The origin of the Czechoslovakian wolf dog breed is fairly recent. This breed was born around 1955 in what was then Czechoslovakia, where an attempt was made to make a dog breed with the appearance of a wolf but the character of a domestic dog. To do this, German shepherds were crossed with Carpathian wolves. The first experiments were not very convincing as the animals were either too shy or too aggressive. The offspring had to be bred to dilute the wolf blood. The subjects obtained were crossed with German shepherds and the wolf blood was again reduced to 25%.
But the results were very good, a breed was obtained which is able to cover up to 50% more distance than German shepherds without resting, without having its paw pads worn down unevenly as is normally the case with dogs. It has a better sense of direction, more penetrating vision even at night, a better sense of smell and hearing. The coat is also more useful, as it is more insulating.
Since 1989, German Shepherds have no longer been used for breeding, this being entirely made up of the breed, which has also been recognised by the FCI since 1999.
Due to its physique and excellent discipline, this breed has joined the Civil Defence Corps, often performing extreme mountain rescues and various rescue activities.
A curious fact is that the Czechoslovakian wolfdog was used to play the part of the wolf in the famous film “Dances with Wolves” starring actor Kevin Costenr. This wolf was given the nickname of white socks because its white paws stood out against its grey coat, looking like socks.
Today, this dog is often chosen for its beauty and distinctiveness, but it must be chosen by a person who has experience with dogs, especially this breed, and I will discuss this in more detail in the character of the Czechoslovakian wolf.
Character of the Czechoslovakian wolf dog breed
The Czechoslovakian wolf dog is a very active, lively, hardy and intelligent dog that learns easily and reacts very quickly. It has a very strong bond with its owner based on respect, affection and great loyalty, but it needs to see its owner as its pack leader. And the latter must be a good leader, he must have a lot of patience and must know how to impose himself with the right authority, the dog needs to feel that his master is the pack leader.
The relationship with children in general is good, it sees them as the puppies of the pack and therefore to be defended, although you should never leave small children alone with dogs of this size. Especially the females are very attached to the home and to the concept of family, they are very loyal and have a particular sense of protection towards their puppies.
With strangers, however, they are very wary, needing very early socialisation to defuse encounters with other dogs, but normally with this breed the relationships with strangers to the family and with dogs and cats will be a little difficult to manage. The males are especially dominant over the other dogs, but unlike other breeds, males and females of different ages can easily coexist.
It is a lively and very active dog, it needs a lot of movement and suffers from being alone, in fact, as in the pack hierarchy, it wants to be part of the family nucleus which it sees as a pack; if it is excluded it suffers a lot and consequently can create problems by trying in every way to enter it.
As already mentioned, it is not an easy dog to handle, therefore it is never recommended as a first dog, but suitable for experts. If not trained in an optimal way, this dog becomes unmanageable and for this unfortunately, also seen that at the moment it is a fashion dog, and many people buy it for this reason, it is not difficult that some specimens are then taken to the kennels or relegated to a box in the garden.
Appearance of the Czechoslovakian wolfdog breed of dog
The Czechoslovakian wolf dog breed is a very attractive and fashionable breed. Its appearance is magnificent and wild. In terms of body shape, movement and coat, it is very similar to the wolf. In size it is larger than average, and we are faced with a breed that is more agile and elegant than the classic shepherd dog, with balanced and harmonious forms and proportions.
The measurements of a male at the withers are about 65 centimetres for a weight of about 25-26 kilograms, the female usually a little less. It has a rectangular structure, strong but graceful, with a solid constitution. The limbs are long, solid, parallel and straight with the feet slightly turned outwards. The tail is attached high, hanging down in the resting position. It has a harmonious, elongated and light trot, in which the limbs touch the ground as closely as possible.
The head seen from above forms a blunt wedge, the muzzle is blunt almost sharp with rather dry somatic features. The eyes are small and oblique, amber in colour, but with a determined air. The ears are small, thin and triangular. The truffle is pronounced and black in colour.
The coat is strong, smooth, but also soft, thick and resistant, with an abundant undercoat especially during the winter season. There is in fact a big difference between the winter and summer coat. The colour of the coat ranges from yellow-grey to silver-grey with the typical light mask on the muzzle. The coat is also light on the lower part of the neck and chest.
Care and health of the Czechoslovakian wolfdog breed of dog
The Czechoslovakian wolfdog tends to be healthy and hardy, and generally more so than other breeds. It may however suffer from hip dysplasia and degenerative myelopathy, but these are not very common. It has a life expectancy of about 15 years on average.
Its water-repellent coat is able to withstand rain, snow and weather, protecting the dog from the cold and even the heat, although it does not like the sun too much and tends to heat up easily, even suffering heatstroke in particularly hot summers.
As far as the care of the coat is concerned, this is very simple, a good brushing once a week and a few more during the moulting period is sufficient to have a clean and odourless dog, in fact this breed, like many primitive breeds, does not stink.
As far as feeding is concerned, a well-balanced diet, especially during the growth phase, is sufficient to obtain a good adult dog.
