Dog Crate End Table - Saves space!

What a good idea! Of course Tundra would need something larger but still an excellent idea for smaller breeds.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/48186606/dog-crate-end-table?ref=cat3_gallery_3

LOL

Treat/Bubber Bone

Tundra (6 weeks old)

The "red bone" is the very first toy we ever bought Tundra. She was so small when we first bought her that she didn't even have the neck muscles to pick up the red bone.

If I were to rewind time I would have waited til she was at least 4-5 months old to have bought this toy but it's a great toy after that age!

The picture to the right is Tundra, 6 weeks old, with her red bone... she can smell the liver treats...

This KONG Goodie Bone Dog Toy - Large is the same as the one we purchased (except in black). It has holes on both ends of the bone to allow a spot for treats.

It does have a bit of a strong rubber smell so Tundra didn't like it at first to chew when teething but once we washed it a dozen times it eventually took on more of a food flavor from the liver treats we put in both ends. I find its like giving a soother to a kid because, like a child, we give her a bone as a treat before bed if she's good.

We also heard that it is very unhealthy to give your dog rawhide as (thank you, Google): 

"When rawhide is again wetted, usually when your pet salivates over it, it will slowly regain it's original size.  When your pet tears off and swallows a piece, that piece then has the potential to swell inside your dog's stomach.  Your dog's gastric juices CAN NOT break down the rawhide.  Once swollen, the piece then has the potential to cause anything from mild to severe gastic upset - to death."

So this is what our bone looks like after 10 months (and several hundred times later). Click the photo to get an enlarged picture of the rubber wolf-hybrid dog toy.

Pros:

• Strong rubber strength 
• Nice treat (and challenge) for wolf-hybrids
• Keeps them quiet & content
• Perfect size for her mouth
• Great for liver treats and peanut butter
• Can train your wolf-hybrid to "go get rubber bone"

Cons:

• Lots of hair sticks to the rubber, you have to wash it often
• Your dog could potentially swallow chunks of the rubber. Tundra doesn't have that bad habit (she just likes to destroy)
• Strong Rubber smell when first purchased (but wore off with use)

Tundra's FAVORITE toy! Strong enough for a wolf!!!!

When we were first teaching Tundra to fetch we were told to use two balls as she will go to get the ball and then return when she sees you have another one... all excited she drops it because she knows you'll throw it again for her. Worked like a charm! It also helped with the "come" command as she loved the ball so much she wouldn't leave our side when we were lucky enough to get it back from her.

After visiting the vet, we were also told never to give a dog (or wolf) a tennis ball as it acts like an SOS pad with the texture when they gnaw on the ball for their teeth. This can cause rapid filling off of important K-9 teeth and is not good for healthy, strong teeth.

So Jason, being the crazy researchers (aka NERDS) that we are found these CHUCK IT balls. We saw these in Superstore (I think) for $19.99 and couldn't seem to find dog balls without that texture of a tennis ball ANYWHERE else... I'm a little chocked later to find the Chuckit! Ultra Ball Dog Toy here for $7.99 for the same TWO balls!!!

Wolf-hybrids have very very strong jaws for a large breed and these balls stand up to my dog. As this is her favorite toy, you can imagine how much it gets a work out.

We also purchased Chuckit! Ultra Ball Launcher Dog Toy (the long red contraption in the photo of Tundra to the left). This launcher is amazing for how far you can throw the ball and of course the fact that you NEVER have to touch the NASTY ASS SLIMY DOG SPIT BALL!

These balls are amazing because they are CRAZY bouncy, even higher than a regular tennis ball! It also gives this breed of dog, a wolf-hybrid, a challenge which with their high intelligence level is VERY IMPORTANT!!!

My next purchase for Tundra as a stocking stuffer will be the Chuckit! The Whistler Dog Toys, the Chuckit! Erratic Ball Dog Toys (because of the cuts on this ball it does random bouncing that Tundra will LOVE!!!).

I'll write reviews when I get these puppies in the mail & Report back to my readers!

The FURMINATOR is the best dog brush for my wolf-hybrid's hair!

I first saw this brush on Dooce.com before I EVEN owned a dog and I always made a mental note that if I ever owned a dog someday (never really ever saw myself owning one before perhaps because I've never owned one growing up) I would buy that brush and see if it was really all the rave; especially if Heather B. Armstrong says its great!

I youtube.com researched the video (Because I think Jason & I are a little OCD about researching before purchasing), and the videos were very convincing. We figured, why not give it a shot given how much it's been backed. We honestly were really surprised by how well it works on Tundra, even though she loves to eat the hair as we brush her :) I guess even good tools have their drawbacks lol. You can view the video below for a demonstration or click here to purchase your own FURminator.

