My dog is kind of a wierdo, help me figure out whether she is part coyote/wolf.

[Boats]

Our dog Aewin is around three years old, and we adopted her from the animal shelter. The people there told us she was a siberian husky, but I'm pretty sure there's something else in there. Here's my reasoning:

1) She's smaller than the huskies I've seen, her whithers only come up to a couple inches below my knees, and she seems quite a bit more delicate, bone structure-wise. Her tail doesn't curl at all, even when it is raised (and I don't think I've ever seen it raised much higher than level with her body).

2) She never barked, up until a year or so ago, and I suspect it's because our terrier taught her how. Even now that she does bark, its more of an abbreviated howl. She howls whenever you look at her without saying or doing anything.

3) Her behavior is way different than dogs I've had before. She's very shy, but affectionate when she trusts you, and she does a wierd teeth clicking thing when she wants attention. She also has a strange idea of play; When alone she will pick up things like rugs or towels and just shake the hell out of them, but she will NEVER play with an object when she thinks someone is watching. The only way I've been able to play with her is to sort of pretend to pinch her feet, then she starts almost nipping, but not, and after a few minutes she will take off and just run circuits around the yard, then run full speed at me and change course at the last minute. She is very expressive in body language and facial expressions, far more so than any dog I've ever seen.

4) I've never seen a husky with a yellow tint to their fur, but maybe I haven't seen enough huskies.

The dog catcher found her in a town called Mesquite, which I imagine is a pretty good place for stray dogs and coyotes to meet. I doubt that she has any wolf because she's so small, but there are some wolf hybrid breeders in that area. *shrug*

Anybody have any ideas?

All help is appreciated!

[sammy101]

Huskies do come in lighter colours like your girl does. My friend has a small Husky,about the same size you're describing. IMO,she looks all husky.

[BOBS DAD]

Welcome To Pt!!! I Agree That Your Girl Looks Very Much Like An All Husky - From Her Build And Coat To Her Light Blue Eyes.

But Hey... If You Want Her To Be A Coyote - Who's To Say She's Not.

[wolf_Q]

It's hard to tell for sure, but she looks all husky to me as well. She is gorgeous! Huskies are not actually as big as most people think they are (mine, at 60 lbs, is often mistaken for a puppy...people are imagining malamutes I guess). It is that not uncommon for a purebred female sibe to weigh as little as 35 lbs. I have not yet met a husky that didn't curl their tail (when walking/running at least...Nebo's is not curled at most other times). That may indicate she has some mix in her background, but I'm not positive on that. My friend had a husky (who looked very similars to yours) that did not curl her tail and she apparently had some german shepherd in her background.

Huskies generally are not barkers and will howl instead that is a typical trait.

I've seen huskies be different ways...either very outgoing and loving with strangers or wary with strangers (not mean, just shy until they get to know you). My husky is shy with strangers but once he gets to know you he's very affectionate. I don't know about the playing thing, but she could have been abused or just yelled at for playing with some object (or destroying something, huskies are great at that ) at her previous home so she may associate picking up an item with being in trouble. Just a guess.

Huskies can come in an amazing variety of colors. They can have a yellow/brown tint in their fur, I believe she would be considered "wolf gray." Check out this website. http://www.huskycolors.com/rescue.html Look at "Teddy" http://www.huskycolors.com/wolf.html

[Karen]

Her coloring is quite similar to cyber_sibes Sherman, and he's a purebred Siberian Husky. He's bulkier than her, but he is male.

[Giselle]

The teeth clicking you are describing is actually a very common behavior among dogs when they're showing excitement. Greyhound people like to call it "chattering" As for her showing more physical expressions than other dogs, it could just be that you're more in tune with Aewin and you're more knowledgable about dog behavior than you were before. Most dog owners are content to look at the basics: ears (are they pushed backwards or forwards?), eyes (are they intently focused on an object?), and the position of the tail. It seems that you, on the other hand, are more in tune with the inner workings of Aewin. Because of this, it might seem as if Aewin displays more body language and facial expressions.

Speaking of behavior and physical expressions, I'm pretty sure there are behavioral differences between dogs and wolves although I wouldn't be the right person to ask. At any rate, Aewin IS quite gorgeous and she does look very wolf-like!

[Aurie]

Gorgeous dog whatever she is

[wolfsoul]

Looks like a purebred Sibe to me. Huskies are not as big as most think --- A female husky is supposed to be 20-22 inches and 35-50 pounds. Alot of huskies don't curl their tails -- the only time they are supposed to be curled is when alert. I've never seen a show husky with a curled tail -- when they are raised, it is always held parallel to the back with just a slight curl.

It's hard to tell by the pictures what colour Aewin is, but huskies come in all colours, some with or without a hint of red.

[wolf_Q]

When I said I hadn't seen a husky without a curled tail I meant one who *never* curls/curves their tail......and of course its not a tight curl like an akita, but it curves gently over the back. I should have said I've never seen a husky alert and walking with their tail down. Nebo's tail lays just like the husky in that photo when he's just standing there, but he never walks without his tail raised unless he's really tired/bored. His tail is not in a real "curl" I guess it doesn't touch his back, more of arc.

Walking tail

Standing tail

I guess this would more appropriately be called a "curl" (photo of Robilee's Katie, a gorgeous akita..hope you don't mind Robin), which is incorrect for a husky