May 22 2008

Raising My Wolf Dog Misha

Published by Barry Haatvedt under Raising Wolfdogs, WolfDog Puppies

Misha at 14 weeks

Misha has doubled or perhaps even trippled in size since she was delivered. Now about 35 lbs, she is showing signs of her eventual stature, tall, strong and beautiful. It took a couple of weeks to stop her from peeing on my bed but she still likes to mouth my hands, arms and legs. Misha is very protective of her toys and her food. I have to feed her by hand to insure that she understands not to growl at me if I go near her food. Misha is extremely strong willed. She likes to hike the forest trails but she is shy with strangers and is desperate to get away from everyone. If I hold her in my arms while talking to friends, it takes about ten minutes before she starts to relax. Misha does not bark, she only howls or cries and that only seldom. She loves to play constantly and our relationship has grown very strong. I am about to build Misha a large enclosure.

Misha Guardian Of The Great Lakes

Misha Video - 11 Weeks:  Watch the VIDEO.

Video: Misha Guards the Great Lakes.   
At 11 weeks, I now have enough confidence to let Misha to wonder a little farther away from me when we are in the forest or hiking the mountains. I am still watching her carefully to see just how far she wants to go on her own. If she wanders to far, she could become lost so its a constant vigil. If she does tend to go too far, I will insist that she stays closer. Its possible that, as she matures, she may want to explore on her own. If so, this will become a problem and our wandering days will be over unless she is on a leash. Barry says that it is not likely that she will wander too far as wolves need the comfort of being in familiar territory and need to stay with the pack.  I hope he is right. If my Weim goes for a wander its not so bad. If  my wolf goes for a ’walk about’ on  her own, it will become a very dangerous situation for her and for me. I carry her favouite treats and I reward her every time she comes when called. This is my insurance for the future. I have even experimenting with a silent whistle but I don’t think it works as Misha ignores it or is not aware of it.  View photos of Misha playing on the northern shores of the Great Lakes.

 Otherwise, my relationship with Misha is growing stronger. When we are alone together, she is almost all puppy in her actions and play. You can see her playful nature in the video clip above. She has begun to show affection instead of always puppy biting me. She plays constantly, pulling at my pant leg or prancing around playing tag.  This is encouraging. When necessary, I carry her over my shoulders, holding her front feet in my left hand and her hind feet in my right. In this position, Misha is literally wrapped around my neck and resting her chest on my shoulders. I developed this technique with my German Short Haired pointer named Gunner. She liked this carry position and so does Misha. Her face is at the same level as mine as I carry her so  its not to hard for her to give me a kiss, which she has now started to do occasionally. (Posted by Barry for ‘Outlander’).

Misha 10 weeks: Misha at ten weeks See photos of Misha . Misha is all puppy and growing  fast.  When we are alone, she plays, chews and bounces around just like any puppy. She is very strong and strong willed too. Unlike a dog, she reverts to being a shy forest creature when ever I take her to a busy place. On the other hand she is at home in the forest. We go on long walks into the hills and she follows me every where and explores the bush around me.

I often take my other dogs with me on walks. Misha is very attached to my dogs and follows them everywhere.

I feed Misha kibble during the day but each evening I feed her raw beef. My butcher loves me!  Misha has become more attached to me but even more determined to resist exposure to other people.  This is a concern and one of the major differences between a wolf and a dog. See photos of Misha at ten weeks.  (Posted by Barry for ‘Outlander’).  

Misha arrived - Seven Weeks Of Age - Day #1 :

My lifelong dream has come true. I left my wilderness home to travel to a distant city airport to pick up my long awaited wolf.  By

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