If you have any requests of products (anything from balls to ropes and remote toys) that you want to see "Tundra-proofed" drop us a line. We'll do our best to purchase one and let the picture you see below run wild :)

Tundra, my wolf-hybrid, loves her FURminator (Alaskan-Tundra wolf crossed with Timber Wolf and a small percentage of Malamute, German Shepard, and White Shepard). This brush is perfect for this breed. Tundra has the typical Malamute tail and because her coat is so thick and heavy it sheds a lot all over the friggen house!!! This breed would be a lot more upkeep if it wasn't for the FURminator brush.

Here is a picture of Tundra bringing me the brush

I think my wolf is an artist!

A wolf in her natural surroundings

This was Tundra's first time at the river. Unfortunately the area we went to had a lot of people randomly showing up and a lot of bikers (Tundra's FAVORITE to chase next to quaders) so we had to keep her on leash.

If I could go back in time I would have worn my swim suit and gone in the water to encourage her to go in deeper because as you can see the above photos are as deep as we could get her to go without her freaking out.

But I did teach her how to shake off by using hand signals and the work 'shake' repeatedly... she caught on very fast and seems to learn faster with hand signals alone or signals and words combined than just words...

Click on the photos above to enlarge them

Harness verses neck coller

I'm thinking of purchasing a harness leash for Tundra. Any suggestions? Anyone?

I have a pinch collar for obedience training as well as a chock chain. Tundra never really needed the pinch collar as much as she needed the chock chain. Now that she's older and better at walking I'm thinking that perhaps a "Dog Whisperer" advice of having a harness is better for their neck.

Our breeder says that wolves have a lot of muscle in their necks so you don't do any long term damage but I can only image that a harness is better and easier on them.

Any advice?

Bladder Control

ARG! So this morning getting dressed Tundra starts to whine at the door to go out... I'm half naked so I'm in the process of getting my clothes on to get her outside to do her business and she jumped up on our bed this morning and started peeing! GREAT WAY TO START OUT THE DAY! Thank goodness for duvet covers.

That reminds me ... I'll have to remember to switch over the laundry when I get home.

Hopefully you had a laugh... I can now that it's over ;)

Blessed with having a dog that only really barks when she sees people getting too close to the house, it's also a curse in the fact that on the patio she doesn't get vocal when she has to do her business.

Thinking back on the past 8 months... I've picked up enough poop that a dirty diaper doesn't seem so bad *LOL*

Just wanted to note that I love all of the positive feedback we've been getting from other wolf owners!!

What to do with a territorial wolf dog...

Lately we've been wondering what to do with our wolf-hybrid, Tundra. We are in the dilemma of socializing her more with other people so that she's used to other humans and learns to get along. I am constantly worried that Tundra might bite someone as she's not too shy to let people know if she doesn't like them (she'll act like shes about to bite, raised hair, sometimes shows teeth).

Tundra is great with other dogs as she's used to our landlords 4 wolves/German Shepards. Tundra is surprisingly very good around children (Children as young as 3 so far she's been exposed to). When saying that she's good around kids, I mean the kids that don't take interest in her -- not the children that pull on her, poke her etc.
In  fact, while camping this last weekend, our little wolf took to the two 10 year old boys shooting arrows and finding bugs in the woods; like a protector not leaving their sides.

So when we had people starting to come over to our place (we don't entertain very often) it was embarrassing when Tundra wouldn't stop barking, growling and showing defensive actions towards our company. Its mostly our fault because we don't have people over very often but when the second time we had company over outside (not inside the house) it was still really bad. So after talking to our friend (breeder & trainer) about this behavior we were told to give her a "time out" like you would a kid.

We have an outdoor kennel that she can stay in and still see us but she's not allowed to come out and join us.

We haven't had people over here since but next time I'll let you know if she smartens up!

I had a person write me and let me know they've adopted a wolf-pup from a rescue. I have to say my heart goes out to you both for being so wonderful and taking such a tough breed in. Hopefully your pup was well socialized and has a very easy transition.

I won't lie, wolf-hybrids can be VERY difficult to raise as they are SO smart, fast, tough and a large breed. Its actually a bit humoring as to how much like having a kid (or so I can imagine) this breed is to raise.

Tundra 8 months old

Sorry everyone! When I took this video I said she's 7 mnths old.... well.... she's now 8 mnths old... amazing how time flys!

My best friend

Ever since she was a baby wolf pup, she would always go in between my legs. This is a GOOD SIGN as it shows that she's inferior to you and its also a way they show affection.

