thatwolfdoggirl:

yourdogisnotawolf:

No copyright infringement intended! The following pictures are being used for educational purposes only. Please contact me if there are any problems.

Below is some information about genotypes VS phenotypes, followed by the three major categories of wolfdog content, low-mid-high, and their characteristics.

Wolfdogs are referred to as low, mid, or high-content. There are also more specific terms such as a lower mid-content or upper mid-content meaning the animal falls closer to the lower or higher end of the mid-content spectrum.

Please keep in mind that you should never used percentages as a solid way of explaining how much wolf content an animal has because percentages are never truly accurate but rather an easier way of explaining the three main content categories.

Dealing with percentage can be a tricky and very inaccurate subject, especially when dealing with misrepresented animals (see picture below).  Percentage alone is not going to tell you how many wolf/dog genes were actually inherited into each individual animal.

For instance, from one littler you could have a pup that might physically, behaviorally, or biologically express a greater number of wolf-like characteristics than others, but might produce doggier looking and acting pups when bred back to another wolfdog. You could have another sibling from the same littler that is is more dog-like, but when bred back to another wolfdog could produce much wolfier looking and acting offspring.

However, that does not mean that the content of that individual animal is going to change because of the resulting offspring. This is where knowing the difference between a genotype and a phenotype comes in handy.

Pictured above: top left – a claimed 98%/pure with “documented” lineage, top right – a verified 87% F4(fourth generation) with actual documented lineage, bottom left – a mostly Siberian Husky and German Shepherd mix with a little Malamute, bottom right – a pure wolf.

In the above image, which of the top two animals has more wolf in it? Why is it important to know? It might be hard to believe but those two animals are siblings from the same litter. On paper, their genotype 74% wolf. This is the result of breeding a 50% higher first generation male wolfdog to a 98% lower first generation female wolfdog. While their % on paper is 74 (which is considered an upper mid content) not all of the pups will phenotype as upper mids due to the traits (or lack thereof) that were inherited and or expressed. That is why using percentages is a bad idea.

The same thing can happen in all content litters. Say, for example, someone wanted a low-content wolfdog and there was a litter between a low-content(20%) and a mid-content(45%). This litter should, theoretically, produce low-content pups(32%). Now, from just the image above, it’s clear that all the genes are not passed on equally between all the pups. Some pups from that litter may actually be solid mid-contents even though they are low on paper. This means that someone looking for a low-content wolfdog could then be comfortable buying one of these pups because, on paper, they are low. This leads to unprepared people bringing home higher content animals than intended and sometimes this leads to animals being abandoned or neglected.

This is why it’s so important to know how to phenotype, at least to some degree, or know someone who can if you are interested in adopting/rescuing a wolfdog.

Go into the situation with all the information available and don’t fall into something you’re not ready to handle!

      High-content Wolfdogs – These are going to be roughly 75-99% wolf.

High content wolfdogs should be nearly impossible to tell apart from actual wolves and yet they are the most misrepresented “class” of wolfdogs out there. A true high-content will display many, if not all of the behavioral, seasonal, and physical characteristics/traits of a pure wolf. This will be the most thorough list as there are countless things you look for in HCs.

A true high content will only breed breed one time a year(the males start becoming fertile from mid- late December to early March). Puppies are only born during the spring months (March-May). Even if a pure or high content male is around fertile females during off season, they will not be producing any viable sperm, meaning they will be shooting blanks until their real breeding season.

Before someone tells you that their wolfdogs are different because they were raised in captivity, just know that breeding cycles/fertility do not change just because a wolf/wolfdog was:

• born and raised in captivity
• raised in a home/family environment
• raised indoors as a pet
• is exposed to weather changes
• looses its pups during birthing
• is around different and intact males/females.

AN ANIMAL DOES NOT BIOLOGICALLY CHANGE JUST BECAUSE IT WAS RAISED INDOORS IN A “STRESS FREE” ENVIRONMENT.

High content puppies are pretty easy to spot as they look nearly identical to actual wolf pups:

They will always be born a dark solid color, such as brown, black or grey, with little to no white markings at all and change colors and phase out as they get older. They are born with black paw pads, noses and pigmentation (such as eye liner and lip liner). They are born with dark blue eyes (all high-content puppies are born with blue eyes) that will lighten to gold or yellow as they age.

High content wolfdogs with have a solid black nose, light colored eyes ranging from amber/gold to lemon yellow and pale yellow, with hints of pale green and grey.

They will have a proportionately thick and long muzzle with a smooth stop, large head with a pronounced cheek ruff. They will have solid black lip and eye liner pigmentation.

Their ears will be smaller to medium sized as well as fully erect, well-furred, and extremely thick ears. They are usually more rounded at the tips, rather than sharply pointed like GSDs, and they are set moderately high on the head.

High-contents have very narrow chests with front paws pointing more outwards. Their back legs will also be noticeably cow-hocked. (see top right pic in the image below of young pup for the best example of the cow-hocked stance) HC wolfdogs also have disproportionately long legs, with their back legs having a longer stifle area than most dogs.

HCs have disproportionately large, elongated paws, with well developed digits and thick, well curved nails. Two middle toes will be noticeably longer. Paw pads will be black. They have black, dark grey or for Arctics, taupe/tan/skin colored nails(top left pic in below image). All of the nails will be the same color.

These wolfdogs have very straight tails – even when in motion or displaying dominance. The tail is usually shorter, ending just above or right at the hock, unlike some breeds (such as GSD’s) that extend well below the hock.

