KENAI
Saarloosewolfdog

The breeds · herding

UKC Herding · FCI standard 311

Saarloosewolfdog.

FCI 311 utilization: not bred with any aim for a particular utilization; qualities that make him a faithful and reliable companion and house dog. Group 1 Sheepdogs and Cattledogs, Section 1 Sheepdogs, 'Without working trial'. FCI history: in 1932 Leendert Saarloos (1884-1969) crossed a German Shepherd male, Gerard van der Fransenum, with a female wolf, Fleuri, from the Siberian branch of the European type, and bred back to the father (one quarter wolf); selected animals were first tried as guide dogs for the blind, but as the share of wolf blood increased the useful ability inherited from Gerard was gradually lost and the breed proved neither a good working dog nor a guide dog; recognized as a breed in 1975 and named in his honour. UKC: the breed was not created for any specific working purpose but to be a hardy, self-reliant companion and house dog (crossed in 1932 with a female European wolf). Peer-reviewed (PMC11764532): the first successful cross used a female European wolf of unknown origin donated by the Rotterdam Zoo and a German Shepherd male of an old Prussian lineage, the project began as one breeder's personal hobby, and later wolf crosses (probably four more females, the last in 1963) were used; the stud book has not been made public. FCI temperament: proud, independent, known to foremost obey his own will; devoted and reliable toward his master; reserved toward strangers and usually does not seek contact; avoids unknown situations in a wolf-like manner. UKC: suspicious of strangers; a natural wolf-like reserve and desire to flee from unknown situations is typical.

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.

The body

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

Height at the shoulder

dogs 25.5 to 29.5 in · bitches 23.5 to 27.6 in

Breed clubFederation Cynologique Internationale, 2014

Low and high span FCI and UKC. Ranges, not a single ideal, so center is blank.

Coat

FCI 311: summer coat differs greatly from winter coat; profuse winter coat with a distinct ruff; belly, inside of upper thighs and scrotum must be covered with hair. Colours light to dark shaded black-tipped game colour (wolf-grey) or brown-tipped game colour, with light creamy white to white wolf markings; also white and cream (pigment black in wolf-grey, white and cream; liver in brown). UKC: same colours; pale washed-out colours and dark saddles less desirable. FCI: dark saddle from poor hair distribution is a fault

Breed clubFederation Cynologique Internationale, 2014

Heat tolerance

2 of 5 · FCI 311: in winter the undercoat predominates and with the guard hair forms a profuse coat over the whole body with a distinct ruff; in summer the guard hair predominates. UKC: double coat profuse in winter, a ruff around the neck

DerivedFederation Cynologique Internationale, 2014

Derived from the coat description (2 = heavy double coat in winter, lighter in summer).

The dog at home

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

Exercise need

FCI 311: a lively dog bursting with energy; a typical untiring trotter that can easily cover great distances at his own pace and barely tires. UKC: lively, energetic and independent; a tireless, unexaggerated trot. No minutes band published

Breed clubFederation Cynologique Internationale, 2014

No Royal Kennel Club or AKC band was read, so no minutes figure is recorded.

The work

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

Role

FCI 311 utilization: not bred with any aim for a particular utilization; qualities that make him a faithful and reliable companion and house dog. Group 1 Sheepdogs and Cattledogs, Section 1 Sheepdogs, 'Without working trial'. FCI history: in 1932 Leendert Saarloos (1884-1969) crossed a German Shepherd male, Gerard van der Fransenum, with a female wolf, Fleuri, from the Siberian branch of the European type, and bred back to the father (one quarter wolf); selected animals were first tried as guide dogs for the blind, but as the share of wolf blood increased the useful ability inherited from Gerard was gradually lost and the breed proved neither a good working dog nor a guide dog; recognized as a breed in 1975 and named in his honour. UKC: the breed was not created for any specific working purpose but to be a hardy, self-reliant companion and house dog (crossed in 1932 with a female European wolf). Peer-reviewed (PMC11764532): the first successful cross used a female European wolf of unknown origin donated by the Rotterdam Zoo and a German Shepherd male of an old Prussian lineage, the project began as one breeder's personal hobby, and later wolf crosses (probably four more females, the last in 1963) were used; the stud book has not been made public. FCI temperament: proud, independent, known to foremost obey his own will; devoted and reliable toward his master; reserved toward strangers and usually does not seek contact; avoids unknown situations in a wolf-like manner. UKC: suspicious of strangers; a natural wolf-like reserve and desire to flee from unknown situations is typical

Breed clubFederation Cynologique Internationale, 2014

A wolf cross by origin, stated by every source. The sources differ on the wolf: FCI says a Siberian-branch European wolf named Fleuri, the 2025 genomics paper says a Rotterdam Zoo female European wolf of unknown origin; both stand. No source read gives the breed a working job.

Field trial standard

FCI 311 classification: Group 1, Section 1 Sheepdogs, 'Without working trial'. No working or field test applies to the breed in any source read

Breed clubFederation Cynologique Internationale, 2014

How common the problems are

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

Most common disorders

Pituitary dwarfism: the same 7 bp LHX3 deletion as German Shepherd Dog dwarfs was found in Saarloos wolfdog dwarfs (2 clinical cases), and 31% of 239 clinically healthy breeding Saarloos wolfdogs were carriers; the authors call for screening before breeding. Inbreeding: the 2025 genomics paper (PMC11764532) found the Saarloos genome has a higher inbreeding coefficient and longer runs of homozygosity than the Czechoslovakian wolfdog, from heavy inbreeding in its development; it urges sustainable breeding to protect diversity

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

Peer-reviewed genetics, not a VetCompass or club health survey.

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. 2 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.

Also called
Saarlooswolfhond, Saarloos Wolfhond, Saarloosewolfdog, European Wolfdog

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