Ivar the Real Wolfdog

Ivar is a male wolfdog living with his human in the Pacific Northwest. Born March 28th, 2016. Upper-mid content. It's not all just fun and games. Follow the journey as Ivar grows, showing people what it's like to raise a REAL wolfdog in the USA.

[ivar-the-real-wolfdog]

My 2 dogs are REAL saarlos wolfdogs, they look like clumsy wolves, but truly are like dogs. They don't escape or act aggressive, and are from a 100% certified breeder. I've kept them (and 1 alone) at home 2-3 times but they're mostly outside with me and I'm quite surprised you warn so much about wolfdogs when one of mine is just sitting here munching on his leg bc it accidentally bumped on the side of our tv stand. Maybe american wolfdogs are different from saarlos/Czechoslovakian wolfdogs?

Saarloos and Czech wolfdogs are recognized breeds of domestic dog with some far-reaching wolf ancestry - most are very high F-gen and aren’t considered “real” wolfdogs by American wolfdog standards, though some folks do call them low-contents, depending on who you ask. They are not the same as American wolfdogs at all. 

[naturepunk]

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Ivar still lets me use him as a pillow on hikes. He ADORES affection from me (and other people he trusts), often butting his head under my hand for pets, or leaning against my legs and then keeling over at my feet for belly rubs. When we’re chilling out for breaks on hikes, he lays down and lets me use him as a pillow, and if I move away from him, he’ll scoot himself closer again. On camping trips, when he sleeps in a tent with me, he rests his head on my chest and even if I roll over, he nudges himself into some absurd position to get as cuddly with me as possible. Despite this close bond, wolfdogs are not typically good pets for the majority of people, largely because they are so difficult to care for! You can learn more at www.packwestwolfdogs.com

[naturepunk]

Hi! I was wondering about the differences in owning a low content like Jude vs a high content like ivar. Thanks and have a great week! :)

This is a great question! The main difference between low-content wolfdogs and higher-content wolfdogs is usually the intensity of their behavior. All wolfdogs are prone to certain behaviors that make them difficult to work with. The way those behaviors manifest in different contents is fascinating: LCs might exhibit skittishness around new people and places, whereas a HC would exhibit full-fledged neophobia. LCs may be described as “mouthy” but a HC might be better described as “unrelenting” in their exuberance for nipping and grabbing clothes in what they think is a fun and playful gesture. Low-content animals like Jude have a much greater threshold for putting up with certain stressors, as well; whereas higher-content animals have a much lower threshold. As an example, I can bring Jude with me to crowded farmer’s markets, and if he starts to feel overwhelmed, we can take a break for a bit, then continue on without issue. If a HC wolfdog starts to feel overwhelmed around new people, taking a break isn’t usually enough to make a difference. They’re done for the day - no exceptions. Pushing that threshold with a HC is prettymuch a guaranteed way to make it increasingly uncomfortable and unwilling to socialize in the future. It’s also interesting to note that lower-content wolfdogs seek out human approval much more than higher-content ones, which is one reason they are easier to train. This is likely because dogs have been selectively bred (whether with intent or by happy accident; the debate still rages) to look to humans to help them solve problems, whereas wolves almost exclusively rely on themselves and their fellow pack members. Because of this, animals with more wolf in them are very self-motivated and aren’t eager to please humans, even if a person has raised the wolfdog from a young age. On the topic of young age, another important difference between lower-content animals and higher-content ones is their critical socialization period! Dogs experience their socialization period as 8-week-old puppies, but wolfdogs begin their socialization much earlier, often starting at 4 to 6 weeks! As a result, HC wolfdogs who have missed their early socialization window aren’t likely to feel comfortable around new people and places, and may even become so neophobic that they’re unable to bond with humans at all. That isn’t usually the case with domestic dogs, who can be desensitized to foreign experiences with careful training. I’ve known folks who’ve rescued wolfdogs that have experienced bad or isolated upbringings; many of these animals haven’t come any closer than a few feet from their rescuers even after YEARS of constant positive reinforcement and a “baby steps” approach to training. Hope this helps! 

[ivar-the-real-wolfdog]

Want more photos and videos of Ivar? Follow us on Patreon for as little as $1.00 per month for access to exclusive content, cool prizes, and photography prints sent out on a monthly basis! https://www.patreon.com/Ivartherealwolfdog

[ivar-the-real-wolfdog]

Critter Update!