If your wolf-pup goes in between you legs, don't discourage it. Even at 8 months old she still goes in between my legs... even if I'm wearing a dress haha.

The "down shirt" shot is a bonus, btw. Haha! Now you'll look if you didn't already. Cheers!

Thinking of taking our wolf kayaking...

It can be done: http://www.sit-on-topkayaking.com/Articles/Instruction/KayakingPets.htm

But its honestly more of a question of whether there will be enough room for her since she's sooo big!

Either way I'll make sure to have a harness, and a doggy life jacket if I do try. Plus when I kayak it's always on a calm lake just off of shore.

Tempted to start feeding her SPAM

I think we need to increase the size of Tundra's eating dish & drinking bowl because I swear that girl is a camel & a lion.

Also a note that I tried to pick her up the other day and almost fell over. She's huge. Time for a picture update.

Alright the photo to the right is of Tundra today... which means she's 8 months old in that picture. Sorry I didn't get a face shot, lets just say we won't be doing month 10 unless Jason's helping me.

I do apologize, we don't have a scale to weigh her but when she was 6 months old she was 50 lbs. If I had to guess I would say she's in between 65-70 lbs. at 8 months old.

We spend about $60 dollars a month on dog food. We still feed her iiams puppy formula & the puppy wet. We feed her probably 7 cups of dry and we starve her once a week (usually a Thurs/Friday). Yes...its actually healthy to starve your wolf once a week. If you have an event that she or he needs to be an angel for, make sure you starve them the night before and have tons of treats on you. She'll be by your side the entire time!

(Click picture to enlarge)

Hundry Wolf Hybrid Puppy 6 weeks old

I just realized I forgot to post the most popular YouTube movie into this blog!
Ever since we've had our little baby wolf she's been very very vocal about dinner time. It's not a good habit to have your wolf in because it's a form of begging but at 6 weeks old, Tundra would be very vocal when we were mixing the wet in with the dry.

You are the pack leader who gives to the rest of the pack their share of the food when you are done eating. This is why feeding your dog after you have already eaten is very important. Because Tundra was so young in this video, correcting her on begging or being "vocal" she was too young (wait til they are around 3 months to start the discipline with begging).

I miss our little wolf being this tiny! Enjoy!

Feeding Habits for a wolf-hybrid

I guess I should mention that from the beginning of the 7th month we only now feed Tundra once a day (about 7 cups). We were told when we first got her to feed her in the morning and at night. Now she' is only eating at night and only AFTER we eat (part of the way you should raise wolves as being the dominant one).

I'm still feeding her the iias and the wet puppy food like when we first got her but since she's had all her shots and she's not a baby anymore I'm also now feeding her:

• Rice
• Chicken
• Medium-Rare Steak (doesn't sit well)
• Carrots
• Dog treats
• Corn on the Cob (They can eat the entire thing)

Anxiously awaiting our arrival

I spent Wednesday night at my Moms in Vernon this last week. When Jason came home he said Tundra ran as fast as she could to the gate and started wagging her tail thinking that her "Mom" was coming behind Jason. Jason said "No, Mom's not there" so she ran as fast as she could to the front door and looked around there only to hear Jason laughing saying "Nope, not there either" before she finally ran to greet him. I'm thankful that I was able to have our wolf when I was laid off as I was able to raise her full time. When you get a wolf-hybrid (especially high content wolves) you should get them at 4 weeks old. At this age they don't remember anything but you.
To hear that she wanted to greet me SO badly is very heart warming.

This morning she jumped up on the bed and smacked me with her paw (her favorite way to get attention). Her favorite time each morning is the time when she gets to jump up into bed with us in the morning. Shes only allowed on her Green blanket which is funny to say to her "Stay on the green, our lil golfer" after patting the bed to the area she's allowed to lay on she'll smack both of her paws down and give us attitude with a bark-ish howl. She listens or she loses her privileges of being on the bed. When you know that your wolf knows what you're saying (especially with biting, obeying, etc.) don't ask anymore with things she should KNOW, just discipline or they will always test you.

Our Return from Puerto Vallarta

Well we made it back from Mexico. The first thing we did when we got home at 2:30am was try and see if our dog was in her outdoor kennel. Our landlord/dog sitter had her in with her Mom. Celina is very hard to catch if she gets out of her kennel and because she's not fixed catching her when she's pregnant is impossible as when wolves become pregnant they go off to look for a den to have their pups.

Male wolves are like real men -- they lose their minds when they are around females in heat. To have a wolf of this breed, you just have to be aware of these tendencies. Male wolves can become aggressive to other males (and sometimes other females & humans) when they are around a female dog/wolf in heat.

