Then they are denying their dogs' ancestry ... Mals, aside from Czech wolfdogs and Saarloos and wolf crosses, are probably the most wolfy of all the breeds. They are not wolves in mal's clothing, they are quite simply a breed with more recent wolf ancestry than most. They are absolutely delightful dogs, but very strong-willed and the males especially can be very aggressive with other males, which is where my Ben comes into the picture. He is very "mally" in his character and behaviour.

That tooo ... but your explanation does not cover Hal knowing I was on my way when I was a good 3 miles away. I would come home at different times, so there was no question of a routine here, I could roll up any time between 5 and 8.30.

Gnasher, I'm becoming interested in the Northern breeds now! I love all dogs but their apparent aloofness put me off but it appears they are not as allof as I thought.

It seems mals DNA could be more similar to wolves because of a recent injection of wolf genes rather than retained DNA from ancient ancestors.
At the very least, dogs and wolves shared a common ancestor that died out , if dogs did evolve directly from wolves , those would be ancient wolves not modern ones .

There are similarities between dogs and wolves just as their are between humans and apes but we are not considered to be apes though looking at humans behaviour sometimes it seems we are one and the same !

ETA perhaps this brings us back full circle to how wolves really behave in their packs .

dogs were reclassified as canis lupus in the 90's ... they share 99.2 of DNA and through the mitochondrial Rna all dogs can be traced back to three female wolves. It is indeed a fascinating subject. Wolf crosses are 'aloof' but this is part of their attraction. They are not sycophantic which can be put down as aloofness, but is more like a lack of desire to pleade! Hal's acknowledgement of his devotion for us was so subtle. He never wagged his tail but when he wanted to tell you he loved you he would sit on your foot with his back to you. He would give regular wolf kisses ... right on the mouth and you had to let him do it else he would be mortified. He was so smart, that dog, and as i have already said he would know what you were thinking. Anyone who has the time and doesnt mind a fluffy house would fall in love with them ... i would live a pure mal also!

What do you mean by this? I'm trying really hard not to take this the wrong way, but again, it's hard. No dog is better than another and no breed of dog should be treated as a collective personality.

That is the thing that is bothering me about your posts. You're acting as if EVERY single wolf cross, Malamute, Utonagan, Husky, Akita etc. have the same traits. They don't and Myrsky may be more like my Nigredo than he is like your Ben. Who knows?

Those breeds are not smarter than Labradors, but I'm sure you'd argue that so I'm going to drop that. My Nigredo is Lab/Great Pyrenees, two way different types of dogs, unlike Malamute/Husky. I admit that different breeds have different traits, but it doesn't mean that each and every dog will harbor them.

Myrsky is a normal puppy, and so long as she treats him that way, instead of thinking he's going to grow up to be a headache, I think he and she will be fine. There is no need to go "thinking outside the box" before it's necessary.

I'm not trying to argue with you, but admittedly I'm in disagreement that as a puppy, he needs much different training from most other puppies. The way she describes him sounds exactly like my Nigredo as a puppy. Nigredo is not a "northern breed" or a "wolf cross". He's a Labramutt.

It is a very fascinating subject and very confusing one too

i really wish scientists would make up their minds, some info varies slightly or totally varies.

I'm reading through a load of websites trying to find the latest information , one problem is that geneics and Dna etc is very complex. I like to go to the source but I have to confess to not understanding all the terminology in the studies so I've read the science daily and bbc science articles and hope they are accurate and nothing has been lost in translation .
I'm not doing this to prove anyone wrong or right , I'm doing it because I really want to know .

The DNA shared seems to vary from 98 to 99% .
Apes and humans is 96% . Those tiny percentages make a huge difference .

The mitrochondrial DNa traced back to three asian wolves was first suggested back in 2002 . DNA also suggests also that European hunter gatherers domesticated wolves 15000 years ago .

Also read that different breeds of dogs share more common DNA with each other than with wolves.

Loads of varying info here -

http://news.discovery.com/animals/pe...ht-1401161.htm

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0116190137.htm

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...1114142134.htm

http://sciencenordic.com/dna-reveals...re-dog-origins

My heads spinning

The research does vary, and there is no definitive proof of anything. This is because wolves don't all act the exact same way and this goes back to not attributing traits to entire species as there are different types of wolves and living situations, and of course individuals who may act differently from what some consider as "normal" wolf behavior.

This is why it's a good idea to take what you want from it and keep moving. I hesitate to compare domestic dogs to wolves in most cases because from what I have seen, they really do not behave the same way at all. Maybe it's different with Malamutes and the like, but I have no idea.

I don't like to compare myself with apes any more than I like comparing domestic dogs with wolves. They don't behave even remotely the same and their needs and environment are not remotely the same. Perhaps that works in some situations, but I think it's better to take each dog as an individual, instead of attributing his breed traits to him. He's a mix anyway, and he really might have his own personality.

Well, let's try not to get too bogged down! There are tons of research topics to get into, but here we're interested in Myrsky and Myrsky<3. Breed information is going to be incredibly useful but at the end of the day this is about helping a new owner get to grips with her new puppy. Every owner and every dog is different: no one trick, no one method, no one anything is going to produce miracle results.

Dogs are a life-long occupation! I read as much as I can (and I wonder where some of my books are; I lend widely) and I ask as much as I can. I've been doing this for years and I have learned so much, but there's always more. Myrsky<3, take heart! Your little guy will teach you so much. You're already doing all the right things. You are going to learn so much and you are going to have the most brilliant dog. Indeed you shall!

Dibby, do get into your Northern Spitz types! They're only aloof on the surface. Underneath there's pure golden goofiness and genuine, heartfelt, forever love. Just like any dog. Get to know them and you'll never go back!

(pictures Dibby with a pack of sled dogs, careering through the arctic wilderness)

Not bloody likely!

A dog is a dog and then it is it's breed and how it turns out is due to nature and nuture.