white arctic wolf running along the edge of the woods

Wolfdog Misrepresentation:

Wolfdog misrepresentation KILLS!

Wolfdog misrepresentation is a quickly growing problem within the wolfdog breed.

With so many people selling different breeds as wolfdogs. Nevertheless, all they are selling is a wolf look alike.
Consequently, they are praying on you not knowing. Think of it as a used car salesman, after all, the better they can make it sound the more likely they will get you to buy it so that they can make that sale.
In spite of the growing problems knowing what to look for and questions you should ask is equally as important and very helpful to you in the long run. 
So in short before running right out and getting the first wolfdog you find, do a little homework it’s always best to find out sooner than later you were about to be taken.

dark brown and tan wolf dog standing on its dog house looking at you

Claimed 98% wolfdog.
(Wolfdog misrepresentation at it’s worst. After the owner found out he wasn’t 98% he kicked it to the curb)   

white high content wolf dog with its head down looking at you intensely

DNA tested to be a 95% wolfdog.
(Using Embark DNA testing)

Curbside Service

Always be careful especially around any flea-markets likewise anyone selling any animal on the side of the road.
As was the case with the one that was claimed as 98% above.

Speaking about this, not only is it a bad idea for a few reasons but also an easier way for misrepresentation but it is indeed also a good way to end up bringing home a very sick animal and causing problems with your other pets health.
Many diseases can lay dormant for a week or two before they ever show any signs of being sick.
Not to mention how would you get ahold of the seller if you needed to ask them a question as well as anything else about the animal you just got from them.
Regardless, with any animal, you choose above all always ask and get their vet records no matter who you are getting an animal from.
In any case lineage and DNA testing is NEVER more important than the animal’s life.

 One of the first things to always remember is you cannot phenotype any pup to tell just how much wolf content it does or will have in it.

6 week old tan wolf lying in the green grass in a field

Above is a 6-week old wolfdog pup.
Below is the same wolfdog at the age of 4 years old.

wolfdog lying in some straw

DNA tested to be 86%

6 week old brown wolf lying in the grass in a field

Above is a 7-week old wolfdog pup.
Below is the same wolfdog at the age of 5 years old.

wolf lying on a dog house looking at you

DNA tested to be 62%

Using pictures to say it's a wolfdog:

It is also hard to phenotype any wolfdogs from a bad picture, let alone from just one picture.
For the most part, pictures should not be used to say for sure it is definitely a wolfdog.
But instead used only for the purpose to see if any wolf trait similarities may be present in an animal and to rule out the possibility that it may be a pure husky, malamute or any other breed.
Huskies and Malamutes seem to be the two more popular breeds to pass off as wolfdogs even though many will try to pass off the GSD breed too.

black wolf standing with its head down

The Top is a 49% wolfdog 
The Bottom is a 48% wolfdog
Both have been DNA tested

akc husky running toward you

The top is a pure AKC husky.
The bottom is a pure AKC malamute.

light tan wolfdog standing in the grass looking at you like hes happy to see you
AKC malamute in behind a chain link fence looking at you

What does Phenotyping mean:

Many will also try this method to claim why their animal is a certain percentage or is in fact a wolfdog.
Phenotyping is obviously and most Definitely a guessing game.
It is looking at an animals outward appearance and seeing if you can see any physical traits that are influenced by any of the wolf traits.
Phenotyping is always best when done by seeing the animal in person.
However, phenotyping CANNOT in no way tell you how much wolf content a wolfdog has.
More or less phenotyping is giving your best guess as to whether or not it maybe a wolfdog based on what you see in the animals looks not the percentage of wolf in it.

 As can be seen from the pictures above of the two that are DNA tested to be 48% and 49%.
One obviously appears to have way more wolf than the other one but when in fact they are almost exactly the same as each other within 1% in their percentage but would have phenotyped completely different. 

Some of the things you should know.

   Two of the most commonly and widely used wolves in wolfdog misrepresentation are the Red wolf and the Mexican gray wolf.
This is a great marketing technique for them to make you think you are getting apart of something that is close to extinction. Remember that car salesman he’s making it sound good.
Regardless of what they say both of these wolves are on the endangered species list. (HINT)

Always ask to see the parents of the pup you are getting.  
(In person if at all possible)
Also, check to see if they have had any DNA testing done on the parents even the pup for that matter.
Their DNA does not change as they get older.

Ask for lineage on the parents although lineage is becoming more and more corrupt you can still research it to see if they are giving you the correct lineage on the wolfdog. 
Lineage coupled with DNA can give you a good deal of information and if the wolfdog misrepresentation was very far off from what you was told.

High content wolfdogs will only breed in the winter months and have their offspring in the springtime.  So that is a red flag whenever they say they were born in summer or fall months.
In addition
 High content WILL NOT have blue or bi-colored eyes. 
Although, wolves and wolfdogs are usually born with deep blue eyes that will lighten and start to change into their adult color in about six to ten weeks. 
Mature wolfdogs eyes are often amber/brown or gold but can come in hue colors of brown, gray, yellow, and green.
Also
A high content wolfdog should be indistinguishable from that of a wolf.

A High content wolfdog should have:

wolfdogs almond shaped eyeys

Almond shaped like eyes that are closely set. With dark like eyeliner. 

wolfdogs tail that stops at the hock of the leg

The tail should stop at the hock.

black wolves head ears up and lookng at you with its gold looking eyes

A wedge-shaped head
(like the letter V).

wolfdogs long legs and big paws and knuckles

Large paws and knuckles.

white wolfdogs nose stop where it meets the forehand

Have a non-pronounced stop.
(A slope) 

bach of a wolfdogs legs show how they are cow hocked

Rear legs should be cow hocked.

wolfdogs small well rounded ears

Short well rounded and well-furred ears that set up on the head.

a wolfdogs nose showing it to be all black with no pink in it

All black nose.

wolfdog with long legs and a very narrow chest

Narrow chested.

High content wolfdogs will not have:

Have a curled tail that lays onto their back. (low, low mid and some mids may)
Snow Nose (pink mark or line)
A stop (where the forehead meets the bridge of the nose).
A block-shaped head. (like a malamute)
Small like doggy paws.

Wolfdog content scale:

Many people use different scales to say what is a low, mid or a high content for a wolfdog. Here is a scale that we like to use.
Low content wolfdogs are 40% and lower (look mostly like a dog)
Mid content wolfdogs are 41% to 80% (will have a mix of both)
High content wolfdogs are 81% to 99% (95% and higher should be truly indistinguishable from a wolf)
Many like to add a little extra wording by adding things such as low mid or upper mid. This isn’t really wolfdog misrepresentation just because they place that in front of the word mid.
Generally speaking, all it is saying is that a low mid wolfdog really isn’t half wolf but a little less and on the same token when they say upper mid it’s saying it is not half wolf but a little more.

This is just a few of the many do’s and do not traits in wolfdog misrepresentation.
All in all, remember if it sounds too good to be true chances are it is.

Favorite quotes:

Two of our favorite sayings 
Well they do howl
and one of our favorites
they howl at the moon. 
Inasmuch as we hate to disappoint everyone but howling, in fact, most breeds can and will do.
As far as howling when there is a full moon well that to does not make one a wolf or a wolfdog and by no means does it make it a werewolf.

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