So after only having a couple hours of sleep we ventured out early morning to see our little angel. She was soooo excited to see us both, it was very cute.

We will update later with more pictures and stories.

Wolves eyes glow

You always hear of wolves eyes glowing in the dark so to see it first hand with our little wolf is amazing. This picture kind of got that gleam she gets in the dark when the light hits her eyes the right way.

Miss Tundra's surgery went well... in fact it was hard to keep her jumping around like "Tiger" off of Winnie the pooh she was jumping around whereas the vet had warned us that she might be groggy from the medication. Yup, not this wolf! I was worried she might rip something the massive amounts of energy she has. I understand now why Keyhan runs his wolves with his quad.

Tundra is going to be looked after by Keyhan the next week as Jason and I are taking our white pale complexion to Mexico this week. To be honest, I think Tundra will probably like Keyhan looking after her even more than us as she gets to hang out with the other dogs & gets run every day with the quad.

I understand now why people say that you should always take your dog every day for at least 40 minute walks as their temperament changes so much -- calmer, more obedient... I've even noticed the difference. Yesterday we took Tundra off leash on a hike down the property and she was a little angel when we called her, she would come running. The trick is to have treats for that one but she will eventually get used to coming when called and I often call her without treats now.

Liver treats are the most inexpensive and desired treats to wolves! All you need to do is boil it. Cheers!

Tundra - 6 Months old - Improvement Goals & Forth Comings

What is it like to own a high content wolf-hybrid? This breed is smart! So I figured I would compile a list of some things that Tundra has learned, needs improvement on and other things every six months.

Things She CAN do:

• Sit
• Laydown
• Speak & "Say Please"
• Shake a Paw
• Belly (Laydown while exposing the belly)
• Stay (half the time)
• Open doors (apparently)
• Walk Nicely
• Potty Trained
• Certified Bug Eater/ Exterminator
• Not to jump up when serving her food
• She'll retrieve a ball/frisbee already

Things she needs IMPROVEMENT on over the next 6 months:

• Stay
• Come
• Stay "Off"'

Words she understands:

• Food/Hungry/Eat
• "Water"
• "Don't Bite"
• "Gentle", "Take it nice" (feeding food from hands)
• "Belly", Laydown, Sit, Paw, Speak (Say Please)
• "No Speak", "No"
• "Kennel"
• "Go to bed"
• "Shoes"
• Her Toys: "Slipper","Ball","Football", Frisbee","Red Bone"
• "Leash", "Off Leash"
• "Go Play","Go Get it"
• "Come" (she knows she just doesn't listen)
• Pee & Poop (Jason says the foul version of poop)
• "Tail"
• "Jump up", "Down","Off"
• Nicknames 8 +: "Miss Tundra","Miss Thang", "Stinker" almong others

Some things I'm HOPING She'll learn by 1 year:

• Walking without a leash (she does this now only on our property with us)
• Putting her toys away (haven't yet attempted)
• Close the door after herself
• The food on nose trick (Jason had his old dog [Boston Terrier] learn that trick)
• Get Jason a Beer (nah, I'm kidding, she'd help herself too)

For being only 6 months old, that's a pretty impressive list of things a dog can do. I might have missed a few things as its all off the top of my head but think about it... a human baby at six months can only crap itself and drool... wolves have to learn fast in the wild in order to survive. High content Wolf-Hybrids are a very intelligent breed. They can be a bit harder to train because, unlike dogs,  they  seek your respect/friendship every day... its hard to explain until you experience what it's like to live with a wolf.

Tundra has surgery tomorrow :(

So, our little Tundra has to go into surgery tomorrow to get spade. Im sure everything will work out ok but I still feel bad for the little fella, at least these things are now usually routine.

For anyone else planning to get your dog spade/neutered, the vet advised us of the following:

1) Get your pet done at almost exactly 6 months if at all possible. We had to book a month in advance, however, Im not sure if this is common for all veterinarians. Either way, I'd advise calling ahead to make sure you can get their appointment close to the date. The reason... is a great segway for tip #2 :)

2) Have the surgery done before she starts going into heat. Once the dog first starts going in heat it increases the chances of diseases (like cancer) and causes additional strain on the pup. That's why we were advised by our local vet to get her done around the 6 month mark to avoid any complications.

3) The night before the surgery ie: Tonight for us :(
Make sure to feed them no later than 5 pm the night before (water is fine) and take away their water in the morning. They need to have an empty tummy before they can perform the operation.

