Wolf Dog Hybrids Man s Best Friend

Wolf-Dog Hybrids: Man’s Best Friend?

Wolf-dog hybrids are becoming increasingly popular as household pets.

But the rise in their sales in the United Kingdom and recent reports of escaped hybrids killing small dogs and threatening humans in the United States have renewed concerns about whether or not these animals should continue to be bred and sold to the public.

Wolf-dog hybrids are interesting and intelligent animals.

They are produced by breeding a wolf with any of a variety of domestic dogs, including Akitas, German shepherds, Alaskan Malamutes, and huskies.

The blend of wild and domestic genes in wolf-dog hybrids, however, gives rise to a complicated mosaic of disposition and instinct.

Hybrids tend to be relatively gentle when young, but as they grow, they increasingly resemble wolves in their behavior.

They possess the instincts of a wild animal, and the presence of genes from a domestic dog does little to lessen the intensity of these innate behaviors.