How would playing with a wolf pup be like?

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victortiti89
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How would playing with a wolf pup be like?

Post by victortiti89 » Mon Jul 16, 2018 10:08 am

Played with a dog "baby", so just curious...:)

From either theoretical knowledge or actually doing that, how would it feel like playing/interacting with a wolf pup compared to a dog one?:)

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SolitaryHowl
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Re: How would playing with a wolf pup be like?

Post by SolitaryHowl » Fri Jul 20, 2018 1:10 pm

To my knowledge, dogs are eager to please people and can read human emotions/facial expressions, while wolves cannot. So a dog puppy will know when you are upset/hurt and might stop with a firm 'no', but a wolf puppy probably won't care, if it would even approach you in the first place.
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roguemoon
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Re: How would playing with a wolf pup be like?

Post by roguemoon » Thu Jul 26, 2018 1:22 pm

Quite similar really. Like dog puppies, wolf puppies have a natural curiosity and a natural drive for chasing things. They'll chase objects and hands, tug of war, play bite, keep away, etc. I don't believe there would be much difference. Of course, this is all assuming the wolf puppy has been familiarized to people already and isn't fearful.

Here's a video of a wolf puppy getting some play time with it's keeper (among other things) at the San Diego zoo that might give you an idea :)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XypJqDYqwnw
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Koa
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Re: How would playing with a wolf pup be like?

Post by Koa » Sun Jul 29, 2018 1:26 am

You will find the 2016 logs on Axel from the International Wolf Center helpful.

On movement:
Axel-A Day In The Life Of A Pup
June 2nd, 2016
Axel is a one month old Arctic wolf that has joined the IWC family. During the past week, his coat has lightened and his ears have become erect. He continues to interact with his brother, with some initial dominance characteristics-chin rests, standing over, and vocalizations. He alternates between being the initiator and on the receiving end. His walking, stalking, and pouncing skills are beginning to advance, and he is constantly climbing up on objects and attempting jumps to other platforms. He tends to use the den box more often for naps while his brother seeks solace behind some of the other objects in their area. He has a healthy appetite and has started lapping water from a bowl. He socializes well with the staff, and is intrigued by the howling of the Ambassador pack that takes place outside. Axel consistently chews on birch bark, trees, and hooves in their area.

-Chad Sell, Pup Care Participant

Weight: 6.4
http://www.wolf.org/wolf/axel/?archYear ... =allMonths

On anxiety around humans (as a captive wolf pup):
Note his toenails are painted blue to make sure staff can ID individuals
Axel – The Horizon’s Are Increasing
June 10th, 2016
Axel had a negative response to a situation in the 10 am program yesterday and started to show some anxiety with the auditorium programs. (Grayback is doing well even though he tended to be the shyer in other interactions.) This is not uncommon at this age, the wolf pups hearing and vision starts to increase, so they can hear more and see farther, extending their horizons and giving them more things to process. It’s the Pup Care team’s job to help Axel work through this anxiety. How did they solve it? They chose to bring a deer leg as a distraction during programs to help him focus on something other than the sights and sounds of the auditorium and it worked. This is part of the socialization process and the training that is instilled in the Pup Care Team members. Things are changing daily with the pups, we need to be creative, and be quick to identify a response before it escalates… From my experience, this is the most challenging age for fear responses, but it is the most important time to introduce a wide variety of stimuli under controlled circumstances. Every time we work with pups, we are reminded how valuable it is to have an adult wolf that deals with humans, equipment, noise, etc. In the next few weeks, we start getting the pups familiar with the sound of weed eaters, chainsaws, construction equipment etc. All part of life on a captive exhibit.

The pups are adapting to a change in their diet to a gruel mix of two different types of meat and some meat based dog food to ensure they get all the nutrients necessary for a growing body. Their diet must be a success; Axel gained .6 lbs in the last 24-hours going from 8.7 lbs to 9.1 lbs.

Weight: 9.1
http://www.wolf.org/wolf/axel/?archYear ... =allMonths

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