Details for building a Wolfdog enclosure.
Wolfdogs are high maintenance animals and require large and extremely secure enclosures. I recommend at least a 30 x 30 ft. area as a bare minimum. Even a 30′ x 30′ foot pen is a miserably small enclosure for a Wolfdog. Ideally it should be many times larger.
You have to build your enclosure with a heavy steel fence wire 12 gauge or heavier. The fence needs to be 8 ft. high. You need an electrified wire on the bottom to stop attempts to dig under the fence, and a top perimeter electrified wire to prevent climbing. Wolfdogs are escape artists, and can break out very easily. In a very short time they learn to respect the electrified wires. Fence posts need to be anchored in concrete and should be spaced at 8′ intervals or closer.
In winter environments, you need a series of electrified wires running parallel to the bottom wire and separated above the bottom wire every 12″. Electrified wires buried in snow will ground the electric fence system and make it inoperative. The series of higher wires must be high enough so that the highest wire runs above the highest snow line. Electrify the all bottom fence wires with detachable connectors. As the snow levels rise above any bottom wire, you can disconnect it till snow levels recede.
The fence construction and enclosure design should allow for an entrance into a small gated entrance security compound with its own inner gate into the enclosure. The gated compound should be 6′ x 8′ . The gates should all open into the pen. You need two latching systems on the gate to the inner enclosure, one on the inside and the outside of the gate. The reasons are as follows. Wolves learn by observation. They will watch your routines and attempt to escape just as you open the enclosure and before you can get a leash on your animal. If the gate opens in an outward fashion, its much easier for a wolf or a dog to push open the gate. In a single pen enclosure without a security compound where you have more than one animal, two or more can escape by rushing you as you open the gate. If you have an inner and outer compound, they can only escape into the outer compound. Entrance gates need to be wider than any wolf house or equipment you might ever wish to place in the enclosure!
Your routine is then as follows. You enter the security compound and close the outer gate. Only then do you open the gate to the inner compound to enter the pen. No animals can escape. Obviously you reverse the procedure to exit the pen with your Wolfdog on a leash.
Why An Enclosure
A Wolf Zone 1 Wolfdog looks remarkably like a wolf. If found running free the least of your problems will be the police or animal control officers knocking on your door and that will be the beginning of the end of your Wolfdog. The worst that will happen, is that your Wolfdog will be shot, or ran over by a car
You cannot take your Wolfdog with you everywhere you go. Its not practical to take any animal everywhere you go, even if you own a dog. Its not practical to leave your Wolfdog inside alone either, they can be extremely destructive inside the house unsupervised, and can destroy your furniture and other expensive articles inside your home. Its just too easy for the animal to escape and it if it decides to chew, it can do $10,000 dollars damage to your home in just a few minutes. You absolutely have to have a proper enclosure, located in the proper environment, before you can own a Wolfdog. You always need to plan in advance as owning a wolfdog is a lifetime commitment. These animals will only bond to you and your family and it is not practical or ethical to give them away if it does’nt work out. They will almost never bond with a new owner and it would be a cruel intention to try and make them. They are passionate family oriented creatures and in some cases they can grieve themselves to death if seperated from their pack family which is you.
Wolf Toys - Platforms - Shade - water- weather- food
Wolves and wolf dogs like to rest on high ground. Build some platforms at different levels in the centre area of your enclosure, far enough from the fence so that they cannot jump over the fence from the platform. Wolves can jump almost 20′ feet from a standing start. They also need shade. The platform design should allow for both shade and elevation. Therefore the platform itself must have a partial roof or covering of some kind.
Wolves and dogs will play with balls, big and small and things that can role. Invent toys for your Wolfdog. All dogs, wolves included, need company. Your Wolfdog will need company so you need two Wolfdogs or a dog partner for your Wolfdog. Your Wolfdog friend should be of similar size to your Wolfdog and they have to be raised together to insure bonding occurs at an early age.
Wolves and wolfdogs can get hot very quick even in winter. It is important that you have an adequate water supply. They are very strong and can knock over most water bowls. I use a 100 gallon stock tank in each enclosure that I have. This way they can jump into and cool off. It is also too big for them to knock over . Most wolfdogs also love water and like to jump into it a lot. Wading pools are also nice.
Wolf dogs are very adaptable, and can get used to almost any type of living extreme… from the very cold to the very hot. Very humid conditions seems to affect them more than any other in humid states. Make sure you have an unlimited water source for them , and a lot of shaded area.
playing with your wolf dog puppy and adult
(important)…. when playing with your new puppy it is important to remember that they are very strong and and have sharp teeth. They also have sharp claws. A lot of times they can scratch you and cut you with their teeth when playing. But remember…… they play rough , but they are not trying to hurt you. A wolf dog puppy plays with you as it would its puppy brothers and sisters, so you have to set the tone of play. They learn from observing you, as you are their teacher as their parents would be. it is important o supervise play between a wolf dog pup and your young child if you have one , because the pup can scratch and draw blood sometimes just playing.
playing with young adult wolfdog.
Wolfdogs love to play, and they like to play rough , just like you are one of the pack. Never wear good clothes when playing with them, as they love to pull on your clothes and can easily tear them!! I always wear old clothes in case they get torn its no big deal. Remember, when playing with my animals, I get scratched sometimes, because they have sharp teeth and claws. Its usually the claws that get me when we are playing!! Mine love to play tug of war with a rope or old water hose!!
Food
This is always a subject of much controversey. What to feed the wolfdog. I have my own opinion, and its always worked great for me. I feed my animals raw beef or chicken 4 days a week. It needs to be raw not cooked. This is what the animal was designed to eat. I also supplement a good dog fod in there as well, as they ned the grains and vitamins in the dog food too. From what I have witnessed from my own animals is that any dog food alone won’t work. If only eating dog food, their stool is runny because it isn’t getting digested properly. It is also my opinion that without the raw meat in their diet, their lifespan is shortened by a few years. Others will disagree with this idea, but this is my opinion. contrary to popular belief….raw meat does not make them aggressive, I hand feed all of my animals raw meat, and they take it rght out of my hand!!
Mika is an Alaskan Tundra wolf dog.
Mika will likely grow to be 32 to 33 inches at the shoulders.
Mika's fatther, Samson is a 34" , Alaskan Trundra wolfdog.
Mika has a very gentle and sociable personality.
Mika is an Alaskan Tundra wolf dog.
Mika will likely grow to be 32 to 33 inches at the shoulders.
Mika's fatther, Samson is a 34" , Alaskan Trundra wolfdog.
Mika has a very gentle and sociable personality.
In March of 2008 Sedona had her litter of pups. Three female and two male puppies.
Born March 1, 2008. Nearly white wolfdog puppies. Two male and 4 female Puppies.
Born March 1, 2008. Eight puppies, six female and two male puppies, both white.
Sedona
Wolf Photos
