How Wolf-like is your Modern-Day Dog?
Wolves and dogs – are they alike or very different? Bhavesh Shah from Being Dog describes how wolf-like our modern-day dogs really are (or aren’t!)…
You probably have heard about dogs having a gray wolf as their ancestor, which makes us believe that our dogs are wolf-like. But how much wolf-like is your modern-day pooch? There are some stark differences that make one home-friendly while another is wild.
Our modern-day, domesticated dogs belong to Canis lupus familiaris species, while wolves are called Canis Lupus. That extra term, ‘familiaris‘ indicates the major characteristics of dogs, being familiar & friendly with other species like cats, other dogs and of course humans, which the wolf lacks.
This character of friendliness evolved in dogs when we first started domesticating wolves around 15 to 20 thousand years ago. Wolves are shy and try to avoid any contact with humans, but when some of them started scavenging our piles of trash for easy foods, they made a huge leap toward a new form of loyalness and friendship with humans.
Though having the same ancestral line, dogs started to have changes in appearances as well. I mean you won’t be seeing any similarity between a poodle and a wolf. But dogs like Siberian Husky & Alaskan Malamute seems to be very close relative to their wild relatives, and are still domesticated.
Physical Appearances of Dogs and Wolves
Though some breeds like Huskies & Malamute seeming quite similar and even wolf-like, wolves have two elongated and webbed toes. This makes their paws more spring-like helping them to conserve energy and attain more speed. The webbed toe allows them to swim if needed.
The number of teeth in both canines is 42, but when it comes to wolves they are stronger than dogs just to rip flesh and crush bones. Wolves had a bigger head and thin body to make their movement sneaky, while our fido seems to be forgotten this trick and aren’t sneaky anymore.
When it comes to dogs, their eyes are bigger and head rounder in shape making them more adorable than their wild ancestor, and of course, they come in all shapes, unlike wolves.
Intelligence of wolves and dogs
When it comes to smartness, dogs are highly trainable but lack those survival instincts to solve complex problems. According to research, when provided with some puzzles, wolves have shown more persistence to solve the problem and obtain food, while dogs relied more on humans to solve it or to train them on how to solve it.
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Dog evolution has made them more loyal and dependent on humans. Let it be from herding to hunting and everything in between, they will do the tricks just to help their humans.
Psychology of wolves and dogs
Wolves are a natural hunter and they are good in their job. Hunting in a pack has made them faithful to their leaders and other family members. It is very interesting to note that their diet has much to do with their psychology as well.
Now you must be wondering, hows that possible. Well if you have read our other article about the microbiome, you will know that our dogs have changed their digestive system from wolves (which are compulsive carnivores) to somewhat like humans (omnivores).
This is the reason why wolves prefer raw meat while dogs can strive well on kibble. Wolves are a social animal and remain loyal to their pack, making them wary of other species.
So for wolves living in human society, it is very difficult for them to be friendly with other species & humans. While in this aspect, dogs are always curious to meet new people,
Can a wolf be a pet like dogs?
The answer is No.
Wolves are independent of humans for their food, unlike the dog. Though some people like the idea of keeping a wolf as a pet, a study has shown that it is quite dangerous for the wolf, as well as for the society. According to this research, most of such wolf-dogs are given up in shelter homes or are euthanized.
Conclusion – Are dogs wolf-like?
Though once their ancestor was a “big bad wolf”, dogs today are nothing like their wild counterparts. Dogs are a social animal, perfect for their human family and they are still changing to be highly co-operative & eager to learn new tricks.
More wolf-like reading
Differences between wolves and dogs
What happens to wolves when they’re raised like dogs
About the author
Bhavesh Shah is a dog enthusiast & blogger who loves to read about dogs’ training, nutrition & behavior. He posts his latest articles on his blog, Being Dog.
