WolfQuest

Please use this topic for general wolf discussion... you can talk about wolves in the news, ask simple wolf questions, discuss what you like about wolves... or pretty much anything wolf-related. This is intended to be somewhat like the Off-Topic Topic, but more on-topic (if that makes sense). So in other words, don't post random gibberish or say what you're eating right now, but you can use this topic to discuss anything related to wolves (including other canines).

This is a trial topic... if it doesn't go well, we'll just lock it.

Good idea.

Lemmie start.

I love wolves because of their complex social structure and, not to mention, they are beautiful and majestic creatures....yet fierce at the same time.

I must say, though, that Questions About Wolves Must Be Posted in the Wolf Q&A Section Of the Forums

I'm sure a lot of you know what happens to some dogs when you scratch them right on the arch of their back, right? Sometimes they get chills, and/or their rear legs will tremble, and/or the muscles in the entire back portion of their body will tense up and they'll kinda fall over a bit.


But did you know this works on wolves, too? xD I've seen it done to two different wolves. I've done it to Shadow, an older wolf I worked with. And one time at a wolf sanctuary, they brought out a very habituated captive wolf named Forest, and my dad did it to him. xD It made everybody in the crowd laugh--nobody had ever seen a wolf display that silly behavior before.

(just noticed) This is a very good topic Cana. I hope everything goes well.

Firstly, Wolves have been one of my favorite animals for a long time. I started getting interested, for a reason I still dont' really know. I just randomly started up liking wolves, though I guess the fact that my mom had been "obsessed" about wolves for a long time would have helped with that. Maybe rubbing off on me? xD

Canidae wrote:I'm sure a lot of you know what happens to some dogs when you scratch them right on the arch of their back, right? Sometimes they get chills, and/or their rear legs will tremble, and/or the muscles in the entire back portion of their body will tense up and they'll kinda fall over a bit.


But did you know this works on wolves, too? xD I've seen it done to two different wolves. I've done it to Shadow, an older wolf I worked with. And one time at a wolf sanctuary, they brought out a very habituated captive wolf named Forest, and my dad did it to him. xD It made everybody in the crowd laugh--nobody had ever seen a wolf display that silly behavior before.

I usually thought that dogs liked being scratched behind their ears, mostly because it's hard to reach that area? (or from what someone had told me) I'm not sure about it being hard for them to scratch being true though.
That's interesting that it works with wolves aswell, though it's somewhat understanding aswell since wolves are also a type of dog or canine.

Actually, this topic was my idea. /shameless bragging/

Same for Zethra, I have no idea why I started to get interested in wolves. I have always found them impressively gorgeous since I was 4. WolfQuest escalated that love for wolves about 9 years later, haha.

There's gorgeous pictures of wolves on my wolf calendar, too. When I wake up it's the first thing I see.

I started to like wolves when I was around 6ish when I received a book about them for Christmas - I couldn't stop finding out about them. :3 It's more of a fascination I think, and since I came to WolfQuest I found out loads more about them.

And that's really interesting, Canidae; I've volunteered with dogs and I've them do that, and it is interesting that wolves do that too. =3

I've always had a soft spot for dogs, but I never really had a craving for wolves until I spent a good few weeks here.

I hear you there, jaguartail. I wasn't actually a wolf lover until I was 13. I turn 18 in a few days, and I'm actually quite happy with what I've accomplished during that time as a wolf-lover. ^^ I mean, I worked with some. xD That was basically my dream ever since I was 13, and I achieved it a little more than a year ago. In addition, I gave tours to people at the place where the wolves were, and I made sure every guest that visited that conservatory left with a thorough understanding about how wolves are NOT evil, and how they're essential in the ecosystem.

I hope I can contribute a lot more to the world of wolves with my remaining years of life. ^^

You know, if so many fairy tales, picture books, and even some games and novels didn't portray wolves as bad, no one would be afraid of the "Big Bad Wolf".

For those people who are too lazy to read my profile, I am 14. I've been here for more than a year, and can actually say I love wolves. In fact, I am seriously considering becoming a veternarian.

That's an awesome goal to have. ^^ My sister is actually a veterinary technician, and she's gotten to do some pretty cool stuff already.

And I totally agree--if literature had chosen a different animal to portray as evil, instead of wolves, I think the popular opinion of the animal would be much more positive. Of course, there's always going to be SOME hate for wolves, coming from those individuals that fear losing their livestock animals to them.

But I'm optimistic about that, even. I think, in the future, farmers and ranchers will be much more tolerant and accepting of the wolves that live nearby. We're already starting to see a shift in attitudes, what with all of the new effort and research that's been going into implementing nonlethal wolf control methods.

It's pretty hard to be tolerant and acceptive of something that is always 'stealing' your 'property', so it doesn't seem likely to me. I just hope they don't come up with wolf traps, that would be terrible. Now, if there was a way to train wolves not to eat livestock, that would make everyone happy. Unfortunately, that's impossible.

jaguartail wrote:It's pretty hard to be tolerant and acceptive of something that is always 'stealing' your 'property', so it doesn't seem likely to me. I just hope they don't come up with wolf traps, that would be terrible. Now, if there was a way to train wolves not to eat livestock, that would make everyone happy. Unfortunately, that's impossible.

Wolf traps already exist--they're just not used too often because a lot of people consider them inhumane. Steel leg traps can hurt or even end up killing the wolf (due to complications from an injury caused by the leg trap.)

In fact, the governor of New Mexico (Well...ex-governor, now that election day has come and gone) passed a law that banned the use of steel leghold traps as a means for wolf control. It made my day when I heard that news, and I hope when the six months are over, they pass another law that bans the steel leghold traps permanently.

Silverness wrote:Actually, this topic was my idea. /shameless bragging/

Sorry, I had intended to give you credit but forgot when I actually made the post!

My advice for anyone who wants to become a veterinarian is that even though you probably want to go into that field because you like working with animals, if you are a veterinarian for pets especially, be prepared to spend a whooooole lot of your time working with people as well.

Canidae- it'd be interesting to see more of those dog-like behaviors in wolves. I just saw my dog do something a couple days ago that I was wondering if wolves do, but I can't remember what that is... if I remember, I'll have to ask you if the wolves at your sanctuary do it too. Reminds me of dolphins... everyone thinks of the actions they do as being 'tricks', but really it's just asking them to do their natural behaviors at specific times. I'd love to observe some wild wolves for a long period of time to see how man of those dog behaviors they really do share in a natural setting.

I like wolves a lot, but I have to say foxes usually intrigue me more. But that's probably because wolves don't live close to here, so I don't yet have that personal connection. But I'm looking forward to the Wild Wolf EdVenture- I've never been to the International Wolf Center, and I bet it'll be a truly amazing experience.

And people, just so you know, the intention of this topic is to have somewhere to chat about wolves and whatnot that's less formal than the typical posts in this forum. So keep it up!