Hopefully tomorrow goes smooth - wish us luck! We don't normally leave Tundra alone with strangers overnight, so I can only hope she behaves herself the same way she does at home :) She's a real sweetie, I can't wait to bring her home safe and sound!

Good night and thanks for reading!

Challenges faced when raising a high content wolf-hybrid / Suggestions before owning a wolf

Hi Isaac! Thank you for your note! I must admit I've been busy and haven't had much time to write updates on our Raising Tundra blog... Tundra is getting spayed on tomorrow as she's already 6 months old! Enjoy having a puppy as they grow alarmingly fast!

I've noticed that our little wolf didn't hear very well until both of her ears stood up so keep that in mind and have lots of patience with your pup. One thing I would recommend is when you pick up your little wolf pup make sure you have a tiny little kennel for him. Tundra to this day loves to hide in small spaces and loved her tiny little kennel until she grew out of it. From the small kennel she had we automatically upgraded her to her full adult sized kennel and I noticed that she doesn't like being in it. So if you can afford to keep slowly upgrading kennel size as he grows, that would be one recommendation (you can also find used kennels for a decent price). If not, at least make sure that you have a smaller sized kennel for the first couple months if possible. Reading online a dog should only have enough room to turn around in a kennel. If I had my time back, I would have slowly increased the size of her kennel instead of jumping her from a small puppy kennel to a full-sized adult.

For food, I was told to feed Miss Tundra as much as she can eat for the first 3-4 months, in saying that I've heard stories of other pups (male) from the same litter (same Mom & Dad of your new addition) that are abnormally HUGE... now what/how much the person was feeding that wolf-hybrid? Your guess is as good as mine but he was the size of a 5 month old by 3 months and we wonder what that person was feeding him! Males can get very large as if you've ever seen Simba (Dad) in real life, standing on his back legs he's taller than I am (I'm 5' 5") yet Tundras Mom (Celina) was the runt of her litter. Be prepared, especially if you're getting a male, that he will be a big boy!

As for food, iiams puppy wet & iiams puppy dry is what you should be feeding your wolf as switching dog food can give your dog diarrhea. If this happens two days in a row, starve your wolf for a day and then feed him boiled chicken and rice for dinner that night. If persists, a vet visit. Only feed the dog water/vet milk (feeding a wolf-hybrid pup normal human milk can kill it).

With Wolf-Hybrids I would strongly suggest to get yours neutered. Wolves behavior will change if you don't spay or neuter so if you want their behavior to be consistent this is another recommendation. To be around the male Alaskan Tundra Wolf this year with Celina in heat he was VERY over protective and ready to snap at ANYTHING that came near his female. He will challenge ANY male dog that comes near her... that being said if you decide not to neuter him please be very careful with him around other male dogs -- especially if there is a female around that is in heat.

To potty train your wolf, if you live close enough that you can kennel train your wolf-hybrid, this is what I would suggest. Unfortunately because we live 35 minutes from work we weren't able to do that and it was very hard to get her fully potty trained as she was used to being able to do her business on her mat in section of the house we blocked off for her. Saying that, make sure that they always have water to drink in their kennel. If you can let him out for a pee just before leaving for work and then coming home at lunch time/after work the dog should be able to hold their bladder after a couple months. I was lucky (or unlucky) enough to be unemployed when we first got our wolf-hybrid so I was able to be home full time for the first 3 months of having her.

Also, make sure you have a secure fenced yard. Recently we heard that a pup from Bandit/Celina's litter (less content wolf & more German Shepard) got shot by a neighbor. It makes me angry to even share this because that wolf-hybrid looked more like his Dad who was a full German Shepard. I could understand if it was from Simba/Celinas litter looking so much like a wolf thinking it was wild and after cattle but if you don't know for sure, your pet could be killed mistaking it for a wild wolf.

As for shots/vaccines you can treat a wolf-hybrid like a normal dog. It is recommended that you don't take the dog into public and have people handling him/her until she/he has final shots. If you let just anyone pet and handle a wolf-hybrid from a pup, it could get a disease and die young.

Get your wolf-hybrid used to its paws, ears, teeth, tail being pulled, pocked, touched etc. If you do this they will be used to the human contact from a young age and should be better with younger kids if pocked and pulled on.



And finally... if you've never owned a dog before (let alone a high content wolf-hybrid), I would recommend getting a female as they don't challenge you as much. Even to this day, Tundra will challenge us and push her limits. Shes not like a dog that will just listen to every command, this breed is very intelligent and will analyze EVERYTHING before making a decision. Male dogs will try and dominate you so you will have to be firm with your commands/training. Do not get a wolf-hybrid if you're looking for an easy breed to raise. We love our little wolf but she is not always obedient (she is still young yet). Do not get a high-content wolf hybrid if you don't have the time every day to dedicate to training and attention. Keep the dog close and around you as these are PACK animals that need that bond, don't lock the wolf-hybrid in a room by itself if you need time for yourself have it in a kennel near you.