Ivar was neutered on the 1st. I’m happy to report that everything went well! Our vets even spent the first half-hour of our visit working to build up Ivar’s trust so they could handle him. It was great to see someone taking that kind of time with such a shy animal. By the time we went to pick him up, Ivar was quite animated; if not for the sutures and shaved groin, you likely wouldn’t have known that he’d been under the knife for surgery less just moments beforehand! He’s such a trooper.  Back home, we set him up in a 6′X4′ dog run inside the shop, reinforced with cattle panels so he couldn’t escape. After hours of trying nevertheless, he finally settled down and chewed on some frozen rabbit ears I’d saved for him. Even now, after so many years of working with woofers, it’s kind of surreal to see an animal as big and wild-looking as Ivar locked into a tiny recovery cage in my workshop. He was in there until yesterday, at which point, it became very apparent from his agitated behavior that he wanted to be back in the main enclosure. Since he hadn’t even so much as sniffed his sutures since arriving home from the vet, we decided to give it a go, but removed Jude from the enclosure so that Ivar wouldn’t tear a stitch while roughhousing with him.  Jude is sleeping at my feet in the living room now (he’s a good indoor woofer, being only low-content), and seems to think that he’s king of the house now. Blackjack is unimpressed. Cabal, who freely roams within our fenced half-acre property, is bummed that Jude gets to come indoors while he’s left outside. But unfortunately, a mountain lion has been spotted on our road several times in the last few weeks, and Cabal is our best defense against the uncharacteristically bold predator.  In other news, Jude seems to have developed a growth of some kind on his eyelid, so I’ll be making an appointment to have that looked at as soon as I pay this month’s bills. I’ve revamped my Patreon to reflect my focus on the animals during the move, so if you’d like to help out, that’s a great way to do so!  I’ll post more updates on Ivar as times goes on!

[wolveswolves]

Wolves understand cause and effect better than dogs

September 15, 2017 - Domestic dogs may have lost some of their innate animal skill when they came in from the wild, according to new research conducted at the Wolf Science Center in Austria.                                 

In a study comparing wolves and dogs living in near-identical environments, wolves were better at working some things out, particularly at grasping the notion of cause and effect.

The research, by an international team in Austria, the Netherlands, Germany and England, is published in Scientific Reports.

Recently graduated lead author Michelle Lampe, of the Radboud University, in the Netherlands, said: “Children learn the principle of cause and effect early on, that if you touch a hot stove you will get burned, for example. Our study has shown the wolf also understands such connections, but our four-legged domesticated companions don’t.”

“It seems wolves are better at working some things out than dogs, which suggests domestication has changed dogs’ cognitive abilities.”

“It can’t be ruled out that the differences could be due to wolves being more persistent in exploring than dogs. Dogs are conditioned to receive food from us, whereas wolves have to find food themselves in nature.”

Michelle Lampe, Dr Zsófia Virányi, of the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna, Dr Juliane Bräuer, of the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Germany, and Dr Juliane Kaminski, of the University of Portsmouth, UK, investigated the reasoning abilities of 14 dogs and 12 human-socialised wolves.

The tests included the animals having to choose between two objects, one containing hidden food and the other empty to see whether the animals could make use of communicative cues, such as direct eye-contact and pointing gestures to choose the correct container.

Both dogs and wolves were able to follow communicative cues to find hidden food. However, in the absence of a human to show them where the food was, only the wolves were able to make causal inferences.

Dr Kaminski said: “In this experiment, the wolves showed a high understanding of cause and effect, which the dogs lacked.

“The wolves’ use of cues connected to eye-contact was particularly interesting because it may help science better understand the process by which wild animals became our four-legged companions.”

Dr Bräuer said: “The wolves’ ability to understand human communicative cues after being socialised with humans, may have made it possible to become domesticated.”

The authors say the results are compelling because in addition to comparing dogs and wolves living under identical conditions, with the same history and training regime, they also compared dogs living in packs to pets living with their human families.

Fourth author, Dr Virányi, said: “We were able to tease apart the influence of domestication from raising and living conditions. Few studies have achieved such strong, clear comparisons, though we must caution, too, that the wolves we studied are used to humans, which needs to be taken into account.”

Source

[ivar-the-real-wolfdog]

Enormous muddy wolfboy says hello to small motorcycle friend. 

[ivar-the-real-wolfdog]

Would a wolfdog like biking or bikejoring at all as an activity?

