How are wolf hybrids as pets?

[Kelly]

Are they loyal do?? they like to cuddle?

[SchnauzerMom343]

Sure... till the wolf instinct kicks in and they try to take your arm off.

http://www.geocities.com/lobogrande99/Hybrids.html

http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/wolfdogs/a/wolfdogs.htm

http://www.inetdesign.com/wolfdunn/wolfdogfaq/

[HarleelovesBrooklyn]

Wolves are not domesticated and should not be pets!

Cuddly! Are you kidding....its part wolf.

Dogs are pets! Why do you have to be diffrent than everyone else? Aren't dogs good enough?!

[WhySoSerious184]

Go up to a tamed wolf in a zoo somewhere and ask it for "cuggles".
Only way to find out i'm afraid.

[CC229]

I couldn't agree more with Schnauzer mom. No matter if a wolf is crossed with a domestic dog they are wild. If their instinctive side kicks in, they won't want to cuddle, rather turn on you. They are not domestic dogs, they are wild animals.

[Laura576]

they are wild animals. Not pets and should not be treated like a dog. They will hunt and destory whatever they can.

[Brutus311]

Dangerous in the wrong hands. These animals are only to be kept by the most experienced dog owners with a working knowledge of canine behaviors.

[BirdsandBooks249]

Wolf hybrids are wild and dangerous, as any husky or whatnot when untrained, but they can still be dangerous even when trained(which is very hard, from what I've heard). They're half wild, and in their breeding with a wolf have probably lost a LOT of domestication.

I extremely doubt they like to cuddle, as they're wild, and I'm not sure on the stance of loyalty. Remember, wolves and wolf hybrids aren't dogs, which have been domesticated for a long time, ad so I'm not sure how loyal they are. Dogs are loyal to people because they depend on them for their survival and for being social with them.

They probably aren't fantastic pets unlss:
You have a large area of land, half and acre or an acre or more
A LOT of time
A lot of feed
Knowledge on how to feed the wolf/wolf hybrid
and etc.
If you're planning to get a wolf hybrid as a pet, put a lot of time and consideration into it. Learn about wolves a lot, because the wolf will be apparent in the hybrid and you'll need to learn how to control. Educate yourself.
EDIT-
I agree with everybody above. Wolf hybrids aren't for a LOT of people, barely anyone actually, and shouldn't be kept as pets.

[bluebonnetgranny304]

Unless you have years of experience with a knowledge of canine behavior, You shouldn't get one. It's kinda like playing hide & seek, you don't know where any of the behavior is coming from. Is it the dog or is it the wolf in the dog or vice versa.

Most people find that it is just a little too much to handle & turn them in to a Rescue.

[tealwolf]

Depends on the percent of wolf in it. Speaking about mid-high content, they are loyal, you become the animals pack, and it would follow you to the ends of the Earth to stay by your side. However, they are not like cuddly lapdogs. They play rough, and are very strong. They greet you by biting you (although you can teach them to just bite your hand lightly), they are very timid and need lots of socialization so not to be afraid of people/dogs/new situations/new places. They are very smart, but will not always listen to you. They have a high prey drive, and even the smallest of things can trigger that mindset. They can be hard to handle, and when they mature at 2 years old, it will challenge you on your position of alpha. However, don't take this as it 'turning on you', because that's just uneducated thinking. It is natural for a pack animal to want the best as their leader, so they will make sure that you are the best. Once you prove yourself to it, it will settle down. They mostly communicate through body language, so you'd have to learn a wolf's. Many mistake wolf body language, and that's how they get hurt. For example, when stalking prey, many people would think they'd be growling and mean looking. That is as dumb as a human growling at their dinner plate. When stalking prey, a wolf looks downright friendly, ears forward, tail held high. So yes, you'd need to study wolf body lanuage. Also, you can't keep one indoors, it'd destroy your house. They are curious animals, and nothing will stop them from checking out something interseting. They are social, and will need a canine compainon. They bond very strongly with their family, and if you for any reason no longer wanted the wolfdog, you could cause very bad problems for it. Many wolves/wolfdogs can not bond with another family, and some have been known to die when seperated from their family.

I recommend you read Nicole Wilde's books Living with Wolfdogs, and Wolfdogs A-Z. Also, Shaun Ellis's books on wolves.

Check out these sites:

http://www.wolfpark.org/wolfdogs/children_and_wolfdogs.html

http://www.wolfpark.org/wolfdogs/guidelines.html