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Czechoslovakian Vlciak

The breeds · herding

AKC Miscellaneous · UKC Herding · FCI standard 332

Czechoslovakian Vlciak.

FCI 332 utilization: working dog; Group 1 Sheepdogs and Cattle Dogs, Section 1 Sheepdogs, 'With working trial'. FCI history: in 1955 a biological experiment in the CSSR crossed a German Shepherd Dog with a Carpathian wolf; in 1965 a breeding plan was drawn up to combine the usable qualities of the wolf with the favourable qualities of the dog; recognized as a national breed in 1982. UKC (Herding Group) gives the same 1955/1965/1982 history; characteristics: fearless and courageous, suspicious of strangers but very loyal to his master, useful for a variety of tasks, capable of great endurance. FCI temperament: lively, very active, docile with quick reactions, resistant to weather conditions, versatile in his uses. AKC editorial: bred to be elite border patrol dogs in the 1950s and 1960s; bred as patrol and military dogs, so territorial and independent; not a traditional guard dog that barks at the door but has the patrol instinct and will protect its family; not recommended for first-time owners. Peer-reviewed (PLoS ONE 2015): the initial aim was hard-working dogs for military purposes, to guard the mountainous borders of Czechoslovakia during the Cold War, then after FCI approval selection for wolf-like looks dominated and the dogs were kept as civilian dogs with similar utilization as the German Shepherd; founded on German Shepherds and Carpathian wolves, with a limited introgression of wolf alleles within a higher proportion of the dog genome. The AKC breed page calls it highly intelligent, with superior eyesight, hearing and sense of smell and excellent stamina.

Breed sets the odds. The parents set the dog. Every number here shows its source, its spread and how sure we are. Nothing on this page is a prediction about one dog.

0INHeightdogs null, bitches null. An ideal from the standard, not a range.
44–-InfinityLBWeight, all linesbreed dogs 57 lb; breed bitches 44 lb.

The body

What the breed is built like. Registry standards give an ideal, not a range.

Height at the shoulder

dogs 25.5 in · bitches 23.5 in

Breed clubFederation Cynologique Internationale, 1999

Minimum only in every source; high blank; center blank.

Weight

dogs 57 lb · bitches 44 lb

Breed clubFederation Cynologique Internationale, 1999

Minimum only in every source; high blank; center blank.

Coat

FCI 332: hair straight and close; winter and summer coat differ greatly; hair must cover the belly, inside of the upper thigh, scrotum, inner ear and between the toes. Colour yellowish-gray to silver-gray with a characteristic light mask, light hair on the underside of the neck and forechest; dark gray with a light mask permissible. UKC: same colours; stand-off or untypical coat is a disqualification. AKC editorial: gray markings mixed with yellow, brown, silver and sable shades

Breed clubFederation Cynologique Internationale, 1999

Shedding

AKC editorial: sheds the thick double coat year round, heavier in spring and fall. AKC breed page shedding level 3 of 5. FCI 332: winter and summer coats differ greatly. UKC: the coat is very affected by climate

EditorialAKC, 2026

Heat tolerance

2 of 5 · FCI 332: straight close coat, in winter an immense undercoat predominates and forms a thick coat all over the body, winter and summer coats differ greatly; UKC repeats it. AKC editorial: thick double coat

DerivedFederation Cynologique Internationale, 1999

Derived from the coat description (2 = heavy double coat in winter). Scored on the winter coat; the summer coat is lighter.

The dog at home

What the breed asks of a day. The first thing most homes get wrong.

Exercise need

AKC breed page: energy level 5 of 5 and mental-stimulation needs 5 of 5. AKC editorial: does best with a job and challenges; excels at tracking and hiking; early and regular positive training; many puppies run off and explore. FCI 332 gait: ground-covering trot. AKC editorial: the energy-saving long low trot lets it run 25 miles easily; exceptional stamina and endurance in harsh elements

Breed clubAKC

No Royal Kennel Club band exists for the breed, so no minutes figure is recorded.

Energy

AKC breed page: energy level 5 of 5 (highest band). FCI 332 temperament: lively, very active, capable of endurance, docile with quick reactions

Breed clubAKC

Grooming load

1 of 5

Breed clubAKC

AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.

Grooming

AKC editorial: straight close-fitting weather-resistant double coat, brushing daily or weekly removes loose hair, bathe as needed. AKC breed page coat grooming frequency 1 of 5. FCI 332: winter and summer coat differ greatly, an immense undercoat in winter

EditorialAKC, 2026

The work

What it was built to do in the field, and what a test or trial asks of it.

