Jordan if you send me a pic I could try to decifer if you have a wolf hybrid although it is nearly impossible to say for certain.  In the meantime, If the dog is under 100 lbs. it is probably not a wolf hybrid.  If you want to conquer the fear try staying calm even when the dog is getting scared he should  read your energy and calm down, although it may take a while. Also walking and getting good exercise for the dog is also a good way to block their fear response

I know I should do more research on this before posting it here, but I thought I'd send out this alert for whatever it may be worth.  Note: I am not certain of this so please do more research on your own before acting on this.

I have heard (anecdotally of course) that the reason behind wolves and/or wolf hybrids being deemed illegal as pets is that they cannot receive the standard immunization shot for rabies as it gives them the disease.  Definitely something I'd look into if I were in the market for one.

My wolf hybrid has had a rabies shot with no problems .... he is half wolf. I don't know if the percentage makes a difference, but at 50% it seems to be no problem.

I'm sure the veterinarians administering the rabie shots would know the effect it would have n a wolf hybrid.

Clydesmom

In general, the physical characteristics of a hybrid are the wolf physical characteristics. Tall, lanky, tail does not curl, etc. But Malamute/German Shepherd crosses especially often turn out to be extremely wolfy looking. Because some dogs have wolf like physical characteristics does not mean they have an ounce of wolf blood.

As the link to the Florida Wolf Sanctuary points out genetic (DNA) testing cannot discriminate between wolf and dog. http://www.floridalupine.org/publications/Wisonsin_Wolf_Management_Plan.htm

Behavior is the more reliable discriminator. Hybrids are usually shy and elusive creatures that don't like attention, don't feel comfortable around others and do not at all easily trust people.

Many irresponsible breeders cross Malamute/GSD/Collie and come out with a dog that you could not tell from a hybrid looking at it. These people claim they have an 80% hybrid. Noone can tell you that a dog is 80% wolf. Not honestly. Unethical breeders advertise their dogs this way because some people want to appear macho and impress uninformed people.

Some people will claim that their they have a wolf dog even in states that outlaw hybrids. They want to seem 'tough'. If their dog ever gets out and taken in and the authorities find out what the owner claims the dog to be, the owner is in a terrible position as their perfectly good dog gets put down. Purely because of what they said.

One of the dogs at the Malamute rescue I work with is a female Malamute, 33 inches at the shoulder, 130 lbs, and has brilliant AMBER eyes. She has long, white legs and moves with a fluidity and grace that the untrained eye could easily mistake as a wolf.

For the people who say they have wolf hybrids that are fantastic pets.  You more than likely have a dog that looks like a wolf.  And the person you got it from said it was a wolf hybrid to increase it 'cachet'.  Hybrids generally make lousy pets.  And if you are in a state that outlaws wolf hybrids, you should not be making that claim.  It could be disastrous for you and your wonderful pet.

Pick up a copy of of David Mech's book: Wolves-Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation. He is an expert on wolves and has spent years observing them in the field.  He has published extensively on the topic in the scientific literature. He certainly has several lifetimes more knowledge than I do.  I've merely picked up bits of information here and there working with Malamutes and running into the problem of people saying their dogs are 'part wolf'. I also have interacted with true wolf dogs and you will know immediately from their behavior that they are not dogs. I say 'I interacted' with wolf dogs because they generally do not want anything to do with you.

oh, about the list of fatalities from wolf hybrids. It's the irresponsible people who have trained them aggressively. Keep it in perspective. ANY dog including wolf hybrids can kill children. It's the OWNER. A golden retriever can be made into a killer.  Note that the lovable St. Bernard is on the list.

I don't know where the list about hybrids killing children came from.  Just because it LOOKS like a wolf hybrid does NOT mean that it is.  Here are the offical numbers.  From the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), 1997 (a respected peer reviewed medical journal from the CDC - the US government's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Breeds involved in dog bite-related fatalities 1979-1996:
Breed: Total fatalities recorded:

Pit Bull and crosses 70
Rottweiler and crosses 32
Shepherd and crosses 30
Husky and crosses 20
Malamute and crosses 15
Wolf hybrid 14
Chow and crosses 11
Doberman 8
Great Dane 6
St. Bernard 4
Akita 4

And the picture of the animal that starts the list of children killed looks like a real wolf to me.  But see the above post.  I could certainly be wrong! " _fcksavedurl=" />" _fcksavedurl=" />" _fcksavedurl=" />" src="/DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/AnimalAttraction/emoticons/smile.gif" />

ah, I just went back to check who posted the list of children fatalities from wolf hybrids and I see that it was you Newfs.  I hope you don't take any of this as a personal attack on you. I don't mean it to be. I feel terrible any child had to die, whether it was dogs or hybrids.  It shouldn't have to occur. 

