Kunming Wolfdog - TOP 10 Interesting Facts

1) Origin
The Kunming Wolfdog is relatively young dog breed, developed only in 1950s in China, to meet the needs of military and police in the Chinese province Kunming. The breed was developed from several dogs. The main ancestor is German Shepherd, which was crossed with wolfdogs that were already used in military and with some local dogs as well. The Kunming Wolfdog was not created by directly breeding wolves with dogs, but already existing wolfdogs were used in the breeding process.
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2) Utilization
As i already mentioned, the Kunming Wolfdog is mainly used by Chinese military and police. It is used for various purposes, either as guard dogs, patrol dogs, but also for maintaining the peace and order. This dog is extremely good for search and rescue jobs, which is mostly thanks to their extremely good sense of smell. The breed was also used to locating bombs and narcotics and they were also used to locate and detect landmines. It is truly extremely good working breed, they love to work and they should have some kind of a job in their life.

3) Companions
Even though these dogs were bred to be workers, just like all the dog breeds around the world, they can make good companion dogs as well. The breed is also slowly gaining reputation as a good family protection dog. But it is definitely not a companion for everyone! These dogs are very intelligent, but in order to be good companions, early proper socialization and training is a must. The breed is little bit more demanding than your average dog. These dogs are energetic, powerful, focused and alert. If the Kunming Wolfdog is raised with kids, other dogs or even other pets, they can typically live with them without any problems. And most of the time, they will be protective over them. But of course, you should never leave any dog breed with a very young child unsupervised.

4) Size
The breed is remarkably similar to the German Shepherd, which is not surpising, since the GSD is one of its main ancestors. They are slightly taller than the average German Shepherd and it is athleticly built breed. The average height is between 25-27 inch, which is 63-68 cm and weight between 66-84 lbs, which is 30-38 kg.

5) Appearance
Most of the Kunming Wolfdogs have skin that hangs loose, triangular ears that are always erect, round eyes with alert expression and black muzzle. They have relatively big head and thick neck and overall formidable appearance. The breed has well boned legs, with pretty small cat-like feet. The tail is very bushy and dense.

6) Coat and color
The Kunming Wolfdog has slightly shorter coat then the German Shepherd, but it is still very dense and thick doublecoat. The coat is much thicker and denser during winter months. The most typical color combination is the one, where the body has light to dark tan coloring and a black saddle. As i already mentioned earlier, the muzzle should also be in black color.

7) Exercise
As a working dog breed, the Kunming Wolfdog must have high endurance and energy level. And indeed, they do need quite a lot of exercise to stay healthy and happy. They will be always ready for any outdoor adventure, it can be walks, hikes, jogs, many of them enjoy water and swimming as well. They will love to live in a house with big yard, rather than in apartment. It is important to mentally stimulate these dogs as well, otherwise they might become bored and potentionally develop some unwanted behaviour. This is a dog for active owners, it is definitely not a coach potatoe.

8) Recognition
The Kunming Wolfdog was officially recognized in China in 1988 as a purebred dog and since then it is continuously gaining recognition all around the world. It is still not recognized by AKC or FCI, but it is recognized for example by Continental Kennel Club or by Dog Registry of America. The Kunming Wolfdog is still a rare breed, but its population is slowly raising.

9) Maintenance
The Kunming Wolfdog does shed, and they shed quite a lot, especially during the shedding seasons in spring and fall. You can minimize the shedding by regular brushing, which will remove all the loose and dead hair and it will keep the coat in best possible condition. No other grooming is required. Of course, just like with any other breed, you should regularly check their eyes, ears, nails and teeth and clip them or clean them if needed.

10) Health
There are no scientific studies about the breeds health, but it is believed, that the Kunming Wolfdog is usually very healthy dog breed, free from serious genetic health issues and with lifespan around 13 years, which is quite good for dog of this size. But of course, just like all dogs, even the Kunming Wolfdog can suffer from some health issues, similar to the ones of German Shepherd, which are joint problems like hip dysplasia, bloating or declining vision.