How To

How to Care for a Wolf Pup

Contributor
By eHow Contributing Writer
(11 Ratings)

Choosing to care for a baby pet wolf requires a few critical steps necessary for the successful socialization of the animal. Wolves are animals with very strong instincts. It will take perseverance on your part to ensure those instincts will not interfere with your care process.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging
Instructions

Things You'll Need:

  • Quality meat
  • Other dogs
  • Fencing
  • Formula

    Care for a Baby Pet Wolf

  1. Step 1

    Separate the baby wolf from its mother no later than 2 weeks after birth. A baby wolf will not properly socialize with humans and other dogs if you wait any longer than this. Note that this may be especially traumatic for the mother, especially if this is her only cub.

  2. Step 2

    Swab out the anal sac of the baby wolf continually to help it relieve itself. The mother wolf would usually do this for them through licking, so you will have to take on this duty.

  3. Step 3

    Bottle-feed the baby wolves with specially designed formula for at least another 2 weeks, and then wean them on a diet of meat. Pet food will not suffice. You must feed them quality meat, such as steaks and chops, preferably with bones and even the fur still intact.

  4. Step 4

    Socialize your wolf cub by exposing it, in carefully controlled circumstances, to other dogs. This will help the cub to not fear other dogs later in life and to not develop too close of a dependence upon humans.

  5. Step 5

    Allow the cub to have regular contact with humans, making sure they familiarize themselves with both sexes. Always let the baby wolf approach the human on its own terms, not the other way around. Take care that this initial contact always happens on the cub's home ground to make it feel safer.

  6. Step 6

    Train the wolf cub to accept a leash and collar by using it in conjunction with rewards and praise. Never train the cub to associate the leash and collar with any sort of punishment.

  7. Step 7

    Build appropriate housing for the wolf so that it will be protected from others and can't get out to roam. Give the wolf plenty of room to run around and develop. A chain-link fence at least 6 feet tall is recommended.

  8. Step 8

    Check out online resources such as the website for the Wolf Trust for more tips on raising baby wolves (see Resources below).

Tips & Warnings
  • If you choose to raise wolves, you should involve at least one other person who can share your commitment to them, and continue to take care of them in case anything happens to you.

Comments  

Flag This Comment

on 5/20/2009 So tell us czechwolf. How is this done? If you do not do this practice how do your wolves act towards humans and pets? I did this with my wolf because three clubs and two breeders with 34 years of training them told me to do it this way.He is like a human, the best and most loyal pet family has ever had. My wife and I and three boys

czechwolf said

Flag This Comment

on 12/25/2008 this practice of removing cubs from the mother wolf so young is barbaric and completely unessesary, it is done for the pleasure of man so he can get close to the wolf, it is done by very inexperienced people who dont understand the wolf, it can be done different and it causes no stress on the wolf, and the cubs can stay with there mother and play as brothers and sisters without having there puppyhood stolen for selfish needs of humans, r.winder uk

Post a Comment

Post a Comment
  • Have you done this? Click here to let us know.
I Did This

Related Ads

Tags
Get Free Pets Newsletters

Copyright © 1999-2009 eHow, Inc. Use of this web site constitutes acceptance of the eHow Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.   en-US

eHow Pets
eHow_eHow Pets