It is technically possible for dogs and wolves to mate. A wolfdog is a canid hybrid resulting from the mating of a gray wolf and a dog. Rescue organizations consider any dog with wolf heritage within the last five generations to be a wolfdog. This even includes some established wolfdog breeds.
It has been estimated that as many as 300,000 wolfdogs reside in the United States. (The highest of any country world-wide). Typically in first generation hybrids, gray wolves are most often crossed with wolf-like dogs such as the German Shepherd, Alaskan Malamute and Siberian Husky as many pet owners who desire an exotic pet find these types of appearances most appealing. What is even more surprising is that there is now evidence that dates back at least 10,000 years ago proving that prehistoric domestic wolfdogs existed in the Americas at that time. While fossil evidence in Europe points to their use in hunting mammoths.
Breeding
Today there are at least seven breeds of dog that exist which acknowledge a significant amount of recent wolf-dog hybridization in their creation. Four breeds were actually the result of intentional cross breeding with German Shepherds. Other more unusual crosses have also occurred, with some resulting in an experiment crossing a wolf with a poodle. Cases of accidental breeding of wolfdogs are known but generally are also very rare. In these accidental or natural cases of breeding, a domestic dog female on oestrus strays and is then mated by a wild male wolf. This type of hybrid breeding is more likely to occur near human habitations where wolf density is low and dogs are common.
Appearance
Wolfdogs display a wide variety of appearances, with some ranging from a resemblance to dogs without wolf blood to others that are often mistaken for being full blooded wolves. Typically, wolfdogs tend to have smaller heads than purebred wolves, with larger and pointer ears that lack the dense fur that is commonly seen in wolves. Fur markings are also usually very distinctive and not well blended. Black colored hybrids tend to retain black pigment longer as they age, compared to black wolves.
Health
What may come as a surprise to some is that wolf dog hybrids have actually been said to be less likely to inherit many of the diseases that most breeds of dogs suffer from. These hybrids are naturally healthy animals in most cases and some breeds of the wolfdog were even bred specifically to improve the health and energy of working dogs.
Behavior
Since these hybrids have a mixture of genetic traits they are generally a lot less predictable when compared to a purebred wolf or domesticated dog, with the majority of high wolf content hybrids being very curious creatures. It has been noted however, that these types of hybrids are said to be no more destructive than any other hyperactive dog. Individuals should still keep in mind that a wolves behavior is generally more socially shy and timid when it comes to interacting with humans, so caution should always be practiced when being around these types of animals just to be on the safe side.
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