Lovely posts .

Just to avoid confusion , I mentioned using food rewards as long as he doesnt snatch and Brenda advises not to so perhaps with his history it would be best to use a toy or anything else that he finds rewarding instead and see how it goes.

Yikes, I have no advice for training dogs that are largely wolf as I strongly believe to some degree that they can't be trained. But poor kitty, I hope he is okay. Just use extra caution. I don't think I'd be keeping a dog that picked my cat up by her throat and shook her, but perhaps with time and training, he will adjust. Good luck!!

BTW, my Jade cowers under a hand sometimes. We've had her since 4 weeks old and we never hit her or abused her, she's just kinda skittish like that. Once you actually pet her, she relaxes. In other news, some dogs simply do not like being petted on the head, and will shirk away from the hand. Don't try and do things your dog doesn't like. Dogs that won't let you hold their feet are often nervous or untrusting. It's their flight mechanism and binding the feet (holding etc) of a nervous or skittish dog can cause him to fight back. My Jade is of a nervous nature and NO WAY are you holding her feet without a muzzle.

He has no issue with us petting his head. He actually nudges his head under our hands to get attention.

He has no issues taking small tidbits of meat from my hands gently if I say "be gentle."

My kitty was okay. The wolfdog doesn't seem to mind my other cat as much (I have an Egyptian Mau mix and a F2 bobcat hybrid.. it was the bobcat hybrid that he shook).
I'm not going to give up on him. My husband has actually been getting annoyed because every time the wolfdog has nipped us or when he did that to the cat I've sided with the wolfdog and said it wasn't his fault and we don't know what he's been through.

I haven't renamed him yet... I'm kind of stuck between Kazuto, Raiko and Kirito... And Ruuqo.
Raiko.. I like the name, but I had a rat named Raiko (and his sister was Raimei... like from the anime Nabari no Ou).
Kazuto... I like it, but I like the name Kirito better. (its Kirito's real life name from the anime Sword Art Online)
Kirito... I love, but I've named my rabbit Kirito... though technically I haven't had my rabbit long enough for him to learn his name yet... so I could change his name back to Enek (the original name I picked out for the rabbit).

You're right, it's true enough that the dogs behavior is likely linked to his past. With time, patience, and training he may be just fine. I just always try and make sure I have it set in my head where I draw the line. Personally, the attack on the cat would've done it for me, as kitty may not be so lucky next time, but many dogs take a year or even longer to shed some behaviors, so it's worth the perseverance if you don't feel there is a significant threat. Good advice has been given by others already. Good luck and try to keep us updated!

One thing about wolf crosses is that they know bite inhibition. Pussy was never in any danger ... doubtless she did something that wolfie boy did not approve of, and he let her know. This sounds very like my Ben seemingly savaging Gucci, my daughter's chihuahua, when he had the temerity to try and take some food from his bowl whilst he was eating! Gucci virtually disappeared down Ben's throat, muffled shrieking could be heard, and Ben shook him like a plum tree! Apart from a lot of saliva and a very traumatised chihuahua there was not a mark on Gucci; he learned a very important lesson. The following week, Easter, Gucci and family came over for lunch and Gucci was absolutely fine with Ben and vice versa.

These dogs know bite inhibition - they may make a ferocious noise, but it is all bluff, sound and fury; have faith in your wolfie boy, be consistent, firm and fair and he will come true, just like my Ben.

With Ben I will hold a piece of meat between my lips with him sitting in front of me. I nod my head and he will very gently take it from between my lips, with just a tickle of his whiskers! I have never known a northern breed type or wolf cross to snatch food, apart from my other rescue Tai. Within minutes I had trained him to be gentle.

Just a few random thoughts...perhaps a private trainer even just for a few months? Something a good trainer does is give the owner confidence and advice as to the best way to handle their pup. I had obedience classes with Callie and it made a big difference.

Something else is you have to let go some of that "He's a rescue" mentality. Because he possibly had a rough beginning doesn't mean letting him hold on to bad behavior now. I know it's hard though. Our Sophie was a basket case from the beginning. She had a few stable years but as she's gotten older she's regressed.

The main thing that jumped out at me from your post was picking up the cat and shaking it, biting your husband...that's some serious stuff there. And you mention having ferrets. I hope you have them secure and out of the way. You don't want to come in one day and have to clean up ferret. I think a trainer or behaviorist would help you a lot.

Hey Awaiting Abyss, welcome!

Gnasher has a lot of experience and is chock full of good advice. Same with Brenda and so many on here. You've already had some excellent advice and I agree wholeheartedly.

One of the things you have to remember about wolfdogs is (cue drum roll!) they're closer to wolves than regular domestic dogs. There is quite a big difference, but it is not where a lot of people say it is: that the wolf is a vicious slavering beast while the dog is a wilting daisy of delectable slavery. Neither thing is true.

Every single dog is different, and every single wolf is different, and the best thing you can do right off the bat is to educate yourself. Read up, talk to your vets, find a good puppy class that'll take a wolf puppy (some won't) and make absolutely sure that you are comfortable with the training methods before you even start. Any good class will let you sit in and watch before you sign up. Don't let anyone bully you into anything you don't feel comfortable with. Seriously, don't-- they'll say it's for your own good, but it's not.

Wolfdogs mature far earlier than domestic dogs-- their trust window closes early, but it doesn't mean you can't win it back. Your little guy has suffered, clearly. You will need to balance his training, his food aggression, and his learning to live with you all together. It's not going to be easy but it will pay off!

He's been starved: no puppy is bony, so food has been a problem for him. You can make it an opportunity for you. Give him food. Acknowledge him, acknowledge the food, acknowledge that he is eating the food-- and then show absolutely no further interest. By doing so, you're effectively saying 'Yep, that's food, and it's all yours. I don't care about it one whit.' Same with treats: you can toss them down. When you don't care about them, there's no reason to guard them. This will take time, but it might just work.

Collars: Taji, our rescue Akita, has had serious issues with collars. I suspect he has been choked and grabbed. Even with spitz type dogs and wolfdogs without a history of abuse, you'll probably see a reluctance at being grabbed by a collar. I would suggest that you never do it. Gently guiding with a flat hand works fine, with a dog who trusts you.

And that comes on to Gnasher's point: trust. Wolfdogs are ferociously intelligent (and I mean that in the sense that their intelligence rips apart everything) and they will not respect a leader whom they cannot trust. This goes both ways. You'll need to respect your dog and his abilities, and demonstrate your own qualifications as a decent leader of your group.

It sounds daunting, but don't be offput!

All dogs /wolves etc have the potential to know bite inhibition but they have you learn it first from their siblings and mother and then their owners . It does seem that this dog /wolf knows bite inhibition with humans but that doesnt mean to say that all of them do.
If you remember we discussed this in the puppy biting thrread and how important it was to teach this .

You really cannot say that the cat was not in any danger,
the dog grabbed the cat by the throat and shook it and only let go when the owner shouted at it .
Cats can suffer internal damage from the dogs grabbing them without any external wounds so really the owner should not take any risks with the cat.