Can you domesticate wolves

We have bred dogs to assist us and to live in harmony with our lifestyles. Although we might not realize it, we have selectively bred them for flexibility and an eagerness to please. Wolves, however, have spent the last 10, years as wild animals, living on their own and fending for themselves. Despite this knowledge, many people end up going out and purchasing a wolf or wolfdog. As puppies, these animals seem quite similar to dogs. They are happy, playful and adorable. As they approach sexual maturity , however, most become territorial, pack-oriented and predatorial … personality traits that do not make for an ideal animal to share your home with.

Many of these animals end up destroying furniture and homes, terrorizing other pets and their natural behaviors are perceived as aggressive. Typical wolf behaviors may frighten those who are unfamiliar with them. Having an animal the size of a wolf grabbing you by the face is enough to freak out even the calmest pet parents. If children are around an animal that displays these behaviors, it can easily make even the most educated parents nervous.

Because of these unusual and un-dog-like behaviors, many pet wolves and wolfdogs end up living miserable lives, chained up outside or sent to, already overcrowded, sanctuaries. They will have the beauty and looks of a wolf, but the temperament and personality of a loving, doting dog.

The desire to own one of these illustrious animals has increased their demand and led many to try and breed them. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to tell how many wolf hybrids are being kept as pets at any given time because some people who have legitimate wolf hybrids choose to register them as Husky, Malamute, or Shepherd mix, to avoid legal issues.

Some who claim they have a wolfdog actually have a mix of dog breeds that end up having similar characteristics to a wolf. But it is still guesswork. The issue occurs when a dog who is thought to have wolf genes ends up in a shelter. These animals are considered inherently dangerous, so many shelters do not want the liability of adopting them out and they end up being euthanized. A fraction of these dogs may end up in sanctuaries specifically designed for wolves and wolf hybrids. There are many legal issues involved with keeping a wolf in the U.

It is felt that wolfdogs are not only the most misunderstood animals in the U. Though some feel they are wonderful pets, many opponents argue that they are unpredictable, impossible to train and inherently dangerous. We hear stories frequently about pet wolfdogs that exhibit fearful, unpredictable, or aggressive behaviors toward people outside of their household. This can make it difficult for owners to safely take their exotic pets out in public or even have guests over. All carnivores have a prey drive, as it is essential for their survival, and wolves are very opportunistic in choosing their game.

In captivity this remains true. Wolves and wolfdogs are rarely able to live among other pets, particularly those that are smaller than them. The third reason deals with sexual maturity, which is expressed much later in life in wolves and mid to high content wolfdogs, and comes with many more behavioral changes. Once wolves start to undergo sexual maturity in their natural setting, they begin preparing to break off from their family pack to find a mate, secure a territory, and start a pack of their own.

It is at this point in their lives — especially during the breeding season — that they will begin acting out and challenging rival animals for the above-mentioned resources.

When these changes starts to occur, many owners are uncertain of how to handle them. It should be noted that while many of these solutions seem like a legitimate option for most people, they often are not. Shelters and Animal Control agencies will rarely take in wolfdogs due to the high liability of working with such animals, and even fewer will feel comfortable trying to adopt them out to homes, meaning owners are either turned away or animals are taken in to be euthanized.

Sanctuaries and similar rescues are constantly full due to the high volume of animals that require rescue — a number that grows with each passing year.

Wolves are master escape artists and require a special type of containment. These animals can jump, climb, or dig their way out of almost any enclosure and are smart and observant enough to quickly figure out how to open most types of gates. Many of the animals at Saint Francis Wolf Sanctuary know how their gates work and periodically test the latches and locks. We are able to ensure a high level of security by constructing our enclosures in compliance with USDA guidelines.

Enclosure walls are built with heavy duty chain link or horse panel and they are at least 10 feet high on all sides. We also have dig guards buried along the perimeter of enclosure floors. These extend inward a minimum of 3 feet and combat any attempts to dig out of containment. Some facilities may even utilize hotwire as an added preventative but here, we do not.