Hope that helps, Isaac, you're welcome to keep in touch if you have any questions. If I don't know that answers I will ask our breeder/trainer as he has trained over 2,500 dogs/wolf-hybrids and is full of knowledge.

Raising Tundra to 6 months old...

Tundra is now 6 months old and has her appointment to get spayed. We decided to go with the laser surgery they have for dogs now where they use lasers instead of cutting with knifes which help the procedure be less painful. I've never owned a dog before... other dog owners haven't heard of it yet so it must be a state-of-the-art technique.

The other night our little wolf was dog-sat by our amazing friends (and wolf-trainer) Keyhan of SunValleyWolfKennels.com and the breeders of Tundra. Keyhan has little time so he puts his Wolves and German Shepard on a lease attached to his quad. This way the dogs and wolf-hybrids get exercise they need during the day.

Keyhan said Tundras very large fathers' first impression of the quad was to attack it. He's now used to it and looks forward to his runs. Having heard this reaction to exercising a dog I was curious to see how Tundra would react. Tundra was very good, mostly because the other dogs were used to it and she wanted to fit in with the pack. She didn't show fear for long as soon as she was used to the noise and watching the other packs reaction to the situation.

While Tundra was being looked after she ran with the dogs a couple time x a couple kilometers... she was exhausted but soo happy and content. Now I've heard that running wolves/dogs too young can cause hip conditions later in life in some breeds. I trust Keyhans judgement on this breed as I have no idea. If wolves run at this age in the wild, I'm not going to restrict my wolf-hybrid to that pleasure.

I managed to snap a couple of pictures of Tundra with her Mom & Dad below:

Wolf-hybrid the carrot eater!

Lots to report on!

Tundra has now lost all her baby teeth and now has a full set of adult teeth. I ended up saving a lot of her baby teeth I would find. I think I vacuumed up the last one accidentally this weekend.

Tundra is not a vicious dog so our trainer/friend said we just need to use a chock collar on her. Our largest hurdles with Miss Tundra so far is:
Jumping up, getting her to "come" when we're outside, listening...
Shes really smart... apparently too smart in some cases because unlike a dog, she will THINK before she obeys a command... our trainer tells us that dogs don't think they just DO whereas wolves always think and evaluate their circumstances before executing what THEY decide to do.

Tundra has an outside kennel near the other wolves. She is now an escape artist as she attempted to dig her way out and succeeded in digging a small hole... if she were any smaller she would be free! We fixed it with a big rock but chicken wire under dirt will also correct this new bad habit.

Now in saying that Tundra isn't vicious, she's VERY protective of her home. Our landlords informed us that when one of the ladies came to take some readings from our meter, she saw Tundra and remarked "What a beautiful puppy" as she was heading over to pet Tundra. As soon as she spoke those words Tundra showed her teeth and started to growl at the lady wanting to pet her.

Yess!! We've succeeded in having a protector! Exactly what I want if I take her for walks when Bears are out or if someone attempts to break into our house/yard.

Our little wolf-hybrid is also at the stage now where she doesn't like to be alone anytime. She wants to be in the bathroom when I'm in the bathroom, laying in bed when we are etc. Its almost like the 2 year old stage that children go through.

And like having kids... I let out a huge sigh this morning coming outside to find my new bamboo rug for under our table set already chewed... you can't have nice things when you have puppies/kids.

Tundra's favorite treats are liver, chicken, wieners and CARROTS! haha yes... she loves the crunch noise of eating a carrot.

A couple weekends ago we were invited out to sit by the fire with the other wolves/German Shepards...
Tundra didn't need to be on leash until it was too dark to have her roaming... she loved it! I'm still kicking myself that my camera battery was dead and we didn't get any decent pictures of her and her parents!
More bon fires to come as the days slowly get warmer. This morning in APRIL it snowed!! I do believe it will be the last snow fall of the year. It better be!

Not fully grown yet.... wolf-hybrids get big, fast!

My little wolf-hybrid loves to run...

I was worried the first time Tundra and I went for a run because I heard that you're not supposed to run dogs or wolves before they're a year old as they could develop hip problems earlier on. I talked to our breeder/trainer about this and he said that a run was good for her muscles as long as you're not too hard on her.

