Do Wolfdogs Make Good Pets?
The question is older than the United States, going back to ancient indigenous cultures all over the world. Do wolfdogs make good pets? The answer is not a simple yes or no, but an ambiguous and highly individual maybe. Before we can attempt to answer this question, we must first ask other questions. Do Beagles make good pets? Maybe, if you don’t mind a loud, honking dog that chases other animals and urinates on the floor when they’re happy. Do Golden Retrievers make good pets? Maybe, if you have no objection to the shrieking squalls of separation anxiety, excessive barking, jumping up and a predisposition toward cancer. What about Pit Bulls, German Shepherds or Belgian Malinois? Do they make good pets? Then there is the Chihuahua, who has the highest bite rate of all dogs, do they make good pets? You might be seeing now that there is no one size fits all answer for any pet. Successful pet stewardship always starts with great research and choosing a pet that is an excellent match for you, your family and your lifestyle. The next step, after exhaustive research, is choosing a breeder who will provide your family with a healthy, not inbred pet that comes from lines with great temperaments. People who have had the misfortune of purchasing a severely inbred pet can tell you that a poodle can be more difficult, and even more dangerous, than a wolfdog.
There is a vast network of Americans, and people all over the world, who do believe that wolfdogs make excellent pets: they are living harmonious and exuberant lives with their wolfdog companions, sleeping with wolfdogs in their bed, taking wolfdogs out on the trail and day trips to the beach. The important thing to keep in mind is that wolfdogs are not suitable to be just a “backyard dog” thrown out in the yard and mostly ignored except a pat on the head when the owner throws food into their dirty bowl. This is not a life for any dog, and there are many breeds of dog that can become problematic from this type of neglect and isolation. Like so many other dogs, wolfdogs that are raised as backyard dogs have a tendency to become destructive. They will dig up your yard, destroy the siding on your house, chew up the patio furniture and find a determination to escape from this very unfulfilling and grim existence. German Shepherds, Siberian Huskies and,dare I say, even humans would do anything in their power to escape this solitary confinement and our wolfdogs are no different in that regard. Wolfdogs are pack animals and they desperately need companionship, to feel like part of the family, to be welcomed into the home and provided proper leadership and training to help them succeed. Properly raising a wolfdog is a commitment to patience, supervision, preparedness and consistency. If you don’t want your shoes chewed up, put them in the closet. Thinking ahead of what mischief your puppy might make, and taking prior action to prevent that mischief, is part of preparedness. IF you have the right dedication to socialization, bonding, training and an enclosure to keep your wolfdog safe, then the answer is a resounding yes, wolfdogs do make good pets.
We’ve interviewed wolfdog owners from every content range and experience level to help us decide if wolfdogs make good pets. These are real people , with real wolfdogs and experience.
Kelly, First time wolfdog owner, Oklahoma, 6 years experience, low content “I’ve had lots of dogs in my lifetime but never any that bonded like this. This bond is so powerful, she’s not really a dog that lays at my feet but she is always at my side no matter what. It’s not a slavish loyalty, more like a “if you’re going to hell I’m going with you” kind of loyalty. My biggest challenge as first time wolfdog owner was socialization. That was a huge commitment and took a lot of my time. After work I didn’t always feel like loading up my puppy and going out in public but my breeder really, strongly emphasized that early socialization would be a make or break. It was a rough year but we got through it and my girl is just as friendly as any other dog. Yes, I definitely think low contents make good pets.”
Sam, First time wolfdog owner, Virginia, 4 years experience, low content “Yes, she’s a great pet. She is so smart and she can learn like anything quickly, too smart for her own good sometimes. She’s a good girl, no problem behavior at all. My biggest challenge was when she was a puppy, I didn’t know what mouthing was, I thought my puppy was trying to bite me and I was using the wrong training method to try to stop the biting. Of course that didn’t work because it was the wrong method for the wrong behavior. I think she was 8 or 9 months old when I called the breeder to talk about my frustration with the biting. That’s when I found out what mouthing is, it was a ding ding moment. She gave me a better training strategy for mouthing and that worked like a charm.”
Melissa, 8 years wolfdog experience, Texas, low and mid content “My favorite thing would be the strong bond, a wolfdogs companionship must be earned through bonding which can be extremely rewarding. If I had to put a negative on them it would be agoraphobia. Even really low contents are born more prone to being fearful of new experiences and environments. It can be frustrating when they are perfect citizens at home, but it leaves the owner scratching their head when they go in public and the animals flight reaction is activated and they want to run away.”
Jim, 15 years experience, Kansas, high content “The most difficult part of high content wolfdogs is containment and care. You must be committed to the entire life of a ( high content) wolfdog or don’t get one. Hell yes, they make good pets, but only if you’ve got the knowledge and commitment to care for them right.” (Note from author- it is the general consensus among wolfdog owners that High Content wolfdogs are not suitable for a first time wolfdog owner. Most high content wolfdog breeders will not sell to a person who cannot prove prior wolfdog experience and present proof of a proper, escape proof enclosure.)
James, wolfdog Grandpa, no ownership experience, Arizona, low and mid content “Our daughter is a military vet with PTSD, she struggled with suicidal ideation for years. When she brought home that first wolfdog, I don’t know, I guess we were concerned, me and my wife thought , well maybe, this is how she intends to commit suicide. Yeah we were afraid. It was a sweet little thing but we was expecting the dog to grow, you know, into a giant beast or something but he didn’t. He’s still just a goofy ole boy. He cured her of those thoughts. I don’t know how to explain it, my daughter, she is just whole again and I know it’s because of Patton, that’s the wolfdog. And then she brought home MacArthur, oh my god, she’s even bigger and more wolf. But them wolfdogs has been good to her. Yes, they are real good pets.”
Ted and Sally, wolfdog neighbors, no ownership experience, Tennessee, low and mid content “We didn’t see the wolfdogs outside when we bought the place. It was moving day when we first saw them and heard them howling. I said “what have we gotten ourselves into, Sally?” We got online to find out about these wolfdogs and the stuff we read online left us feeling pretty uncomfortable living next door to them, but we’ve never had an issue in all these years now. They seem like just dogs to me. We pet them every time we visit with the neighbor, our grandkids play with them, too. They do look kind of scary,I can admit that, but once you get to know them they’re actually very nice dogs.The only time I know of that any of the wolfdogs has ever escaped was when she was evacuating during Hurricane Helene, one of them got away from her during evacuations but nothing bad happened. He just came running over to me and I walked him back to his owner. I do think they make good pets.They’re too energetic for my liking but I don’t see anything wrong with them once you get over the initial shock of it.”
As you can see, the answer to the age old question “do wolfdogs make good pets?” is as unique and individual as each person who attempts to answer it. While members of the public, who have no experience with wolfdogs, may have opinions as well there is simply no greater knowledge than the information coming from those who live with wolfdogs every day.