Wolfdog Ownership: Stories & Support
This page is dedicated to sharing our stories of wolfdog ownership. The good, the bad, the wins and the daily battles. Here you will find information from myself and other owners about what it truly takes to own a wolfdog.
If you’re a wolfdog owner and have a story to share, please reach out to us!
This is the first video of a series of interviews with different wolfdog owners. We dive into some of the unique aspects of living with wolfdogs and share some of our different principles and philosophies of wolfdog owners.
In this first interview, I sit down with Angie Birch. Angie was a volunteer and then employee at Yamnuska Wolfdog Sanctuary for 6 years and also adopted Rocky, a senior low content wolfdog that she fell in love with.
Wolfdogs are captivating and unique animals that possess a mix of domestic dog and wild wolf characteristics. Their natural instincts and behaviours can present challenges when it comes to managing resource guarding. Resource guarding occurs when an animal perceives a particular item or space as valuable and reacts defensively to protect it. In this article, I will explore effective strategies to address and manage resource guarding behaviours in wolfdogs promoting a harmonious coexistence between humans and these fascinating creatures.
Wolfdog misrepresentation is an essential topic when it comes to wolfdog education, and it has major implications for wolfdog ownership.
In this article, we will discuss some critical aspects of wolfdog misrepresentation that one should know before obtaining a wolfdog.
I had the pleasure of connecting with Moira Schein, the owner of 2 wolfdogs (Faelen and Maeve) and the social media account Running with Wolfdogs. Faelen is an upper mid content wolfdog, and Maeve is a high content wolfdog. Moira is a private wolfdog owner who has done an amazing job caring for her 2 wolfdogs. Her life revolves around caring for her wolfdogs and sharing her passion and knowledge of wolfdogs. She is an incredible young woman who has some very valuable insights to share.
In this article, you will find our full interview together, as well as a video segment of our chat together.
Wolfdogs are captivating and unique animals that possess a mix of domestic dog and wild wolf characteristics. Their natural instincts and behaviours can present challenges when it comes to managing resource guarding. Resource guarding occurs when an animal perceives a particular item or space as valuable and reacts defensively to protect it. In this article, I will explore effective strategies to address and manage resource guarding behaviours in wolfdogs promoting a harmonious coexistence between humans and these fascinating creatures.
Creating pairings and packs of wolfdogs requires a lot of foresight, thought and matchmaking skills. In this article, I share some of the keys factors we must take into consideration when creating packs and pairings of wolfdogs.
Seasonal Aggression in wolfdogs is a seasonal change in behaviour that usually occurs during the colder winter months. It is caused by a shift in hormones which ultimately can alter the behaviours displayed in that animal. In order to properly manage this change in behaviour there are some key things that we must know.
Resource Guarding is a behaviour you should expect when owning a wolfdog. You might be one of the lucky ones and have a wolfdog that isn’t picky over resources, but if you own or are planning on owning a wolfdog with any significant amount of wolf content, expect to have to manage this behaviour. Note, I say MANAGE this behaviour. This is not something you are ever likely to ‘train’ out of your wolfdog. It becomes about building trust and boundaries with your wolfdog in order to live with this very interesting instinctual behaviour.
Veterinary care for wolfdogs can be a tricky thing depending on your wolfdog. Depending on how comfortable your wolfdog is with new people, new places, and strange things happening will largely dictate how simple or complicated veterinary care can be. We have some wolfdogs where veterinary care looks pretty similar to that of a domestic dog, while there are others that look more like dealing with wildlife.
One of the biggest challenges I hear about and experience myself on a daily basis is fearfulness. Their instinctual timidness of new people and new places can be one of the hardest things to manage and one of the hardest things to overcome.
Wolfdogs require a specialized diet in order to remain happy and healthy! Compared to your average dog, wolfdogs can have some uniquely different dietary needs.
If there is one thing I preach over and over again it is proper containment. Without proper containment you WILL fail at wolfdog ownership.
Living with wolfdogs indoors will require a lot of dedication and your success is dependent on a few important factors.
The single most important thing that you can do as a long term caregiver to a wolfdog is build a relationship based on trust and respect.
Wolfdog socialization essentially aims at reprogramming their thinking and teaching them the things they NEED to know to live amongst us humans.
Wolf content is the biggest determining factor of what type of behaviour you can expect. Here is a deep dive into how wolf content affects behaviour and why it matters so much!
Check out this YouTube video from our Wolfdog Ownership Series! I sit down with Moira from Running With Wolfdogs to explore her experience living with her wolfdogs, Faelen and Maeve, and the challenges and victories she's faced while caring for her animals.