High contents will have one major shed every year in the spring. They will shed the majority of their guard hairs and all of their plush undercoat (in which they often shed large clumps and strings of fur, not little tufts like most northern breeds). Their summer coat may be fairly short for the first few weeks until they establish their full summer coat. The hair is often very coarse and does not have a fluffy, soft appearance. They will have thick and well-furred areas (especially in their winter coat) where most dogs do not, such as stomachs, ears, and private areas.

They also have a very noticeably thicker winter coat with very pronounced cheek ruffs and a pronounced v-cape. They may even appear to be significantly lighter then during the summer time. Many high contents will phase out and change color with each shed/re-growing of their winter coats. (Below images are of the same wolfdog showing its summer and winter coat.)

HCs have very well-blended (symmetrical) markings, including face masks, leg markings and overall body markings, not the stark black and white/tan you see in huskies and GSDs.

Okay, now that you know some of the traits that all high-content wolfdogs will always have, lets list some things that you will NEVER see in a true high-content:

• short, blocky muzzle with a pronounced stop
• small head or very blocky(such as a Malamute)
• pink or pink and black spotted lip or eye liner pigmentation
• large, pointed ears, tipped over ears or floppy ears, ears that are thin and not well furred. In addition, they will not be extremely high set on the head, nor will they be too wide set
• a wide chest
• short legs (in proportion to it’s body).
• small, compact, or rounded “kitty” paws with short digits
• rear dew-claws
• pink or pink spotted paw pads
• white, clear, or multi-colored toe nails (meaning there may be one or several black, brown and clear nails all on the same animal)
• a long, curly, hooked, curved, or sickle tail
• shedding heavily twice a year, constant shedding (even lightly) all year
• noticeably contrasting markings or coat colorations like the husky
• the same kind of coat all year round
• “unintentional” bald spots(thin fur inside the ears, on the belly, or around privates)

     Mid-content Wolfdogs – These are going to be roughly 35-74% wolf.

Like the high-content wolfdog, only an expert would be able to tell that a true mid-content is not a pure wolf but they definitely cannot pass as just another Malamute/GSD mix.

They hold many of the same traits as high-contents just not to the same extent and they are mixed in with some dog traits

Their faces are long and narrow, with very pointed muzzles and fully-furred ears with rounded tips, and which are set high on their heads. They have smooth stops to their muzzles, and blended facial markings/fur patterns. They also have tight lips (no droopy jowls), and very small, angular eyes compared to skull size. They usually still have longer and thinner legs, and no wide chests. I have yet to see a curled tail in a true mid-content as well.

I know this list is no where near the same as the one for HCs but that is because these animals are pretty similar and it would be a lot of repeating traits.

For a mid-content, you should walk away knowing that they are still EXTREMELY wolfy in appearance and there is never a doubt whether or not the animal has any wolf content.

Here are a few more mid-content wolfdogs:

     Low-content Wolfdogs – These are going to be roughly 34% or lower.

• *Due to the mislabeling of wolfdogs, low-contents are often mistaken for or represented as high-content wolfdogs*
• This leaves someone wanting a high-content wolfdog because they met someone’s low/no-content wolfdog and all they did was brag about what a nice dog they are. This is how animals end up in inexperienced and unprepared homes.

This is where you start to see a little more diversity. Of course in every “level” you’re going to see some differences, a lower mid is not going to look quite as wolfy as an upper mid, but I feel a low/no content wolfdog looks very different from an upper low-content wolfdog. (the animal pictured above on the left is a low/no content while the right is just a solid low, not even an upper low, and you can see a very big difference in their appearance.)

Some low contents (more the low/no-content) can show little to almost no physical appearance of being part wolf to the untrained eye while others have a few noticeable wolf-like traits and behavior quirks that come with a well bred low content.

Many will cycle and breed like regular dogs (usually TWO times a year or every 6-8 months) however some may only breed ONE time a year, though with the possibility of it being an off time (like August).

Low-content puppies can be born with predominant markings such as black/white or all white. Low-contents can produce “wolfy” looking pups) depending on the dog breeds used (GSD’s/GSD mixes and agouti/sable animals often produce dark “wolf” colored puppies).

Most LCs will look more like the dog breeds in its background (Malamute, husky, German Shepherd or whatever breed they are mixed with) and will generally be easier to work with, usually doing well, with training, in a house type setting. Of course all animals are different so while some would be fine, others can be just as difficult as a mid-content.

Either way, wolfdogs are not wonderful pets and they do not behave just like a dog. They are a lifestyle. Some low-contents may still require secure containment, house supervision and/or an owner experienced with wolfdogs, northern breeds, or other hard to handle canines.

The first two images below are of a HC and a LC together for comparison followed by all LC wolfdogs.

As you can see, there are a lot of dog traits in low-content wolfdogs BUT there are still very easily visible wolf traits. Even in the oddity at the bottom. That LC is actually all white and believed to be leucistic(a condition in which there is partial loss of pigmentation in an animal resulting in white, pale, or patchy coloration of the skin, hair, feathers, scales or cuticle, but not the eyes. Unlike albinism, it is caused by a reduction in multiple types of pigment, not just melanin.) It has pink/liver skin and everything. This is HIGHLY unusual but, as you can see, is possible BUT it does not come with other still clearly visible wolf traits.

I hope this page helped you learn something about the different contents of wolfdogs! If you have any questions please feel free to send me a message on here or shoot me an email – yourdogisnotawolf@gmail.com

Again, no copyright infringement intended! The above pictures are being used for educational purposes only. Please contact me if there are any problems.

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