Italian Wolf - Lupo Italiano
Italian breeds of dogs

Origin, classification and brief historical summary

Origin: Italy.
Classification F.C.I.: BREED WITHOUT STANDARD FCI

The history of the Italian Wolf begins in 1966 when a puppy from an Alsatian wolf was crossbred with a female wild wolf from Northern Latium Apennines. This puppy, whose mane was Zorro, is to be considered the founder of the Italian wolf. Then through a strict genetic programming the intermediate characters have been fixed steadily and have been transmitted in a homogenous and constant way in thirty years’ time.
As this breed was created from relevant genetic contributions of the wolf it is important that, apart from the morphological identity, there exists a balance in the psychic characters and, first of all, that there is compatibility with man.
The Italian wolf, a protected breed, of which either the reproduction or the marketing are forbidden outside the safeguard of the authority, is bred non-profit by ETLI the Authority for the safeguard of the Italian Wolf (President Mario Messi) and it is given free to associations or people who are engaged to apply it in civil defence or public interest.
Forest rangers mainly apply this dog, although some of them still apply the Alsatian. The Italian wolf is always very reliable when he is on patrol with forest rangers: he is distinctly able to rescue people from avalanches, earthquake ruins and is particularly applied for people and animal hunt.
These dogs are just over 500 examples.

General appearance

The breed Italian Wolf looks strong resistant to fatigue, with a high sensory acuteness, all qualities that make him similar to the wolf as well as his aspect.

Behaviour and temperament

Extremely lively, endowed with a fierce and independent temperament, he obeys with firm conviction, never with servility. He is very loving with the people he lives with, that he loves in an exclusive way. Suspicious with strangers he distinctly feels his property and the guard of the people relying on him.
Extremely strong and powerful in seizing objects; because of his characteristics of originality, homogeneity, constancy and balance on the genetic morphological psychic levels, he is a unique example in the history of breeds and in the relationship between man and environment.

Lupo Italiano - Italian Wolf (photo www.lupoitaliano.it - Ente per la tutela del Lupo Italiano)

Stefania Belmondo and Jocelyne Pointeau with Italian Wolf (photo www.lupoitaliano.it)

Somatic types

Size:
 - males from 60 to 70 cm
 - females from 58 to 65 cm

Strong body, not too long, well-built and descended chest which forms a supple harmonious profile with the line of the throat, the chest, the sternum, the abdomen; upright back-lumbar line; not too low rump.
Head and muzzle: slender well designed, typical wolf muzzle, a bit thin in the edge; strong jaws; black nose; teeth: pincer teeth, robust and very white.
Ears: medium size, perfectly parallel ears, when the attention is awake, very mobile according to the moods and movements of the animal.
Eyes: medium size, rather oblique, non prominent, never too dark, golden in the deep; intense and loyal glance.
Legs: perfectly perpendicular, very strong but lean, they never look heavy; not too angled hind legs.
Tail: quite long and thick, not exaggerated though, low and leaning when resting and on the alert, it raises with a harmonious not excessive curved line when the animal is agitated, although his main line is never vertical: it must look graceful and smoothly.
Gait: smooth and easy, even in the case of a large sized animal, maximum weight, this dog must give the impression of elegant strength either in the pace, trot or gallop, which is steady and fast, like the wild wolf’s gait. It is quite interesting to point out the aligned footprints when trot is fast; oval paw. The body and the legs together highlight both the smoothness and the strength of the joints as well as connections, thus showing a great functioning in the shoulder and hip.
Coat: medium long and tough, straight or somehow wavy in the trunk and thigh, finer and shorter on the head and legs, with dense under hair in dogs living in the open.
Colour: grey, changing dark base shading off differently from subject to subject to tawny or beige; also dark back , well defined collar; in the abdomen, in the lower part of legs, internal and rear part of thighs: grey or rusty grey, pale tawny or beige; in every kind of coat a small white spot on the chest is accepted, though. Seasonal variations.

BREED WITHOUT STANDARD FCI.

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