A wolfdog is a hybridization between a wolf and a domestic dog. There are three different classifications depending on the content of wolf genetics in a wolfdog— high content, meaning mostly wolf, mid content, meaning about equal content wolf and dog, and low content, meaning more dog genetics than wolf.

The domestic dog is a man-made subspecies of the gray wolf bred to exhibit selected traits. This means that with every litter, only the individuals that showed that trait were bred again— in this way humans bred the friendliest, or cuddliest, or smallest dogs they could. This is how breed standards are made, and why dogs have such a huge variation in dogs and not nearly as much in wolves!

The short answer is no. While there are occasional stories of wolfdogs living in households with little issue, these are few and far between and are the exception to the rule.

Humans have spent about 26,000 years domesticating dogs, which entails selectively breeding traits into and out of the domestic dog; these include physical traits as well as instincts. Dogs have been bred to have a level of “loyalty” to humans, and even the most skittish dog does not come close to the instinctual fear of a wolf. When dogs are bred back with wolves, they now retain the same wolf instincts that domestic dogs no longer possess. This high level of instinctual fear, known as neophobia, conflicts with the dog instinct to hold their ground. This results in a very confused and reactive animal which will often act unpredictably.

In addition to behavioral differences, wolfdogs need far more in depth care and stimulation than a private owner can provide. Wolfdogs are extreme athletes, meaning they are also expert escape artists. Many people find that wolfdogs exhibit destructive behaviors such as excessive digging and chewing. These behaviors are instinctual and cannot be trained out, but are heightened by inadequate stimulation and boredom. Wolfdogs need large spaces to run, jump, dig, and den similar to a full wolf. They also have very different dietary needs from domestic dogs.

Wolfdogs do not occur naturally. This is in part due to the extremely limited breeding season of wolves, but mainly because wolves typically do not voluntarily hybridize. Hybridization between species and even subspecies occurs mainly when there is extreme stress on a community, such as a rapidly declining population forcing the species to try anything it can to continue its genetic line. Wolfdogs do not have a natural place in the ecosystem, and roaming wolfdogs are almost always dumped or escaped animals.

One of the first steps to identifying a wolfdog is looking at their phenotypes. A phenotype is an observable characteristic determined by genetics. Wolves have different characteristics than domestic dogs, and wolfdogs often follow a sliding scale— the higher wolf content, the more wolf phenotypes they will have. Visit our Wolf FAQ page to learn more about wolf phenotypes.

It is important to note that there are many breeds of dog with the word “wolf” in the name, but they do not have wolf content. Some of these dogs— like the Tamaskan Dog, often called a Tamaskan “Wolf” Dog— look remarkably similar to wolves, but they still follow all dog phenotypes. Many breeders will sell “wolfdogs” at a very high price, but are actually selling dogs. These breeders count on people not knowing the difference, and this label often ends with the dog being euthanized because shelters will not take wolfdogs. Behavioral issues are instead blamed on the believed “wolf genetics”.

No, wolfdogs are not sterile. Because domestic dogs are classified as Canis lupus familiaris, all species under the “Canis” genus can interbreed freely with fertile offspring, although this rule does not extend upwards to the family of “Canidae”.

While it is exceedingly rare, this means wolves, dogs, coyotes, and jackals have the potential for fertile offspring, but there won’t be any fox-wolf hybrids out there!