Coat and Color
WOLVES: Wolves coats are thick and well blended with coarse outer guard hairs that are banded in color, straight and long. Under the guard hairs is the under coat, which should be extremely thick and woolly in appearance, making it difficult to find any skin. The coat tends to be the thickest around the neck to the shoulders and v-cape. The coat should be long (Arctic and Tundra wolves tend to have longer coats) and thick, but not wavy, feathery or flowing. All color changes should be gradual and well blended regardless of color. Wolves come in a variety of color as well, ranging from white, grizzled with browns, greys and various levels of black. While arctic wolves will always turn white, that does not mean all white wolves are Arctic wolves or have Arctic wolf in them.
DOGS: While some northern breed dogs or dogs that can come in the “agouti” or “sable” coloration, can have banded and wolf-like colored hair, the overall texture, length and blending is much softer, shorter and contrasting. Dogs typically lack the color banding and blending in their coats, as well as the length of their guard hairs. Many also lack a significant v-cape. Markings on dogs can range from uneven splashes, to open face masks, white legs and sharp markings.
- What is Phenotyping?
- Breeding, Birthing, & Puppies
- Misrepresented Wolf Subspecies / Content