Taking Care of a Wolf (Non-GSD)

[RowdyDogs]

Originally Posted by sashadog

This drives me crazy because then there's all these people out there claiming they have a wolf-dog and they are just the sweetest things ever and basically act just like a dog. I feel like this is very misleading as to the true nature of wolves and wolf-dogs which only perpetuates more uneducated people wanting one... ugh...

Agreed. I actually think it's very dangerous because then you get people who totally knew a wolfdog who was the nicest dog ever and so they want one, and if they manage to get their hands on an actual wolfdog, then things get really dangerous really quickly. Very few people are qualified to own a Husky in my experience, much less an actual wolfdog!

[Magwart]

Please tell her to take a look at blinddogtraining.com -- it had some great resources that helped me with my blind rescue.

In particular, learning to use "notice cues" is essential (e.g., we never pet or otherwise touch the blind dog without first saying "touch" -- he knows to expect to be touched then, and he'll actually lean toward where the voice is now, looking forward to a rub, instead of being constantly startled). We also use "watch out" on a daily basis to warn him when he's about to bump into something, and he now pauses and turns quickly away.