Lastly, our enclosures are all constructed within a large Perimeter Fence, which will securely contain an animal if it escapes its primary holding for any reason, such as enclosure damage due to a fallen tree.

Proper enclosures can be expensive, however, and most people cannot afford to build something like this. Many veterinarians refuse to service wolves and wolfdogs.

Again, there is a huge liability issue among animal care professionals in regards to dealing with potentially dangerous animals like wolves and wolfdogs. This is a huge obstacle for any exotic pet owner to overcome because wolves and wolfdogs require essentially the exact same care as a regular dog would, but they often live longer, which means that owners should have a reliable form of veterinary care for at least 15 years in order to properly care for their pets.

Wolves and wolfdogs may not be legal to own. Exotic ownership laws are not uniformly regulated across the United States; in fact, laws may vary from state to state or even county to county, which is the case for us here in Texas. This has been the case with several of our rescues, many of which were owned by extremely capable and qualified owners who were forced to surrender their pets for this exact reason.

Beware of Misrepresentation. Across the country, a number of irresponsible owners and breeders falsely label their mixed-breed dogs as wolves or wolfdogs, often coming up with exotic sounding names to create a sense of credibility Canadian Silverback, MacKenzie Valley, etc.

These individuals are often seeking to boost their profits or their status, but the result of misrepresentation is extremely damaging. This is especially harmful in the following situations:. This animal is NOT a coyote or a wolfdog! Sauce man Jan 17, Royboy Dec 1, Dec 1, Oct 18, Oct 10, Haley Sep 1, Hi, I love wolves.

Everytime i am able to go online and play games i play an online wildlife game. I also love to play this game where me and my friends pretend to be animals, I always pretend to be a wolf. Either the alpha or a cub! A google user Sep 21, I love wolves too!! I love them so much i wish I was one!!! Sep 22, Hi, I love wolves!

I always play with my friends and we play wildlife games online, and sometimes at school we go to the playground and act like wolves or other other animals.

I always act like the alfa or a cub. Sep 1, Thanks for sharing your connection to this Wonder, Haley! We are so glad to hear from you! Lindsay Aug 25, I think it would be really cool to have a wolf as a pet, but its sorta dangerous. So Ill stick with dogs. Aug 25, That sounds like a good idea, Lindsay! Jul 11, AJ Oct 28, Oct 28, That seems to be a popular game! Aparri May 19, There is a game called animal jam and you can be a wolf in it. You should play animal jam make your account its fun trust me.

You can be other animals to not every animal in the world but some animals you can be you have to buy a membership. May 27, Very cool, jaylyn! Sounds like a neat game! May 22, Hi, Aparri! Thanks for sharing about the game. Sounds interesting! Aparri Jun 8, Jun 9, Jun 13, Welcome back, Aparri and jaylyn! Aparri Jun 10, Vannos Oct 7, Yo I like you're pic you can get some merch UwU. Absolutely, jaylyn! Hannh May 4, May 5, We think so, too, Hannh!

We hope you visit again soon! Lorelei Apr 29, This website helps me 5th grade girl explore and write essays on topics of my own. I love this website May 2, Rayn Apr 15, I agree I love wolves.

They are my favorite thing in the whole world. I know I would enjoy spending time with wolves. Apr 15, We're glad you liked this Wonder, Rayn! Wolves are very cool animals! Mar 17, Visit again soon! Wolf lovers Apr 9, Apr 11, I really want to tame a wolf and help them and raise them. They are so cute.

Mar 22, We can tell you really like wolves! They are cute! That would be fun! Maybe you can work with animals as a vet or at an animal rescue one day! Ryan Mar 16, I really liked this wonder and I like all dogs and wolves. Are there any other wonders about them? Ray Mar 11, Angela Apr 19, Apr 21, Thanks for exploring the comments! Mar 16, It has been great Wondering with you! Feb 10, Feb 8, Awesomelizard Apr 18, We're glad you liked this Wonder, too, Wonder Friend!

