Temperament And Health


The Lupine Dog is typically non aggressive and will usually submit when challenged. They won’t make a good guard dog.

They are a pack animal and don’t do well being left alone for long periods of time, they crave the company of other animals or their human family and can suffer separation anxiety which can lead to destructive behaviour, especially during adolescence.

Be warned, some love to dig, so nice gardens don’t always exist, they can easily dig up your plants and turn your manicured lawn into a lunar landscape.

The Lupine Dog can have a prey drive due so it is advisable to exercise extreme caution around chickens, sheep, cattle, etc. They can and do happily coexist with cats if introduced at an early age.

The Lupine Dog, although can be aloof with strangers, make loyal and loving family pets. However, they can be quite boisterous at play and could easily knock a small child down so common sense dictates that children and dogs should never be left unsupervised. Any companion dogs must also be able to withstand the rough and tumble that comes with their style of play.

On the whole Lupine Dogs are very hardy. Commonly, they suffer from sensitive stomachs if fed supermarket dog foods high in sugar and grain.

HIP DYSPLASIA (HD)

Simply speaking, Hip Dysplasia means that the bones of the hip joint are not aligned correctly. Like most large breed dogs, Miyax Dogs can suffer from HD. The current Hip Dysplaysia score average for the Miyax Dog is 15, so when looking to buy a puppy, you should be looking for its parents to have scores lower than this average. Miyax Dogs also have their elbows scored though as yet Elbow Dysplasia has not been known to cause any health concerns within the gene pool.

CRYPTORCHIDISM (RETAINED TESTICLES)

Cryptorchidism, sometimes called retained or undescended testes, is the absence of one or both testicles in the scrotum of a male puppy by the time it reaches 6 months of age. Testes normally descend within 6 to 8 weeks. However, they can remain in the abdomen or may never develop at all. Cryptorchid dogs can still be fertile, depending on the number and location of their retained testicle(s). Breeders should check puppies for this disorder before placing them in their new homes. Most cryptorchids show no signs of discomfort or pain. In fact, many owners don’t know that their puppies have this disorder until they are checked by a veterinarian. Dogs with retained testicles have a greatly increased risk of developing testicular infection, torsion and cancer. The condition is also hereditary. Affected dogs should be neutered.

Cryptorchidism is not uncommon in Large Dog Breeds. This is definitely something to be aware of if you are looking for a future stud dog. Remember also, that British Lupine Dog breeders have breeding restrictions placed on their puppies, in regards to future breeding, which can only be lifted by them. All our puppies are sold as pets only.

EPILEPSY

A few cases of epilepsy have come to light within wolf alike and wolfdogs breeds though as yet it is  not seen in the Miyax Lupine Dog. It is not known whether it is hereditary at this stage. It is suspected this may be caused by interbreeding so it is important to ensure your breeder uses unrelated dogs in their breeding programmes.

GLAUCOMA

Certain breeds are predisposed to getting glaucoma. Primary glaucoma most commonly afflicts dogs at 3–7 years of age but can occur at any age. The disease is most frequently seen in Cocker Spaniels, many of the terriers, northern breeds such as the Siberian Husky, Chow-Chows and Dalmatians. However, primary glaucoma has been identified in almost every breed of dog. Glaucoma should be screened for during an annual eye test by the British Veterinary Association.

DEGENERATIVE MYELOPATHY (DM)

Degenerative Myelopathy is a progressive disease of the spinal cord in older dogs. The disease has an insidious onset typically between 8 and 14 years of age. It begins with a loss of coordination (ataxia) in the hind limbs. The affected dog will wobble when walking, knuckle over or drag the feet. This can first occur in one hind limb and then affect the other. As the disease progresses, the limbs become weak and the dog begins to buckle and has difficulty standing. The weakness gets progressively worse until the dog is unable to walk. The clinical course can range from 6 months to 1 year before dogs become paraplegic. If signs progress for a longer period of time, loss of urinary and faecal continence may occur and eventually weakness will develop in the front limbs. Another key feature of DM is that it is not a painful disease.

Breeding dogs should be tested and carrier to carrier dogs should never be bred together. If a carrier dog is bred to a clear dog, then it will not produce affected puppies.

OCULOSKELETAL DYSPLASIA (OSD3)

Oculoskeletal Dysplasia is a genetically based syndrome leading to abnormal bone and cartilage development. Dogs that have this syndrome usually have long backs and legs that are shortened and curved. This disease can lead to joint problems which can be painful and cause limping. Afflicted dogs also have a high predisposition to developing invertebral disc disease. It has become apparent that this is now showing itself within many wolf alike dogs and particularly in Northern Inuit Dog breeding lines. Like the DM, breeding carrier dogs to carrier dogs would produce affected puppies. Both parents must be carriers for this to happen. A genetic test is now available for this syndrome.

PITUITARY DWARFISM (PD)

Pituitary dwarfism is an autosomal disorder that is inherited in breeds such as German Shepherd Dogs, Weimaraners, Spitz, Dachshunds, Corgis, Basset Hounds, Saarloos Wolfdogs, and Czechoslovakian Wolfdogs. The disease casues short legs, long body, a short jaw, bulging eyes, and skin disorders including baldness and bacterial skin infections. The defects become apparently during puppyhood and the prognosis is poor. A genetic test is a available for this disease and all wolfdogs and Lupine Dogs should be tested before breeding.

The genetic faults found in many wolf-alike and wolfdog breeds including Oculoskeletal Dysplasia, Pituitary Dwarfism and Degenerative Myelopthy can be easily avoided by ethical breeders who ensure that dogs carrying these genetic faults are not bred to another carrier. Be sure when looking for a breeder that they can display veterinary evidence in the form of genetic testing which confirms that genetic conditions will not affect the future offspring of their dogs and be vigilant for breeders whom continue to breed from dogs known to have produced puppies effected by these conditions.