I don't defend hybrids.  I don't think people should be breeding them.  I don't think people should be owning them.  But I think we have a responsibility to care properly for any hybrids that exist like I think we should respect and care for all animals.  I'd just like to educate people a little.  There's a lot of stereotypes and misinformation out there.  Everyone should try to get the facts from experts in the field.  Not from people on the Internet  (and yes, I am on the Internet and I am not an expert.  So yes, you should not necessarily believe me).

I actually rescued a litter of wolf hybrids about 8 years ago. Can't remember the exact percentage wolf but it was high. I talked my mother into adopting one of the pups and he has been a great pet.  He is very large so his size alone makes him more difficult to handle just because he is soooo strong. He is also very shy with strangers and will run and hide when anyone new comes over (not a good watch dog!). That being said he loves other dogs, children and even cats.  He really couldn't be a sweeter guy and incredibly smart!!!  I also kept in touch with the families who adopted the other two pups for many years. They had incredible dispositions but were a littlemore  bull headed, difficult to train and very BIG.

i don't know about that newfs...

blackberry was bitten in the ear badly by a golden during play.  i was shocked based on the reputation everyone thinks goldens seem  to have.

we had known a half wolf dog who was the sweetest thing i had ever met.  she was HUGE and had tons of fur, almost like a mal, and the only thing she would do would jump fences.  she was easy to catch though, and bring back to where she lived. 

in my case, i may just choose the room with the wolf hybrids...that is...if they are as nice as she was...

i think ANY dog has the power and ability to inflict damage, it just depends on how it is brought up, treated, socialized, and genetics.

I do not raise wolf hybrids, however, I have lived with two of them. The first was a male. His personality was very different as were his looks. There were definite personality characteristics unlike that of a dog, beyond the obvious (tail wagging etc.). He was silent and could literally steal potato chips from a bowl and  go unnoticed. He could climb and his body could adapt to the pitch and could be seen scaling the roof of a hip roof barn with ease. Initially he  was fine with the other dogs ...until we got a female. She was the true Alpha. I can honestly say that it was a potentially dangerous situation for humans and unfortunately became so for 2 of my goats. If you have any other questions or concerns, I would be more than happy to share it with you.

re; Mals, I certainly do not take it personally. But in all fairness to your above breeds involved with reported fatalities, we also need to be realistic---->

Newfs: You're absolutely right.  You also don't point out these huge underlying flaws in those statistics. Those numbers are only the reported bites. The "huge" number of bites from pomeranians and pugs just don't get reported because they don't do damage. Experts have difficulty telling the breeds apart, especially if it's a Shepherd mix vs Husky mix vs Malamute mix vs Wolf mix, so ordinary police who don't know dogs aren't going to be doing well. If you have a hybrid and it bites someone, if you're smart, you are going to say it's a Shepherd or Malamute mix.

If I had to walk into a room with 3 loose Goldens vs 3 loose hybrids, I'd pick the room with the 3 pomeranians!  I gotta agree with cosnowflake.  I'd pick the room with the 3 dogs that were raised by a knowledgable and responsible owner.

Kindred:  I'm sorry for your goats.  Malamutes often don't do well with 'prey' animals too.  It usually is the female who is the true Alpha in wolves, dogs, or humans " src="/DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/AnimalAttraction/emoticons/smile.gif" />

DPFrank:  Thanks for the link.  The author is a little over the top in getting his points across but I'd agree with almost everything he says.  My only disagreement would be the picture of the animal chained up.  If we're going by looks alone, that poor animal looks like a Malamute, not a hybrid.

According to the Hybrid Times (a magazine no longer being published) wolves/wolf hybrids are illegal because the rabies shots have not been proven to be effective. My family's hybrid does get the shot without any problems.