Survey Results + My Thoughts

A BIG thank you to everyone who replied with their thoughts on which unwanted outward appearance traits they would work to eliminate in the breed first before the others.

It was great fun to read your thoughts and reasons behind your choices.

Here are some examples of what some had to say:

“I would work to eliminate furnishings and feathering.  Furnishings because they look decidedly un-wolfy.  Feathering because I’ve had a Golden Retriever and used to shave her feet and toes much like a poodle because she would get all kinds of stuff stuck in her paws.  She would also slip all over our wood floors when the hair grew longer than her paw pads.  So that one is personal haha.”  

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“I would remove feathering and low shedding if possible. Out of all the options those two have the largest negative effect on health and maintenance (at least from my naive glance).”

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“I could never be a breeder! My head would explode. Fantastic email. I have to admit I was waiting for a list of future matches at the end but that's probably another email.

As much as I hate to say it, get rid of low shedding. This is the first year we are seriously having a problem with [my American Dirus] oder because he refuses to shed. He finally let go of his summer FLOOF and he still stinks after a bath!! Even though  I love the longer fluffier ones. Next is the furnishings. They make a mess with food and water I'd imagine.”

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“I have never replied to your emails before, but if you are looking for two genetic variants you want to get rid of, I think the black and tan coloring and the feathering would be good choices. Making them look as far from German shepherds or other dogs similar would help differentiate them and make them look more like a wild canid than a domesticated dog and the black and tan coloring of your previous dogs has had people make comments like ‘oh, like a German shepherd?’ When I showed them the breed as I hope to get one in the future.”

Ah…yes!

The rush of excitement I feel when talking about the genetic future of the breed is palpable.

Thanks for aiding and abetting my genetics addiction! Mwahaha!!

We had around 21 participants.  

Here are the results of yesterday’s survey for which of the seven unwanted traits to eliminate first from the breed:

You all are so SMART!

(You must be reading my daily emails.) *wink

I completely agree with the most chosen unwanted trait… double furnishings.

Furnishings are just so unsightly for a majestic dire wolf thrusting out his chest standing confidently on a large boulder overlooking the Pleistocene valley with a gentle breeze blowing his mane back behind him.

How could our dignified dire wolf hunt well when his striking yellow eyes hide behind those long silvery mop strands covering his face? Those pesky whiskers on his muzzle would get in the way of cleanliness when eating that fresh mastodon carcass, too. Our dire wolf friend might just end up eating some of those long hairs around his mouth. That wouldn’t be beneficial to survival, I wouldn’t think.

Not to mention the cascade of water dripping from his chin as he looks up from the rocky river bank to stare down a lurking saber-toothed cat. The continuing loud drops would be a dead give-a-way to his location. Not such a good tactic in the wilds of the Ice Age.

And in our modern human society, they aren’t that much more beneficial, either.

I know one owner who has an American Dirus with furnishings who trims those whiskers under the chin because the poor dog couldn’t chew on her bones or eat without those long hairs getting in her mouth.

No. Furnishings are definitely NOT practical for the dog nor the owner.

The furnishings trait just HAS TO GO!

I really had a hard time deciding on the next most important unwanted appearance trait. I have to agree with one Inner Circle member that they all seem equally important.

But I can’t work on them all at once.

I have to decide.

First, like everyone else, I disregarded the black and red colors.

While they aren’t wolf colors, there isn’t really anything inherently unhealthy about these choices… and they don’t really detract from an overall wolf look, even if they are an incorrect way of achieving it.

The red dilute (or liver dilute as some call it) produces a diluted skin pigmentation that can sometimes have difficulty in the sun with chaffing or burning. But most of our dogs don’t spend all day in the sun since they aren’t working dogs.

So I can ignore these two for now… although it pains me some to allow them to linger and potentially gain a foothold in the overall population.

The curly coat, too… While it doesn’t scream “I am a wolf”, it doesn’t have any negative health challenges associated with it, so that one can stay in the breed for now… although… hopefully hidden in the recessive most of the time.

So, that leaves the black/tan color pattern, feathering, and low shedding.

I absolutely agreed with many of you who said the black/tan color pattern makes the dogs look too much like a German Shepherd Dog to the average person, but it, too doesn’t have any related negative health issues associated with it. So, I will, unfortunately, not focus as much on eliminating this one… at least for my initial decisions. If I can, I will… but it might not always be possible for now.

Okay, now we have feathering and low shedding left.

I agree that these are fairly evenly matched. Both of these have ramifications to the overall health of the dog.

Feathering (long human-like hair in between the toes and behind the legs and ears) causes a dog to slip more readily on shiny surfaces. It also collects snow and mud balls… not to mention how EASY this inherited trait is to capture burrs or stickers. And the fine, wispy hair easily mats. Grooming is a must with dogs carrying this trait.

Some of you may have misinterpreted the low shedding gene, though. I know it has been drilled into our entire population that low shedding equals hypoallergenic, but that is NOT true. It is actually the opposite. Dogs who do not easily shed are like carpets. They RETAIN dander, which is the allergy-causing aspect of a dog, because their coat does NOT let go of its undercoat willingly.

Coat retention causes the dog to smell if not bathed regularly… like once a week.

But bathing strips a dog’s coat of its natural oils, which can cause skin irritation or allergy-like symptoms.

A dog that sheds its undercoat during the season changes is SO much cleaner and its skin so much healthier.

If you want to learn more about the reasons why you want a dog that sheds, here’s a link to an article I wrote on that very subject:

https://direwolfproject.com/direwolf-guardians/puppy-training/grooming/3-reasons-shedding-dogs-are-superior

And here’s an article I wrote on the myth of the hypoallergenic dog:

https://direwolfproject.com/blog/strongbred-breeding/goldendoodle-puppies-are-all-the-rage/

So, I really can’t choose between them.

They truly are equally important to continue to work out of the breed.

That leaves THREE of the initial seven outward appearance traits that I will focus on first to eradicate completely from the breed.

1. Furnishings
2. Feathering
3. Low-shedding

Don’t miss MONDAY’S email.

I am going to take the weekend to mull over my thoughts for the upcoming future litters - keeping these unwanted traits in mind.

Then, on Monday I will reveal which dogs will be matched together.

See you there!

Jennifer Stoeckl is the co-founder of the Dire Wolf Project, founder of the DireWolf Guardians American Dirus Dog Training Program, and owner/operator of DireWolf Dogs of Vallecito. She lives in the beautiful inland northwest among the Ponderosa pine forests with her pack of American Dirus dogs.