The International Wolfalike Companion Registry – Est. 2017
Coats & Colours
Wolfalike dogs were originally bred to resemble the wolf whilst maintaining the dog-like temperament.
Although there have been many years of selective breeding to get the desired wolf-like look, there is still a wide range of diversity in coat colours, coat length, masks, and eye colours within the wolfalike. This is translated across most of the wolfalike breeds, meaning there is no clearly defined 'type'.
If you are considering adding a wolfalike breed to your family and are interested in a specific coat colour or eye colour - or combination of both - it is worth checking with your chosen breeder to see what they expect from future litters. An experienced breeder should know what colours they expect from their future litters and which mating may produce the coat or eye colours you are looking for. However, it is also worth mentioning that there is such genetic diversity within the breed that a breeder's guesstimates may not always be 100% correct. Also, note that eye colours can change from puppy through to adulthood.
Coat colours
Wolfalike dogs come in various coat colours ranging from pure white to grey, silver, red, timber, black, black and white and occasionally ink marked, which is a fault in the Northern Inuit dog.
Below are examples of the most common coat colours in the wolfalike breeds.
Timber
Timber is the most common colour in the wolfalike dog. These dogs are genetically agouti or "wild coloured".
We use these four categories to distinguish between the different shades/varieties.
Light Timber
(cream undercoat with darker markings)
Dark Timber
(beige undercoat dark brown or black coat)
Timber
(cream undercoat with dark red & brown markings)
Apricot Timber
(cream undercoat with red & red brown markings)
Grey
Grey is genetically also agouti, but they have much lighter markings than timber.
Silver Grey
(White undercoat)
Wolf Grey
(Cream undercoat)
Other colours
These colours are less common in the wolfalike dog. Charcoal and Black &White used to be common in the Northern Inuit Dog, but occur less nowadays as most breeders and owners prefer the Timber shades.
White can occur as it's a recessive gene, and many wolfalikes carry it. Ink Marked has more or less been bred out of many wolfalike breeds.
Charcoal
White
Black & White
Inke Marked
(spotted)
Coat Lengths
All wolfalike types should have a dense, waterproof double-coat, which usually goes through a full moult twice a year. However, the length of the coat can vary from standard double-coat to plush, through to long-haired which is classed as a fault in the Northern Inuit dog, but some other wolfalike breeds prefer a bit of length to the coat.
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A standard and plush coat requires low to medium maintenance, mainly while shedding. A long haired wolfalike may require daily brushing to prevent them from getting matted.
Standard coat
Long coat
Plush coat
(puppy to adult)
Masks
One of the defining characteristics of many wolfalike breeds is their facial markings which is called a 'mask'. These can vary from no mask (only accepted on pure white dogs), full, faded, and half masks. Below are photos to illustrate the differences between full, half and faded masks.
Full Mask
Note that the coloured markings completely surround the eye and there is a clear 'stripe' marking extending down the full length of the muzzle with no break. Full masked dogs often have white eyebrow spots.
Faded full mask
Note that these dogs usually have faded colour markings beneath the eyes and a faint stripe, which may not reach all the way down the muzzle or may be broken. These dogs was born with a full mask, but gave faded with age.
Below is the same dog at 6 weeks, 5 months and as an adult.
Half Mask
Note these dogs do not have the marking surrounding the eye and the majority of the face is white. They may still have a faint or broken stripe down part of their muzzle.
Eyes
Typical eye colour in the wolfalike ranges from yellow through amber, brown, blue and occasionally bi-eyed. Some of the wolfalike breeds, such as Tamaskan, see blue eyes as a fault while they are allowed in the Northern Inuit.
The information on this page is © Honiahaka and is used with permission.
Amber Eyes
Brown eyes
Blue eyes
Yellow eyes