First of all, I don't run... I only believe you should run if you're either a) being chased by something MUCH larger than you or with the means to rip your body apart upon catching you or b) if you're pushing yourself with all your might to get to catch the mailman/garbage man/bus or c) if you JOG like I do... then running yourself to the last personal goal. I jog... it could also be done with a fast walk speed.

The first time I took Tundra for a run we went around where we live. There are very few cars/people/dogs and she needs to get used to how I want to train her to walk (with me, slightly ahead but always in eye shot of me). At five months its essential to teach her not to pull either otherwise when she is full size she'll be the one dictating where you're going or pulling so hard you could break something.

Lets just upload a picture here to show you what she looks like at 5 months old. She's already the size of a largerish medium sized dog... she's a female too so if you're thinking of getting a male wolf-hybrid they can be HUGE. Simba is already taller than me if he stands up on his two back paws and I'm 5' 5".

I thought for sure that Tundra would give some signs as to when she wanted to stop walking but she was eager to go anywhere for any length of time. I started her off on going downhill then uphill on the way home and that night she looked like she was drunk as her little legs were so tired... so I eased off but she hasn't been as tired as that first jog. That night our little wolf was dead to the world laying on her blanket in bed with us.

Tundra hasn't been allowed to be up on our bed for long periods of time because she can never be good and let us watch our shows but lately within the past 2 weeks she has gone almost 3 hours (her longest) being a very good girl laying down and not trying to smack us with her paws or howl at us.

That was another debate we had before we got a dog... let alone a wolf-hybrid... would we let our dog sleep in bed with us or would we let her up on the bed at all? We've both been in agreement that from the beginning, Tundra sleeps in her kennel. Shes a very very large breed and to share a bed with not only Jason the bed hog but Tundra the even larger bed hog??? No friggen way!

She's allowed up on the bed but only when she lays on her own special "Tundra" blanket... she does tend to try and creep to our blanket at times...

Speaking of which... I must run and switch over laundry.

Tundra, my little spider eater wolf

Haha Tundra has come in handy! Yesterday I saw a spider on the ceiling (which is a common thing around here being up in the mountains) so I swatted it down with a boot and called to Tundra.

Spying the spider she jumped on the spider both paws landing SMACK on the spider squishing it dead. Then she ate it. No legs left over haha!

How to stop your dog from pulling... oh - and Tundra is a destroyer of bugs!

Today I want to talk about how to stop your dog from pulling on her leash. Its a frustrating problem most people have with new pets, and its one Im still struggling with myself.

Tundra learned a lot this weekend, two interesting things were:

1) How to hunt and kill bugs (This is more of a funny story than anything)

2) How to NOT pull on the leash (I know many people have problems with this - so let's address how to correct it)

I'll start with the first - mainly because its kinda funny ;)

We live out in the country side, so Tundra hasn't experienced a ton of "new environments". We are slowly getting her used to it by driving her into the country, but she seems to have a fascination with anything that moves - and moves quickly. Thankfully, this does not include cars - but it does include animals, bugs and anything else that runs, crawls or flies. Training her to catch them was rather simple, we just needed bait :) Anytime a bug would come into the house, instead of catching it ourselves - we simply let Tundra do the catching for us. She sees the creature run along the floor and within seconds theres a paw, a pull and some random chewing noises. What actually impressed me wasn't the fact she could catch bugs like spiders, ants and so forth - but flying critters like Moths. Im a bit afraid how its going to go in the summertime when hornets are active but Im sure she'll figure out which ones stings before too long.

Unfortunately - as I mentioned above she also likes to chase cats around the yard, which brings us up to our second point from above (and how to fix it). If your dog is pulling while on leash, the proper correction is a very hard pull WHILE the leash is tight followed by huge praise to the dog for "backing off" her target. This is very important. It may seem a bit harsh, because really - as hard as you can pull her (without waiving your arms - since the leash is tight it should be one swift motion to your chest) may cause her to really be fired back and it looks... unpleasant. It doesn't hurt her though and she knows chasing animals such as cats is not permitted. This also keeps her directly next to my leg when other people are walking by. I don't want my dog to "go" to every person she sees, it isn't polite and some people really dislike it.

So, again... the motion/situation is as follows.... Dog is pulling very tightly on the leash - trying to pull you. Dig your heels in, pull the leash directly up against your body very hard and very quickly (this obviously varies based on the size of the dog. Don't kill the poor thing if you have a poodle) :) We have a wolf-hybrid, so the strength has to be increased. Make sure you aren't heaving your arms to pull her, but more a fast-jerking motion. The dog will flip back towards you, THEN PRAISE HER very much - very excited!!! To make sure she knows you guys are still best pals and you're only explaining she has to listen. Also very important.... myself and our dog trainer (as well as good friend) did this 2 or 3 times and afterwards the cat could walk right past her (within her reach) and she wouldn't move. Very impressive.

