Wolf or Dog? You tell me!

Wolfdogs, a hybrid wolf dog mix, are usually a very beautiful mix of arctic or timber wolf and various larger domestic dog breeds. Most wolfdogs exhibit physical characteristics of both the wolf and dog in differing combinations. Scientifically the wolf is known as canis lupus and the dog as canis familiaris. Although closely related, there are anatomical and physiological differences between wolves and dogs. 

In proportion to the rest of the body, wolves have slimmer torsos, longer legs, larger feet, narrower chests, larger heads, larger teeth and more powerful jaws. In addition, unlike most dogs, wolves seldom bark past the point of their playful puppy years. A wolf's eyes are usually a golden color and their coat color varies from black to grizzled grey to white. Wolves are also believed to possess greater endurance and higher stamina than dogs. The wolf has webbed feet to provide better traction on slippery surfaces. The alaskan husky, german shepherd and malamute dog breeds are more wolf like in appearance than other canine pure bred selections and are often the breed of choice when a wolf dog hybrid is bred domestically and a wolf like appearance is important in the resulting offspring.

Crossbreeding between dogs and wolves in the wild does occur occasionally. Wolves are seasonal breeders and breeding in the wild is most likely to occur when a roaming feral dog and a lone wolf of opposite sex meet during the wolf's breeding season. Interestingly, most wolfdog hybrid wolf dog mixes are larger than their parents. The genetic description of a hybrid wolf dog offspring is most commonly represented by a percentage representing the measure of the amount of wolf blood possessed by the hybrid. Whatever the percentage, the wolfdog is usually a very gorgeous animal, beautiful to behold. The hybrid wolf dog is often a regal, highly intelligent, captivating creature. Consequently, the wolfdog has steadily grown in popularity and the number of hybrids in the US is estimated to be somewhere around 300,000.