The Saarloos Wolfdog is a strong and balanced animal, which has the appearance and many behaviors of the wolf, from which it is descended. Although it is included in the herding dog group, it is not a working dog.
Due to the lack of knowledge about this breed, it is difficult to find useful and valid information about it. For this reason, in this article on our site, we will tell you all about the Saarloos wolfdog, its general physical characteristics, temperament, care, advice on its education and possible he alth problems.
Origin of the Saarloos Wolfdog
Despite its wolflike appearance and primitive behaviors, this is one of the most recent dog breeds and planned. It was created by Leendert Saarloos, a Dutch fan of the German shepherd dog, who thought that the intensive breeding of these dogs had weakened them physically. Thus, to achieve better physical characteristics, Saarloos crossed a male German shepherd, Gerard van der Fransenum, with a female Siberian wolf, whom he named Fleuri. Subsequent crosses between the offspring gave an initial population of dogs with 25% wolf blood. These dogs became the breed that would later be called the "European wolfdog".
In his attempt to show the qualities of the breed, Saarloos got these dogs used as guides for blind people. However, time made it clear that the cautious and shy temperament of wolfdogs was not suitable for a working dog, much less for a guide dog.
In 1975, six years after the death of Leendert Saarloos, the breed was recognized by the Dutch Kennel Club, under the name of Saarloos Wolfdog, in honor of its creator. Today the Saarloos Hound is an extremely rare animal and is not known outside its country of origin. Even in the Netherlands is a practically unknown dog
Physical Characteristics of the Saarloos Wolfdog
This dog's body is slim and longer than it is tall. It has a straight back and a moderately wide chest. A very wide or deep chest is not accepted, as it does not correspond to the morphology of a trotting dog. The legs are long and muscular.
The head of the Saarloos bears the appearance of a Wolf's head It is wedge-shaped, has a flattened skull and a stop (depression in the nose). front) light. The nose is well pigmented, the eyes are almond-shaped and set obliquely. Its expression is alert and reserved, so yellow eyes are preferred, which confer said expression. The ears are medium, erect, triangular and with a rounded tip.
The Saarloos wolfdog's tail is set low, wide, long and with profuse hair. Generally, the dog wears it almost straight or slightly curved in the shape of a saber.
This dog's coat varies depending on the time of year. In winter, the inner layer of hair predominates, which, together with the outer hair, forms a dense mantle that protects the dog and a characteristic abundant collar. In summer the outer coat predominates. In all cases, however, the hair is dense and covers the entire body, including the belly, inner thighs, and scrotum. The coat is light in color on the lower part of the body, the inner area of the limbs and the back of the thighs. Apart from that, the accepted colors in the breed are shaded black, shaded brown and different shades of white (from cream to pure white).
These dogs are tall and the males have a height at the withers of between 65 and 75 centimeters, while the height at the withers of the females ranges from 60 to 70 centimeters. The weight varies between 36 and 41 kilograms.
Saarloos Wolfdog Character
These dogs were not created to fulfill a particular job and therefore their temperament does not reflect the typical character of shepherd dogs. On the contrary, the Saarloos are dogs with very primitive behaviors (from the evolutionary point of view), reminiscent of the wolf. These dogs are very energetic, active, independent and intelligent, but difficult to train.
Due to their wolf heritage, they tend to be very reserved animals with strangers and are usually shy. Their first reactions to unknown situations and individuals are flight, but they can become aggressive if they are not allowed the freedom to move away. On the other hand, they tend to get along with dogs they have grown up with and can tolerate unfamiliar dogs. However, they are not usually good companions for other pets or children, as their hunting instincts are strong. It is very important to socialize the Saarloos from an early age, as the socialization window is smaller than in other dog breeds.
Saarloos wolfdog care
Care of the Saarloos wolfdog's coat is not special, and regular brushing and combing is enough. Bathing these dogs frequently is not a good idea, and should only be done when the dogs are dirty.
Saarloos wolfdogs need a lot of exercise and a few short walks every day are not enough. These dogs require long daily walks and, better yet, the ability to run and explore freely in a wide but safe area. They are not suitable dogs for life in an apartment, flat or small house.
They also need constant companionship, as they evolved as highly social animals within their family clan. They are not kennel dogs and need to spend a lot of time with their family, whether it's just humans or humans and other dogs.
Saarloos Wolfdog Education
These dogs are not the best for conventional dog training, as they tend to be extremely independent in their thinking. They can learn many things, but they will never excel at classic dog obedience or dog sports. In any case, when educating them, it is important to train in positive, especially through clicker training, because they respond very poorly to negative reinforcement or punishment.
One of the main problems when training these dogs lies in educating them to accept staying in their travel cages. Saarloos wolfdogs are very anxious when they are in close quarters and do not easily learn to stay in a cage. For this reason, we advise you to consult our article on tips for traveling with a dog by car.
By displaying primitive wolf behaviors, these dogs are not the best pets out there. They can exhibit many behavioral problems when they live in crowded cities, and they do best on farms and rural properties where they have plenty of room to run. However, care must be taken that they do not chase other pets and farm animals.
He alth and care
Being an unknown breed, there are no precise data on the incidence of hereditary diseases. However, as the Saarloos is a large dog and its ancestor is the German shepherd, it is worth taking precautions to prevent problems caused by hip dysplasiaAlthough not required, it would not be an exaggeration to take X-rays of the hips when dogs reach two years of age, or when the veterinarian deems it prudent. Likewise, the periodic reviews stipulated by the veterinarian, the vaccination and deworming schedule must be followed.