Hope you all enjoyed our story! Look for more pictures and videos of our ever growing pup very soon!

Cheers!

She's Gettin' Bigger!

Tundra is growing like a weed! We just had to take off her collar today to adjust it as her neck is getting larger around as she grows. Here's a couple videos:


Tundra @ 4 Months old

I'm very proud of her, shes starting to listen a lot better now and have less accidents inside. I would highly recommend kennel training a puppy as they grow to LOVE their kennel and it's not a cruel way at all to keep them clean & free of accidents.


Tundra @ 3 ½ Months old learning to "Lay Down"

Kennel training will also let you have a peaceful sleep without waking up to poop or chewed up items in the morning. Your wolf-hybrid will howl to let you know when it needs to pee or poop during the night so have it close enough to your sleeping arrangements to hear. Although, be warned - wolves are very smart and will sometimes make the sounds of having to go out but really don't have to. It sounds ridiculous (and its probably the same for babies) but you almost know the difference between the whines/howls/yelps if they need to go to the bathroom or if they're just pulling your chain for some attention while you're catching up on your beauty sleep.

As you'll see for the photo above I slipped on some ice while walking Tundra. It doesn't help that where we live right now is a complete ice-rink... oh that sooo stereo types Canadians... but in truth we live up a mountain with a higher altitude. Whenever it rains in this beautiful city, it will snow where we live. Tundra loves the snow.

So my next training session with her is to teach her how to properly walk. I'm already giving the command to "slow down" so at least she'll get used to the word and the gentle resistance. When she gets bigger I'm not sure that I'll be able to control her pulling and that worries me a bit. Maybe buying a spring litter would have been a better idea? Nah, wouldn't trade her for the world.



Here's a decent comparison in heights from this old photo in front of the oven.
Tundra @ 7 weeks old vs 4 months old (sorry for her slouching)

Well - Tundra is now over 3 months old and I feel like she's getting noticeably bigger every day. We'll attach some pictures - but it obviously won't do it justice.

Today, I decided to go outside with her, but without a leash. The first time - it went rather well... she never went more than a few yards in any direction away from me. Tonight though, she had other plans :) Soon as I opened the door, and she knew she had freedom - BAM - she was off to the races. I honestly tried to catch her but there's no catching a wolf-hybrid ;) That little girl is like lightning... thankfully as soon as I went inside, she was at the door asking to get in. I believe the rewards of things like food pretty much sway the battle in my favor. lol

Wolf-hybrids are a lot of responsibility and she's sometimes a hand-full - but we both love her to bits. Nancy is over trying to teach her some more tricks, while I get out of trouble by writing a blog post ;)

Hope you enjoy the pictures - she's growing up to be a beautiful little creature. Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!

Cheers!

J.

High Content Wolf-Hybrids are hard breeds to raise!

Wolf-hybrid dogs are not easy to raise, they take a lot of time and proper learning of how to disciple them to have an obedient companion.

I was told by our breeder that raising a high-content wolf-hybrid is one of the hardest breeds to raise. Course... I must have not heard this part before I decided to get a dog. I've never owned a dog let alone a wolf before so it would have had to have been Murphy's law that I would have picked the most difficult breed.

We're struggling right now with Tundras potty training. Its hard because she's inside all day in a caged off area so she thinks its okay to go bathroom indoors in this spot. Because we live so far out of town, we're not able to let her out at lunch and kennel her all day.

Thankfully she will be put into the kennel with the other wolves/German Shepards in a month when she's a bit older and it's a bit warmer out but until them we're getting very frustrated teaching her to go outside so what we've resorted to is kennel training her the best we can. We are putting her in her kennel if she goes outside and does NOT go pee or poop and we will leave her in there until she cries and then we'll let her outside.

Now obviously this doesn't always work out as she's been in her little area all day and wants some love and attention and sometimes we'll turn our head for a second and she decides that she has to go... sometimes she'll run over to the door but she's not vocal unless she's in her kennel.

Tundra had her second set of shots on Friday and was much better than the first time. Our friend (and breeder) was with Jason to help him look/react properly so that she won't bite. I had to work so I wasn't there to report on what she did/didn't do but hopefully Jason will write an entry explaining what he learned.

Tundra has now learned "sit", "no", and plays ball/brings the ball/football/Frisbee back. Still a lot of work to do with her but I can already tell shes going to be a great dog.