I think that lower-content animals may enjoy it, but for higher-content ones, it may be a challenge, largely because higher-content animals are more skittish and prone to neophobia. If one spotted something New and Scary, they’d likely try to bolt, and that wouldn’t end well for anyone. 

[ivar-the-real-wolfdog]

Ivar stands as tall as the TOP of my truck. That’s....a big woofer. 

[ivar-the-real-wolfdog]

Hello, Pack! We'd love to take an opportunity to remind folks that wolfdogs are not ideal pets for the majority of people, and that raising them takes an incredible amount of effort and dedication. The more wolf, the more work!

Those who live with wolfdogs know that the number one asset to responsible ownership is suitable containment. These animals aren't good indoor companions thanks to a penchant for destruction that they cannot simply be "trained out of"; they also don't take well to being crated for extended periods of time due to their high energy levels, and a typical chain link or wood privacy fence will not hold most wolfdogs in your yard safely. In fact, they are escape artists by nature, and will require 6 - 8 foot tall enclosures made from welded steel cattle panel, exotic game field fencing, or extra heavy-duty chain link. Most mid+ content animals will also require dig guards to prevent tunneling out, and lean-ins to prevent them from climbing over!

Wolfdogs are also quite skittish, especially around new stimuli that they haven't experienced before. Failure to properly socialize a wolfdog may result in an animal that lives in constant fear of everything unfamiliar - and that's no exaggeration! Socialization is the process of properly exposing them to an array of different people and places while they're young, and encouraging positive interactions during this time to ensure that they aren't nervous of afraid of such things later on in their lives. Once a wolfdog decided that they're afraid of something, it can be nearly impossibly to change their opinion.

These animals also tend to fair poorly on most kibble intended for domestic dogs. Some can subsist on high-quality grain-free formulas, but these are often incredibly expensive foods found only in specialty pet stores. We typically recommended feeding wolfdogs on a prey model raw diet instead, offering our own animals between 2 - 5 pounds of raw meat and bone per day. You can learn more about this diet here: http://perfectlyrawsome.com/dogs/prey-model-raw-diet/

Vets can be difficult to find when it comes to wolfdogs. There are many concerns over liability when working with canines that are, in some states, considered "exotic animals"; as a result, not all vets are willing to treat wolfdogs, and some owners have to travel long distances to find a vet who's knowledgeable enough to properly handle them. These animals can be shy around new people, and if a vet does not show them proper patience and care, the wolfdog may feel threatened, resulting in either a bite, or making subsequent visits for medical treatment increasingly difficult.

Contrary to popular belief, wolfdogs do not adhere well to the alpha-based methods of dog training so often popularized by the media. Their fragile nature means that using intimidation or force during will only sew distrust, resulting in an animal that is unwilling to listen, and which may eventually resort to aggression in an act of what it views as self-defense. Instead, responsible owners train their wolfdogs with positive reinforcement, and manage undesirable behaviors with prevention and redirection. You can learn more about training wolfdogs here: http://www.packwestwolfdogrescue.org/training.html

Lastly, as mentioned in our graphic, wolfdogs are a lifestyle; not just a pretty pet. Many people who own wolfdogs have changed the very foundations of their lives to accommodate their animals; forgoing vacations, rearranging their employment situations to work from home, and even taking time off work altogether, specifically to spend more time with the wolfdogs they care for when the animals become sick, inured, or during critical socialization periods in their animal's lives.

Wolfdogs are a lot of work - much more work than most people assume - and Pack West believes in honest education instead of biased fear tactics to dissuade people who aren't ready for it from getting a wolfdog.

Those who find that they are willing and able to do what it takes to properly care for a wolfdog should consider volunteering their time at a local rescue or sanctuary first, to gain further hands-on experience before taking the next step. Be aware, be prepared, and never be afraid to ask questions! Education is the key to understanding. For more info, visitwww.packwestwolfdogrescue.org, and consider making a contribution to our cause!

[ivar-the-real-wolfdog]

would it hurt to buy a "wolfdog" (aka a dog that the breeder says is '50% wolf' when it's not) just to get a wolf-looking dog? I don't approve of purebreds, but I really want a wolfy looking mix... there isn't really a high chance that the dog is actually a wolfdog, is there?

