The wolf is an animal that has always had a great fascination for man. Many dream of being able to approach it at least once in their life or of being able to train a puppy of this large carnivore. This is one of the reasons why the Czechoslovakian wolfdoggiven its resemblance to the wolf, has been enjoying great success for some time. It is a hybrid between a dog and a gray wolf, resulting fromcross between a German Shepherd and a Carpathian wolf (Canis lupus lupus). The latter represent one of the largest and best preserved populations of these carnivores in Europe, managed to survive in excellent conditionsthanks to the isolation of the Carpathian mountain range which extends over a very vast and impervious area from the Czech Republic to Romania. A few male and female specimens of this population were used for a real “experiment” in 1955 aimed at obtaining a new dog breedprecisely the Czechoslovakian Wolfdog. This is the most famous case of a wolf-dog cross, but it is not the only one, considering that there are other breeds obtained from controlled hybridization: examples are the Saarloos wolfdog from the Netherlands, the Italian wolfdog and the Kunming wolfdog originating from China. The Czechoslovakian wolf attracts considerable interest especially in Italy, given that today 19,514 specimens of this breed are registered in our nationequal to approximately 43.47% of the total.
How the Czechoslovakian wolfdog was born: the origins
The first cross between a Carpathian gray wolf and a German shepherd dog was conducted in 1955 by Karel Hartlea colonel in the army of the former Czechoslovak Republic. His intent was to obtain a race equipped with theintelligence and the robustness of the wolf and, at the same time, the versatility and obedience of the German Shepherd. Initially, these dogs were used for surveillance and the patrolling the Czechoslovakian borders during the Cold War. The first specimens were fertile hybrids between dog and wolf and subsequently the subjects resulting from the first generations were backcrossed together. Over time, crossbreeding led to obtaining individuals less aggressive and easier to train compared to the initial hybrids. The experimental crosses were carried out for 10 years and in 1965 a plan for the breeding of this new breed was drawn up.
The International Cynological Federation (FCI), the world organization that classifies dog breeds, only officially defined the standard of the Czechoslovakian wolfdog in 1999, placing it in the category of Sheepdogs. After recognition in 1999, any crossbreeding between wolves and other dog breeds was strictly prohibited.
Character and behavior of the wolfdog: is it a “dangerous” breed?
The character presents a series of peculiarities that go carefully evaluated: when choosing this breed you should not be fascinated only by its wolf-like appearance, but it is necessary to know thenature and aptitudes. He has a very demeanor active And brave: ha need to move a lot on long walks and does not like fences and narrow spaces. It’s a lot fair towards the master from whom he is practically inseparable. He also recognizes the other members of the family unit almost as well elements of the pack because, just like a wolf, he loves being part of a group that adopts very specific rules of hierarchy and coexistence. For this reason He suffers a lot from loneliness which he hardly accepts. If he feels alone he tries to “escape” from any enclosure to find the leader of the pack and his family group. It’s a little impetuous in its manifestations of sociability, also considering the size. He is a demanding dog lots of attentioncorrect education and the presence of the owner with whom he wants to share space and time.
In morphology it definitely resembles a wolfso much so that very often specimens of this breed are mistakenly mistaken for real wolves. Also the color and texture of the fur, as well as the particularly elastic movement are typical of this fascinating carnivore. The male is approximately 65 cm tall withers (the terminal part of the neck) and weighs approximately 26 kg, while the smaller female is approximately 60 cm tall and weighs approximately 20 kg. Overall it is a dog of medium large sizemuscular, with a symmetrical head, well erect ears and amber yellow, “magnetic” eyes almost as much as those of the Wolf. The color of the fur ranges from yellowish-gray to silver-gray.
The genetics of the Czechoslovakian Wolfdog
An international project for the study of genome of this breed, using the most modern genetic analysis techniques. In particular, the genetic distance between specimens of Czechoslovakian wolfdog and specimens of German Shepherd and Carpathian wolf respectively was calculated. It emerged that the genome of Czechoslovakian wolfdogs is a sort of “mosaic” between the genomes of his ancestorswith regions of DNA that are entirely canine and regions that are entirely attributable to wolves. In particular, the genes that express characters related to body size and morphology originate from the wolf, while some genes that express behavioral aspects are of canine origin and have been deliberately selected by the breeders.
A serious one threat which must be absolutely avoided is that of illegal backcrossing of this breed with wolves, with the aim of obtaining specimens that are increasingly similar to the wolf. These hybrids, often sold at a high price, present a serious danger not only for the breed, as it is subjects with unpredictable behavior and genetic defects, but also for the wolf itself since, in the event of escape or abandonment, they could hybridise with wild specimens, seriously threatening the conservation of the natural populations of the species.