Role

FCI 332 utilization: working dog; Group 1 Sheepdogs and Cattle Dogs, Section 1 Sheepdogs, 'With working trial'. FCI history: in 1955 a biological experiment in the CSSR crossed a German Shepherd Dog with a Carpathian wolf; in 1965 a breeding plan was drawn up to combine the usable qualities of the wolf with the favourable qualities of the dog; recognized as a national breed in 1982. UKC (Herding Group) gives the same 1955/1965/1982 history; characteristics: fearless and courageous, suspicious of strangers but very loyal to his master, useful for a variety of tasks, capable of great endurance. FCI temperament: lively, very active, docile with quick reactions, resistant to weather conditions, versatile in his uses. AKC editorial: bred to be elite border patrol dogs in the 1950s and 1960s; bred as patrol and military dogs, so territorial and independent; not a traditional guard dog that barks at the door but has the patrol instinct and will protect its family; not recommended for first-time owners. Peer-reviewed (PLoS ONE 2015): the initial aim was hard-working dogs for military purposes, to guard the mountainous borders of Czechoslovakia during the Cold War, then after FCI approval selection for wolf-like looks dominated and the dogs were kept as civilian dogs with similar utilization as the German Shepherd; founded on German Shepherds and Carpathian wolves, with a limited introgression of wolf alleles within a higher proportion of the dog genome. The AKC breed page calls it highly intelligent, with superior eyesight, hearing and sense of smell and excellent stamina

Breed clubFederation Cynologique Internationale, 1999

Not a herding-stock dog in practice: the FCI places it among sheepdogs but the sources describe patrol, military and border work. A wolf cross by origin, stated plainly in every source.

Also used on

AKC editorial: excels at tracking and hiking; dog sports such as FastCAT. AKC breed page: superior eyesight, hearing and sense of smell. No source read states search-and-rescue, mushing or herding results for the breed

EditorialAKC, 2026

Single editorial source; the AKC article is the only prose read on current uses.

Field trial standard

FCI 332 classification: Group 1, Section 1 Sheepdogs, 'With working trial' (a working trial is required for the FCI title). No national working-trial rules were read

Breed clubFederation Cynologique Internationale, 1999

How common the problems are

Evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock; the numbers are still the best there are.

Hip dysplasia

8.5% · 8.5% dysplastic of 130 OFA hip evaluations on record (current all-data, accessed Oct 9 2026); 90.8% normal; mild 6.2%, moderate 2.3%, severe 0.0%; breed rank 148 in the OFA table

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

Voluntary registry: affected dogs are under-reported and evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock, so true prevalence is higher. Small n for the breed.

Elbow dysplasia

0% · 0.0% abnormal of 130 OFA elbow evaluations on record (current all-data, accessed Oct 9 2026); 100.0% normal; breed rank 161 in the OFA table

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

Voluntary registry: affected dogs are under-reported and evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock, so true prevalence is higher. Small n for the breed.

Most common disorders

Pituitary dwarfism: the same 7 bp LHX3 deletion found in German Shepherd Dog dwarfs was found in Czechoslovakian wolfdog dwarfs (4 clinical cases), and 21% of 200 clinically healthy breeding Czechoslovakian wolfdogs were carriers; the authors call for screening before breeding. Inbreeding: the SNP study (PMC8228135) found long runs of homozygosity from a low number of founders, much higher inbreeding than pedigrees suggest; the 2015 PLoS ONE study found a low observed inbreeding coefficient despite a small effective population size, possibly from wolf-allele heterozygote advantage

StudiedPituitary Dwarfism in Saarloos and Czechoslovakian Wolfdogs is Associated with a Mutation in LHX3 (PMC4895634): 200 clinically healthy Czechoslovakian wolfdogs genotyped

Two peer-reviewed genetics papers that partly disagree on inbreeding; both stand. Not a VetCompass or club health survey of the breed.

More

akc bands

AKC breed page trait scores (1-5): Energy Level 5; Mental Stimulation Needs 5; Trainability Level 1; Barking Level 1; Watchdog/Protective Nature 5; Good With Young Children 3; Openness To Strangers 1; Good With Other Dogs 3; Shedding Level 3; Coat Grooming Frequency 1; Drooling Level 1; Affectionate With Family 5; Playfulness Level 1; Adaptability Level 1.

Breed clubAKC

Fourteen AKC bands in one row; the selector reads each by name. Breed-club ratings: a tendency, never a measurement.

What to ask a breeder for

The health clearances the breed’s own club and registry name. Reference only: what to ask for, never a statement about any dog’s health.

How to read this page

Every value carries a label. Measured means peer-reviewed data on many dogs. Studied means peer-reviewed, smaller or indirect. Breed club means a club or registry states it. Editorial means expert opinion with no measurement behind it. Where two good sources disagree, both are shown and neither is averaged.

Published when the entry rests on the best information available from no fewer than three independent sources, checked by a second pass that did not write it. 5 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.

Also called
Czechoslovakian Wolfdog, Ceskoslovensky Vlciak, Československý vlčiak, Czechoslovakian Vlcak, CSV

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