No, it’s probably not a wolfdog. But don’t get it anyway. If you do, you’ll be supporting a misrepping breeder, and could just as easily find a wolfy-looking dog at a shelter. Frankly, while I do suggest rescue first in most cases, there’s actually nothing wrong with buying purebred animals from an ethical, responsible breeder. I can assure you that anyone selling mixed-breed husky mutts as “50% wolf” on a first-come first-serve basis is doing far more harm than a breeder with pure huskies who will make you fill out an ownership application, will want to see proof of experience and containment, and who offers health testing, hip/joint certification, and a lifetime take-back contract. But because it’s pertinent, check out the Don’t Get Scammed article from Pack West Wolfdog Rescue anyway. Hope this helps! 

[ivar-the-real-wolfdog]

More dog park footage of Ivar! 

[ivar-the-real-wolfdog]

How does the public generally respond to Ivar when you take him to public places like the pet store or the dog park? Do you ever deal with people that are really anti wolf dog, or on the flip side, people that meet him and decide they want a wolf dog too?

More often than not, people we encounter fall into the latter category of being awed by Ivar and expressing an interest in having a wolfdog just like him. I usually give a polite list of reasons why they’re not good pets, starting with their containment requirements, moving on to their dietary needs, and delving into their neophobia, destructive tendencies, etc. Most conversations end on a good note, with people being wholeheartedly dissuaded from wolfdog ownership, but I still direct folks to Pack West’s “Proper Care” pages anyway after giving them one of our business cards. Even at the farm supply stores, where the majority of the clientele are local farmers, we haven’t encountered issues with people being anti-wolfdog in any outspoken manner. But we did meet a woman at the dog park yesterday who looked at us with genuine horror when I told her that Ivar eats raw meat. She asked, “Oh my goodness, doesn’t that give them like...a taste for blood? I heard that dogs have to be put down if they eat raw meat!” I couldn’t help but laugh, and thankfully, another dog-owner standing nearby joined the conversation to share that her aunt’s Cairn terrier was allergic to every diet they put him on - even the “prescription” stuff - until they finally transitioned to raw. They discussed the benefits and challenges of raw feeding while I quietly walked away to engage with Ivar, still kind of reeling over the idea that it’s 2017, and people at dog parks, who literally own dogs, still hold that kind of misconception about raw feeding. 

[ivar-the-real-wolfdog]

Happy birthday Ivar!! It's also my birthday, and I hope his was as good as mine!!

Happy birthday! Here’s a photo of Ivar sampling grass for the first time, and expressing his uncertainty about his life choices. 

[ivar-the-real-wolfdog]

""He apparently think kids are human puppies" well he's not entirely wrong XD

Man, Ivar is so weird when it comes to picking and choosing who he does and doesn’t want to engage with. We socialized him a lot as a pup, but he still isn’t keen on having random strangers approach him - unless they’re kids, and even then, it’s only if their parents are standing a reasonable distance away. Sometimes people bring their kids to the dog park, and each time, Ivar surprises me in how he doesn’t seem concerned by them, even if they’re running around and making a lot of noise in his proximity. I mean, if I were a wolfdog, I’d probably be more afraid of the screaming child running my way than I would be of the woman standing quietly nearby - but, Ivar is a strange noodle, so who knows what his logic might be! 

[ivar-the-real-wolfdog]

@trapperweasel said: That’s really neat! Especially how you mention how wolfdogs compare socially in a group. I did take the time to mention “well-socialized” in the video because I have known wolfdogs (almost all of them female) who hold a grudge like you wouldn’t believe. Tsura (Ivar’s aunt) is a prime example: When she first met Jude, Jude decided that his best flirting strategy would be to slap Tsura on the nose, and she’s despised him ever since! It’s been about three years now and she still won’t let him forget it. That is one reason I decided to get a male pup despite having a male-dominated “pack” already. Females of this breed type can be incredibly weird when it comes to group socializing, and can be prone to same-sex aggression. 

[ivar-the-real-wolfdog]

@hopsjollyhigh said: I was just joking with my coworkers the other day about how nobody ever has or will buy a jolly egg because they just sit and gather dust on our shelves. You are the first, haha.  Honestly, we got it because the other hard plastic ones were out of stock, but I’m glad that we went with the egg because it’s just big enough that Ivar can’t close his mouth around it, and whenever he tries, he just ends up rolling it away. It’s funny to watch how he tries to pin it down with his chest, or scoop it closer with his paws, all to no avail. And the irregular shape makes it even more engaging, since it doesn’t roll in a straight line. We’ll see how long it lasts, though, as I’m sure he’ll come up with some genius way to destroy it eventually...