Wolfdog.org forum - View Single Post - Anyone have experience with a purebred wolf?

Gypsy Wolf · 04-01-2011, 01:25

I am not looking to add to the local population either, though one of the things that other ethologists have discussed with me is how my study could positively impact the wild wolf's plight with habitat loss as well as overall health studies.
For istance I did an involved project for my degree about rehabilitating the FL Alligator - part of the study involved behavior of the species (it ended up not to be a successful venue as alligators relocated even thousands of miles away will eventually return to their home ponds) - with wolves, we have a serious issue of inability to adapt to human "pressure" in an environment. And what better way to study this that to study the intimate behavior?
Another thing is nutrition and evnironmental impact on immunity and orthopedics. I don't know of anyone who feeds raw (they tout mimicing natural diet, which, in most cases is not accurate as dogs evolved eating our refuse, not organic, pristine cuts of meat and fresh veggies) who has any studies on how "good" (or bad) joints in the wild population are. They always say "wolves don't get HD" - no - because they die at like 5 years old in the wild... but there are no x-rays backing this up that I have ever seen.
So if the wild wolves are my control group, my own wolf would be the study subject.
Again, my plan is to volunteer first - then perhaps I can convince the refuge and UFL to get involved in a study - maybe I will even find a dog food company to sponsor it, but I would HAVE to start with a "clean slate" at some point. I also would like to have another ethologist or two to help out, as I do not want my observations skewed, but seconded or refuted by others involved in the study.
Perhaps we will find something no one else has uncovered - that's what the purpose is - perhaps wolves, like humans, base mate choice on genetics and scent - or maybe it's courtship behaviors or simply geography - no one knows. And even simple studies like this can often be applied to other mammals...
And who knows, perhaps just this sort of study will help wild wolves...
For instance, Sea World's captive Penguin population were not breeding until some "genius" pointed out that their light phase in the enclosure was NORTHERN and not Southern, and when they changed it, the birds began breeding - all from one scientist who studied penguin breeding and the photoperiod...
This likely will be a plan of the future - not any time soon. In the meantime I am quite happy studying the behavior I see in my vlcak. She is not quite "dog" but not "wolf" either and I have been keeping detailed records on her behavior. Not sure what, if any, purpose this will have in the future, but it satisfies my desire to unravel the mystery of how the dog evolved from the wolf, and certainly adds to my dog-training experience and communication. And maybe someday to a bigger picture.

04-01-2011, 01:25	#27
Gypsy Wolf Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Florida & Minnesota U.S. Posts: 252	I am not looking to add to the local population either, though one of the things that other ethologists have discussed with me is how my study could positively impact the wild wolf's plight with habitat loss as well as overall health studies. For istance I did an involved project for my degree about rehabilitating the FL Alligator - part of the study involved behavior of the species (it ended up not to be a successful venue as alligators relocated even thousands of miles away will eventually return to their home ponds) - with wolves, we have a serious issue of inability to adapt to human "pressure" in an environment. And what better way to study this that to study the intimate behavior? Another thing is nutrition and evnironmental impact on immunity and orthopedics. I don't know of anyone who feeds raw (they tout mimicing natural diet, which, in most cases is not accurate as dogs evolved eating our refuse, not organic, pristine cuts of meat and fresh veggies) who has any studies on how "good" (or bad) joints in the wild population are. They always say "wolves don't get HD" - no - because they die at like 5 years old in the wild... but there are no x-rays backing this up that I have ever seen. So if the wild wolves are my control group, my own wolf would be the study subject. Again, my plan is to volunteer first - then perhaps I can convince the refuge and UFL to get involved in a study - maybe I will even find a dog food company to sponsor it, but I would HAVE to start with a "clean slate" at some point. I also would like to have another ethologist or two to help out, as I do not want my observations skewed, but seconded or refuted by others involved in the study. Perhaps we will find something no one else has uncovered - that's what the purpose is - perhaps wolves, like humans, base mate choice on genetics and scent - or maybe it's courtship behaviors or simply geography - no one knows. And even simple studies like this can often be applied to other mammals... And who knows, perhaps just this sort of study will help wild wolves... For instance, Sea World's captive Penguin population were not breeding until some "genius" pointed out that their light phase in the enclosure was NORTHERN and not Southern, and when they changed it, the birds began breeding - all from one scientist who studied penguin breeding and the photoperiod... This likely will be a plan of the future - not any time soon. In the meantime I am quite happy studying the behavior I see in my vlcak. She is not quite "dog" but not "wolf" either and I have been keeping detailed records on her behavior. Not sure what, if any, purpose this will have in the future, but it satisfies my desire to unravel the mystery of how the dog evolved from the wolf, and certainly adds to my dog-training experience and communication. And maybe someday to a bigger picture.