Cooper the wolfdog plays with deer

This is Cooper, a three year old, 1/2 yellow lab, 1/16 malamute, 7/16 wolf hybrid. He's been a handful since a pup, but he is incredibly intelligent and fun. Very "pack" oriented dog, and he loves his family. But, as you can see, he is a bit defensive of his deer!

Seriously though, people have been asking me about wolfdogs quite a bit. I DO NOT advise getting one. Although Coops is great, he took LOTS of hard work, love, attention, training etc...to get that way. Many people intentionally get wolfdogs for the "oohh..cool" or "oohh...scary" factor. Read before you do this. Unless you have lots of time and energy, your wolfdog will become a behavior problem. They are not guard dogs; they are not tough (get a rotty if you want that); they can be skittish and scared of strange things; they can be inexplicably needy or really aloof and moody.

You will have to learn body language, facial expressions, and what to do with your eyes. They truly are like, yet not like, any dog you've known...and they certainly are not wolves.

Oh, and never provoke a wolfdog...like I intentionally did. But of course, that is part of the pack...knowing how to communicate and observe boundaries.

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• wolfdog
• hybrid
• deer
• hunting
• pets
• meat
• growl
• teeth
• wolf
• carcass
• cooper
• bunny
• cute
• snow
• winter
• vegan
• dog
• wild
• puppy
• owner
• malamute
• lab

[TheShoui]

So if you gave it too him directly would he still be defensive when you approached ?.

[tekmet]

@TheShoui Yes. This has been proven when I give him raw bones. However, I am able to (basically) force him down and get him away. I have some vids of this too, but cannot find the (old school) tapes. He will attempt to dominate anyone (or dog) that has food...and the additional motive behind this is the fact that we cut his diet in half due to the fact that he blew his ACL tendon and gets about half as much exercise. I can still take food/prey/toys away from him whenever...

[gary83uk]

The difference in behaviour between dogs and wolf-dog hybrids is so overstated, the majority of wolf-dog hybrid owners give too much respect to the instinctual behaviour in hybrids and as a result they tend to hang around, the same instincts are just as present in dogs and is easily trained out in either species.

If your wolfdog challenges you when you try to take its food away then you have not discouraged that behaviour, it has nothing to do with his genetic makeup.

[tekmet]

@gary83uk Prove that statement. I'm not saying you're not correct in certain instances, but I would like to see your sources. You don't get to come here and comment with what may be pseudo-science and not get called out on it. I suggest reading Wilde and Sloan, as two experiential experts. As for Cooper, as has been stated before. There are some very wolf-like instincts that, no matter what I do, I cannot train out. But yes, most of his behavior is very dog-like and predictable.

[1NecroSpawn]

@abvplayer12 true my mid content was trained in advanced obedience and completely leash and off leash trained. I could hand feed him raw meat and bones without him snatching and i could take it back and he wouldnt care because he was taught to share his food and that i am not there to eat his food so he never cared for me touching it. This dog looks like a lab mixed with a Sweedsih elkhound because of the flopy ears and curly tail. Any dog can be food aggressive its not a wolf thing.

[Haruhikittty]

@1NecroSpawn yea just look at this vid as long as you know how to take care of a wolf dog and handle it they can be trained to be gentle. Type this in the search box on youtube to see wolf dogs being fed raw meat and someone playing with the food while they are eating.  Wolfdogs Eating.MOV

[abvplayer12]

Truth is that dog just doesn't respect u...it don't matter if he is part wolf or not bc all dogs fallow pack mentality and if he saw u as the pack. Leader than u should have been able to take any food substance from u and obviously u couldn't

[missvictoriabrock]

I have never seen a wolf/lab mix before so I don't know how they are supposed to look but he definitely has husky in him. I have a wolfdog that no doubt looks like a wolf. As far as the food aggression, my boy has it too but with patience you can use Cesar Millan's techniques to change the behavior. He's no longer aggressive, he just kinda pauses when eating but doesn't snarl or snap anymore. You should try to change the behavior because if you got bitten bad enough and had to go to a hospital,

[LupineTotem]

DOG DOG DOG. There is NO WOLF in that animal. You are blind, ignorant and stupid for raising him that way. He should NOT be food aggressive. Idiot.

[coopster1996]

my boxer is name cooper

[meldaghost]

If this dog had even a low contents wolf in it the tail would be straight..

[meldaghost]

@bintheredidthat ~ I agree with you.. this is a dog.. what is with people wanting wolfdogs so bad... this is like saying i have indian in me.. if he had a wolf believe he won't know what to do..

[meldaghost]

This is a dog... you can't train wolfdogs on command..

[hankvonribe]

if you want a hybrid get a Czechoslovakian Wolfdog i have heard that they great hybrids