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Wolf, Wolfdog, Or Dog? Phenotyping Canines!

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Wolf, Wolfdog, Or Dog? Phenotyping Canines! FLA Wolf Identification Pamphlet Www.floridalupine.org Wolf, Wolfdog, or Dog? Phenotyping Canines! FLORIDA LUPINE ASSOC IATION, INC. S P E C I A L P O I N T S O F INTEREST: What is a Wolf ? And How Do You Know? Dogs are domesticated By Kim Miles & Jody Haynes wolves. Well-bred wolfdogs can In his seminal work on animal a wolf?” Some- wolfdog from a dog ex- appear to look like pure wolfdogs, N.A. Iljin (1944) times, the answers are ob- cept through genetic test- wolves to the untrained eye because they are found that “in many cases vious; but quite often they ing, and such tests are often bred for their the wolf cannot be distin- are not. expensive and not readily “wolfy” looks. guished from the dog even FLA created this phe- available to the public. Most wolfdogs are three at a short distance and vice notyping pamphlet in re- It is important to to five generations removed from pure wolf, versa.” He further contend- sponse to the need for a note, however, that tests making them F3 to F5. ed that even though a list clear and concise educa- focused solely on mito- (The F# is the filial number, indicating how of characteristics specific to tional resource that we chondrial DNA far removed from wolf a the wolf had been created hope proves beneficial in (mtDNA) are inherently canine is.) by both Brehm (1922) and addressing these ques- biased. Because mito- Most wolfdogs are the Taenzer (1923), “there are tions. This pamphlet will chondria are inherited offspring of other wolf- none essentially differenti- not magically allow just maternally—with none of dogs, not the product of a pure captive wolf and ating the wolf from the anyone to correctly identi- the crossing over or inde- domestic dog or wolfdog. dog.” However, in the last fy all canines. Instead, it pendent assortment that The most common dog 100 years or so, dog fanci- should be utilized as a occurs in nuclear DNA breeds in wolfdogs are ers have developed strict supplemental tool for (nDNA)—all animals in a Husky, Malamute, and German Shepherd. standards each breed must those who already have given matriarchal line adhere to, allowing one to some knowledge of wolf will have the same more easily distinguish be- morphology (i.e., looks) mtDNA. Thus, mtDNA INSIDE THIS tween traits or characteris- and behavior; taken as a tests can only show ISSUE: tics more consistent with whole, it should aid these whether an animal‟s ma- wolves and those more individuals in making a triarchal line is “wolf” or What is a Wolf? And How 1 Do You Know? commonly found in certain more educated determina- “dog”; they cannot deter- dog breeds (see table on pp. tion regarding the pres- mine if an animal is a Phenotyping Canines: 5 Physical Characteristics 6-7). ence of wolf within a ca- wolfdog with both “wolf” Wolfdog rescuers, var- nine. and “dog” genes. The Chart of Physical Traits: 6 ious animal control person- only sure way to accu- Dog vs. Wolf nel, and officers in the FL DNA TESTING rately determine if an ani- Fish & Wildlife Conserva- mal is a wolf, wolfdog, or Photos: Dog & Wolf 8 tion Commission have of- dog through genetic test- Even with knowledge of Guessing Game: Wolf, ten been called to a loca- ing is to examine both 10 morphology and behavior, Wolfdog or Dog? tion and been faced with mtDNA and nDNA there is still no positively Phenotyping: How Well the questions, “Is this ani- markers—and possibly 11 conclusive way to deter- Did You Do? mal part wolf?” or “Is this even Y chromosomal mine a living wolf from a P a g e 2 Wolf, Wolfdog, or Dog? markers in males, because the Y than most dogs‟ toes. between wolf and dog behavior chromosome is inherited paternally 4. MYTH: The wolf has a precaudal in absolutes because all dog and is consistent along the patriar- scent gland on the top of the tail behavior is derived from the chal line just as mtDNA is to the near the base, identified by a dark wolf. While all wolf behaviors matriarchal line. patch of fur. The dog has no such may not be found in any given gland. FACT: Both wolves AND type of dog, all dogs can dis- MYTH VS. FACT dogs have a precaudal scent gland play various aspects of all wolf (or residual mark) with coarser behaviors to some degree. The In an effort to be as factual and com- hair marking the spot a few inches degree will vary depending up- prehensive as possible, FLA consult- from the base of the tail. Michael on the breed and the individual ed the following wildlife biologists Fox (1971) claims that it is animal. In general, dogs have and organizations to dispel some “demarked by [a] dark patch of “watered down” wolf behav- common myths about wolves and hairs.” An article