn it into a dog.

...

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/13/science/wolves-dogs-genetics.html

Fascinating article!

[Not Ruth]

1. Alternatively, read White Fang.

[MelissaB]

2. I see them (1/2 wolf dogs) for sale here in KY all of the time.

I just don't understand why they are breeding them.

[Duppers]

4. This is horrible.

But of course Kentucky doesn't regulate much of anything.

[mopinko]

3. people who create wolf hybrids

should be hanged.

[hunter]

5. I feel that way about most dog breeders.

We have three fad-breed dogs, sold as puppies by irresponsible breeders to people who couldn't handle the adult dogs. That's how they ended up in the animal shelter before we adopted them.

Our husky had been kept chained outside 24/7 with little or no attention for years.

He'd worn down his teeth chewing on the chain. The psychological scars were worse than the damaged teeth. He's a big teddy bear now who comes in and out of the house as he pleases, likes to hang out with me as I work, but it took a large effort from my wife and me and our family dogs to teach him how to be an ordinary dog.

Huskies are cool but they are difficult dogs; very curious and getting into everything, intolerant of boredom to the point they make their own excitement by destroying things, escape artists (we had to fortify our backyard fences at no small expense), and they dig huge craters. They think typical dog tricks like shaking hands are stupid. They howl at police, fire, and ambulance sirens. And they shed enormous amounts of hair, quickly rendering vacuum cleaners useless. Half the lint in our dryer is husky hair.

People who breed the "macho" dogs, wolf hybrids, mean pit bulls, aggressive Rottweilers, etc., can go to hell.

Our animal shelters are also full of tiny dogs who were sold as fashion accessories. These irresponsible breeders are not the danger to humans and other animals as the macho dog breeders are, but they are still responsible for a lot of animal suffering.

[mopinko]

6. the akc should be deemed a terrorist organization, afaic.

built in the first place to monetize a rich man's hobby, or a rich man's serfs work.
it is corrupt to the core as far as i can tell. they absolutely fail to hold dogs to their standards. that is how you get bulldogs w noses pushed into their skulls, w elbows that are bowed to give the appearance of a deeper chest, and german shepherds that cant stand up straight.
and they dont give 2 shits about proper temperaments. the dogs can bite a judge and still get a good score.

and how the hell did it come to past that most big dogs these days have shitty hips?

those litter registrations should not be a license to make money. you shouldnt be able to pass that registration down unless your dog has been judged (preferably fairly, but...) to meet the standards of the breed.
and those standards should include an ofa score. (orthopedic foundation for animals)

[hunter]

7. Yep.

In a rational world these "champion" dogs would be first in line for the spay and neuter clinics. They are messed up.

I can't comprehend why anyone is breeding dogs when the animal shelters are full of them, any kind of dog one would like, goofy big family dogs, gentle companion dogs, lap dogs, alarm dogs, hunting dogs, shepherd dogs...

It seems to me one's odds of finding a great dog at the shelter are higher than buying some inbred dog with a pedigree.

The odds of getting a bad dog from a breeder, a dog with a bad temperament or major health issues, seems high.