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One of the hardest questions to answer is why anyone would want a wolfdog when they are such high maintenance animals. What is there about wolfdogs that separates them from their more doggy cousins? What is that "extra something" that makes them unique? I think the answer to that question is different for each one that tries to answer it. Below is my answer and links to what others have to say. |
Owning wolfdogs is not easy. They are most definitely high maintenance
animals that require a lot of time and patience. Training programs often have to
be modified to fit their behaviors. They are destructive, and most cannot be
trusted off-leash. Many do not ride well, and some cannot be taken outside of
their home surroundings.
It makes one wonder what it is about these animals that appeals to so many
people. Those that successfully own a low or mid content usually want something
with just a little more wolf blood. Why? The other day another owner and
I were discussing these things and wondering what it is about wolfdogs and high
contents that attracted so many of us to them. The higher content animals are
normally not animals that you can take around and show off to your friends - if
you try, some will defecate down both legs when a stranger even looks their way.
You can't carry them places because some will get car sick the minute they know
that they are going to be put in a vehicle. Your yard looks like a prison camp.
Your life is no longer your own.
So what IS the attraction?
I think for me, it is the intelligence. I like the fact that these are
free-thinking creatures that choose to share their life with me, and allow me to
share mine with them. I like that they love me but don't idolize me, I like that
they have moods, and that I have to always be on my toes so they don't outsmart
me. I like the challenge of having them in my home. I like that they mature well
beyond the mentality of a dog and that I have to earn their respect just like
they have to earn mine. I like that there is such great power and yet such great
gentleness from these creatures.
But in order for me to enjoy all of the things I love about these guys, I have
to accept and understand the things that I don't like. I have to understand that
there are times when they want to be left alone. I have to understand that they
need an enriched and entertaining life. I have to be able to sacrifice time that
I would like to use elsewhere. I have to accept that their needs often come
before those of my own. I have to realize that if I make a mistake - that some
of those mistakes are hard to undo.
The Native Americans call wolves teachers. And I think that is an appropriate
term. They have a sense of family and a sense of loyalty. They do not tolerate
fools easily, and they have rules in their life that must be adhered to. They
morn the loss of a family member, and if you look into their eyes when they are
playing, they are full of the joy of life. They are capable of unconditional
love as long as you earn it.
A few years ago, I took one of my females to do an educational program. She gets
terribly car sick and will fear poop and throw up the entire way. She loves
people and enjoys them after she is there - but the trip itself is very hard on
her. The day before we were to do the program, I told her that it was time for
another program. She sat at the fence and watched us load the cage in the back
of my truck. The next morning I went out early because I thought that it would
be hard to catch her. However, when I opened the door, she was waiting for me.
She walked inside and let me put her leash on and then walked with me to the
truck to be loaded. When we got to the State Park, she allowed all the kids to
touch her and sat dutifully for the pictures that parents wanted to take. She
was an emotional wreck by the time we were through (this was an extremely rowdy
bunch of kids.) - but Yoshe behaved as a perfect lady. Then it came time to put
her back in the carrier, and she growled and grumbled but got back inside. As
soon as she was in her carrier, Yoshe began to drool and her ears fell to the
side of her head. One woman walked up to the truck and bent over and looked at
her. She told Yoshe that she realized how hard it was for her to make the trip
and that she wanted her to know how much all of the kids appreciated her and
thanked her for coming. Yoshe walked over and licked the woman on the cheek as
if to say thank you for understanding. I cried when I got home because I knew
she made that trip for me. Since that day, I have not asked Yoshe to do another
program. She meets people here at the house and is a great hostess, but I will
never again put her through another trip that she doesn't want to make.