ap- iors. Dogs are not only wolfdogs: Nick Federoff and Ron pearing in Dog World either friendly or aggres- Nowak, authors of numerous peer- magazine had this to sive; poorly socialized, reviewed wolf articles and creators say: “There will be a abused, and neglected of the current wolf taxonomic sys- precaudal gland, dogs can also be shy tem in use today; Monty Sloan of marked by a black and/or fearful. Accord- spot of fur, on the top ing to an article in Dog Wolf Park; and David Mech, Senior Because dogs are Research Biologist for the Depart- of the tail [in wolves], World magazine, Akita ment of the Interior and board mem- several inches from domesticated Rescue Society of Ameri- ber of the International Wolf Cen- the body, but this is wolves, their ca evaluated 64 Akitas in ter. The following are some of the also present in dogs. rescue and found that all common myths about wolves and Many people errone- behavior is of “[t]he young dogs that their factual corrections: ously identify this “watered down” were born and raised at scent gland as a ma- [a] puppy mill were ex- 1. MYTH: If the animal barks, it is jor difference be- wolf behavior. tremely fearful, shy and not a wolf. FACT: Wolves can tween wolves and needed a great deal of emit a variety of sounds. Alt- dogs” (Marar, 1993). work” (Bouyet, 1992). In addi- hough wolves can learn to bark 5. MYTH: If the ears are rounded and tion, wolves are extremely curi- (Iljin, 1944), it is uncommon; furred, it’s a wolf. FACT: Wolves‟ ous animals (Mech, 1971; Fox, wolves will never emit the ears are rounded and furred, but 1971) and may show no fear of “incessant barking” of a dog; ra- they are not more rounded and/ man through a deliberate so- ther they typically produce a huff- or more furred than all dogs‟ ears. cialization process, through a ing sound. The ears of a Malamute or a process called habituation, or 2. MYTH: Wolves can have curly Chow, for example, are more through selective breeding for tails. FACT: Wolves‟ tails can rounded than those of a wolf. friendliness toward people be held at almost any angle or 6. MYTH: Wolves have a shallow (Ness, 2002). In other words, position, but their tails will nev- chest in relation to a dog of the same “the basics of behavior are the er be curled over their backs like size. FACT: Wolves have deep, same for both animals” (Mech, a Malamute or Chow Chow car- narrow, “keel-shaped” chests— 1991). ries its tail. not shallow chests—which allow 8. MYTH: Wolves howl at the full 3. MYTH: Wolves have retractable them to more easily „plow‟ moon. FACT: Wolves use vocal toes. FACT: Wolves‟ toes are through snow (Mech, 1971). sounds to communicate, and not retractable. However, 7. MYTH: While dogs are either ag- the moon has nothing to do wolves typically have larger gressive or friendly toward human with these vocalizations. Emer- paws and toes than dogs for strangers, wolves, by contrast, are gency sirens, on the other more ease in navigating snow. either very shy or afraid when ap- hand, can trigger howl ses- In addition, wolves‟ toes are proached by strangers. FACT: sions—in wolves, wolfdogs, much more pronounced (raised) There is no way to differentiate and dogs. FLA Wolf Identification Pamphlet P a g e 3 WOLF IDENTIFICATION CRITERIA The easiest way to organize criteria for identifying wolves is to isolate those characteristics specific to wolves from those that never occur in wolves. Because there are so many similarities between wolves and dogs, an evaluator attempting to identify a wolf must apply the identification criteria collectively; in other words, for an animal to be “identified” as a wolf using the following criteria, the animal must exhibit each and every trait in the Always category and it must not exhibit any of the traits in the Never category. (Disclaimer: Although the criteria provided below are as comprehensive as possible, an animal that is NOT a pure wolf might also exhibit every trait listed in the Always category and might not exhibit any of the traits listed in the Never category. FLA assumes no liability for animals misidentified as wolves by anyone adopting the criteria set forth in this document.) ALWAYS 7. TOES: Wolves have five toes on the its “hindlegs between its forelegs front legs (one toe being the dew and leave[s] an undulating sinus- oid-like trail” (Iljin, 1944; Mech 1. HEAD: Wolves have large, wedge claw further up the inside of the 1971); however, Iljin (1944) clar- -shaped heads, averaging 9”-11” foreleg) and four toes on the rear ifies that he has “observed some long and 5”-6” wide (Mech, 1971) (no dew claws are present on the working dogs … with an almost with no pronounced stop (the fore- rear legs—a trait found in some dog typical wolf-gait as a conse- head area that slopes down to the breeds).
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