Thanks for joining the discussion, zarina! Jan 6, Hi, ada! Wolf Heart Dec 24, I am the biggest wolf fan ever, and i would do anything to help save them from the bad people hunting them down they disgust me the most, i love wolves. Feb 25, We're glad you had fun exploring this Wonder, too! Dec 28, Dragonic Dec 22, Captivation of Wolves to breed them to increase the population is a good intention, but similar to how the response puts it; wolves go through a "discovery stage.

Dec 22, Thanks for sharing your thoughts! Bryan Dec 16, Why do people kill wolves??? I love wolves and don't like people who kill them!!!!!!!!! Hey, zarina! We hope you had fun exploring this Wonder! Thanks for the shout out! Dec 16, Adhya Dec 16, The part I found the most interesting was that wolves develop their social skills before dogs do. Amber Dec 15, Dec 15, Lone Wolf Dec 3, Dec 4, We're glad you joined the conversation, Lone Wolf ! Madison Dec 3, Thanks for weighing in, Madison!

Nov 19, Wolfs are such an amazing animals! Why do people want to hunt a animal like a wolfs? Nov 7, Hope Nov 5, Nov 6, Hi, Hope! We love your enthusiasm! It's always fun learning about animals! Bryan Nov 4, They are so amazing i cant watch the video without crying. I know, right? Nov 5, Madison g Oct 29, Oct 30, Anna Oct 28, Oct 29, Sydney Oct 21, Oct 22, Madison Sep 16, I love the wolves because of there strength and power.

I love them. Sep 17, Sep 8, If the socialization window is when wolves develop smell, would we be able to tame wolves during that time? Jake Sep 16, U didn't really say how to tame a wolf. Ava Sep 25, Ya i think they should say yes or no. Sep 27, Sep 10, Aug 28, Eve Jan 18, This is really interesting I was watching a show about foxes and you can tame foxes and I asked myself can you tame wolfs and now I know the answer.

Wonderopolis Jan 20, Genevieve V Oct 13, If we cant tame wolves today Wonderopolis Oct 13, Wesley Apr 23, I bet some people think it would be cool to have a pet wolf. Kyrehl Jun 12, Can you actually have a pet wolf in real life?

Jun 12, Wonderopolis Apr 23, Do you think wolves can or ever be tamed? How would you tame a wolf if you found one in the woods. Wonderopolis Apr 15, Madison Feb 6, Wow, this article is awesome! I never knew wolves could be tamed. I guess a wolf is just a big dog. And, where would I put it! I love your website. Where did you come up with Wonderopolis? How do you keep coming up with all those wonders? Do you have helpers? If so how many?

Thanks to you I have no fear of wolves! Madison E Sep 8, I'm with you girl. I know what you think about wolves but they have spicail any way. Wonderopolis Feb 6, Utter's Kindergarten Clas Do wolves bite? Wolves howl What are they saying? Do wolves snore? Why do wolves look like german shepards? Why do wolves eat meat? Wonderopolis Jan 29, Dragon Girl Jan 24, Same here Jimena!

Jimena Flores Jan 23, I wish I could tame a wolf, because a wolf is my favorite animal. Wonderopolis Jan 24, Stewart's Grade 4 Jan 22, Today's wonder was really interesting to see wolves in captivity.

It was interesting to see wolves not attacking, but to be calm. We thought that lots of people think wolves are bad, but in the end we learned more about that.

We found it interesting to watch how they look when they howl. We are wondering When the wolves in the sanctuary have babies, will they be able to set those into the wild? What is the difference between a wolf and a husky? We were reading other kids new wonders. We wonder what a snow wolf is? Thank you. Wonderopolis Jan 22, What was that smoke that she was using???

When looking at them they look like a mix of a cat and a dog Jan 23, Wonderopolis Jan 23, Mikayla Murphy Jan 22, Why did the woman eat at the same time the wolf was trying to eat. That is nasty. How did you get them tamed to like people? Tesa's Class Jan 22, Amirra Jan 22, I thought it was sad, and my Auntey Heather had a dog named Drakey, and he was a snow wolf, and he died 10 months ago.

Ember Jan 22, Thanks for helping me learn about wolves.