Siberian Husky Ancestry - Arctic Wolf?

[Sakutama]

I was wondering about the Siberian Huskies wolf ancestry. I read somewhere they believe they come from the Arctic Wolf. Understandably no one knows 100%, but has anyone else heard it could be the Arctic Wolf? Or perhaps another species of Wolf? I knew there were different species of Wolves, but I had never seen an Arctic Wolf before I started doing my husky homework and I found it very interesting!

[Liz Jones]

Not to sure but I'm sure they have no wolf in them at all think they came from crossing a white Alsatian with another type of dog but I'm sure if I'm wrong someone on here will know the answer

[mydiamond]

I doubt it. No one knows for sure, tho =\ I only know that they're raised by the Chukchi tribe x_x who knows what do these people do to the breed but I am very sure that Siberian husky is not part wolf and they do not inherit any kind of wolf behaviors (shy, aloof with humans, etc)

[GHOST R1D3R]

I doubt it. No one knows for sure, tho =\ I only know that they're raised by the Chukchi tribe x_x who knows what do these people do to the breed but I am very sure that Siberian husky is not part wolf and they do not inherit any kind of wolf behaviors (shy, aloof with humans, etc)

This ^ is the only true fact of there history. It's possible they were Norse dogs as they resemble dogs that were used in that time but as for them being part wolf anything is possible but no one knows for sure.

[mydiamond]

yep they're a breed so ancient nobody knows nothing =\ I honestly wonder if the rumors were true tho... Do they have some arctic wolf in them? Or maybe gray wolf? Or no wolf at all? Which one is true? would be nice if I know the answers

[HuskyMom09]

All dogs descend from wolves, but the Siberian even as ancient of a breed as they are is no more wolf than any other modern day domestic.

[Sakutama]

Of course they don't have recent wolf in them, they're 100% domestic dogs.

Of course we will never know their true history, but I think what I read (and of course I can't find it just when I need it!) that because the Chukchi were relatively isolated and have lived there sense ancient times, maybe they domesticate a local wolf that later led to todays Husky. Mind you this would be over...thousands of years so I could be possible. And sense they live very far up north, some wonder if it might be the Arctic Wolf that kicked things off. That might explain their adaptability to cold climates?

Or perhaps they did trade with the Russians when they weren't fighting, and received one of our modern dogs ancestors. But instead of it developing into several breeds like it did in Europe for example, it developed into the Husky as we know it today, which would explain how it is considered to be one of the oldest dog breeds. And we can't rule out the possibility of wolves getting mixed in somewhere in the timeline, but obviously they didn't do too much of that because they are completely domestic dogs now. But you know, I heard the chukchi would go as far as killing aggressive dogs because they didn't want that trait at all...could explain why most Huskies love everyone and that could have played a role in a shift from wild to domestic. Or I could just be blabbering on nonsense! Sorry guys.

I was just wondering if anyone had heard of the Arctic Wolf theory or if that was just something random someone wrote. It's kind of romantic thinking of the Arctic Wolf as the Huskies ancient ancestor from thousands of years ago. I know that our Huskies are as dog as any other dog and the only wolf in them is the same amount of wolf a Chihuahua has (maybe just a TINY bit more then a Chihuahua ). Sense all dogs come from wolves, the idea that the Husky could come from an Arctic Wolf when other dogs came from different species of wolves really fascinated me.

[mydiamond]

no you're not talking about nonsense... it is true that chukchi people would even go as far as killing if a dog develops unwanted traits such as aggression. They even have this cultural ceremony where a young child is left alone in a tent with 13 huskies all night long which is probably why huskies love everyone. Some people did say that there might be some arctic wolves in their blood, but again no one knows for sure. It's just a guess. Nice one tho

[Sakutama]

I thought I would add, I was checking the Wikipedia page for the Spitz type of dogs. They say:

"The exact origins of spitz-type dogs are not known, though most of the spitz-types seen today originate from the Arctic or East Asian regions. The type was described as Canis pomeranus by Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revision of Systema naturae in 1788 (printed in English in 1792.)

There is no archaeological evidence showing transition stages between the wolf and the often-similar spitz-type dogs. Skeletal remains up to 5,000 years old suggest it is far more likely that the ancestors of spitz types mated with wolves. In recent genetic testing of dog breeds, many spitz-types were found to be in the group closest to wolves, presumed to be the oldest types of dogs.

Humans have intentionally mated spitz-types with wolves in more recent times to achieve or maintain the wolf-like appearance of breeds such as the Alaskan Malamute."

I found it very interesting!

[mydiamond]

I thought I would add, I was checking the Wikipedia page for the Spitz type of dogs. They say:

"The exact origins of spitz-type dogs are not known, though most of the spitz-types seen today originate from the Arctic or East Asian regions. The type was described as Canis pomeranus by Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revision of Systema naturae in 1788 (printed in English in 1792.)

There is no archaeological evidence showing transition stages between the wolf and the often-similar spitz-type dogs. Skeletal remains up to 5,000 years old suggest it is far more likely that the ancestors of spitz types mated with wolves. In recent genetic testing of dog breeds, many spitz-types were found to be in the group closest to wolves, presumed to be the oldest types of dogs.

Humans have intentionally mated spitz-types with wolves in more recent times to achieve or maintain the wolf-like appearance of breeds such as the Alaskan Malamute."

I found it very interesting!

but they say the breed that is closest to wolves is Shih Tzu Shih Tzu = Spitz type??

[Sakutama]

Well hrmm...not that Wikipedia is perfect, but again checked and it says they theorize the Shih Tzu was created by mixing Pekingese and Lhasa Apso (both also ancient breeds). I checked their individual pages, and they say the Lhasa Apso started out around 4000 years ago as a small mountain wolf that was later domesticated. As for the Pekingese, they don't say much but they say it was developed in Chinese antiquity. And knowing how old Chinese history is, that must be REALLY old! So the Shih Tzu was possibly developed from two of the closest-to-wolf breeds known.

And although our wonderful Huskies original dog ancestor is unknown, they are theorizing a lot of wolves got mixed in early on so it's kind of like back to wolf and back to domestic dog again. It's all fascinating to me, even if we don't know anything 100%

[Sakutama]

Sorry here's an Ancient Dogs page link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_dog_breeds