Czechoslovakian Vlcak Breed Magazine features information, expert articles, and stunning photos from AKC judges, breeders, and owners.
VL CAK CZECHOSLOVAKIAN
Let’s Talk Breed Education!
FEDERATION CYNOLOGIQUE INTERNATIONALE (AISBL) SECRETARIAT GENERAL: 13, Place Albert 1 er B – 6530 Thuin (Belgique) ______________________________________________________________________________
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03. 09. 1999 /EN
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FCI-Standard N° 332
CESKOSLOVENSKÝ VLCIAK (Czechoslovakian Wolfdog)
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TRANSLATION : Mrs. C. Seidler. Official language (DE).
ORIGIN : The former Czechoslovakian Republic.
PATRONAGE : Slovakian Republic.
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE OFFICIAL VALID STANDARD : 03.09.1999.
UTILIZATION : Working Dog.
FCI-CLASSIFICATION : Group 1 Sheepdogs and Cattle Dogs. Section 1 Sheepdogs. With working trial. BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY : In the year 1955 a biological experiment took place in the CSSR of that time, namely, the crossing of a German Shepherd Dog with a Carpathian wolf. The experiment established that the progeny of the mating of male dog to female wolf as well as that of male wolf to female dog, could be reared. The vast majority of the products of these matings possessed the genetic requirements for continuation of breeding. In the year 1965, after the ending of the experiment, a plan for the breeding of this new breed was worked out. This was to combine the usable qualities of the wolf with the favourable qualities of the dog. In the year 1982, the Ceskoslovenský Vlciak, through the general committee of the breeders’ associations of the CSSR of that time, was recognized as a national breed. GENERAL APPEARANCE : Firm type in constitution. Above average size with rectangular frame. In body shape, movement, coat texture, colour of coat and mask, similar to the wolf.
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IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS : - Length of body: Height at withers = 10: 9.
- Length of muzzle: Length of cranial region = 1: 1.5.
BEHAVIOUR / TEMPERAMENT : Lively, very active, capable of endurance, docile with quick reactions. Fearless and courageous. Suspicious. Shows tremendous loyalty towards his master. Resistant to weather conditions. Versatile in his uses.
HEAD : Symmetrical, well muscled. Seen from the side and from above, it forms a blunt wedge. Sex should be unmistakable.
CRANIAL REGION: Skull: Seen from the side and from the front, the forehead is slightly arched. No marked frontal furrow. Occipital bone clearly visible. Stop: Moderate. FACIAL REGION: Nose: Oval shape, black. Muzzle: Clean, not broad; straight bridge of nose. Lips: Tight fitting. No gap at corner of mouth. Rims of lips are black. Jaws/Teeth: Jaws strong and symmetrical. Well developed teeth, specially the canines. Scissor or pincer bite with 42 teeth according to the usual tooth set. Regular teeth set. Cheeks: Clean, sufficiently muscled, not markedly protruding.
EYES : Small, slanting, amber coloured. Well fitting lids.
EARS : Pricked, thin, triangular, short (i.e. not longer than 1/6th of the height at withers); the lateral point of the set on of the ears and the outer corner of the eyes are in a direct line. A vertical line from tip of ear would run close along the head.
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NECK : Dry, well muscled. In repose forms an angle of up to 40 degrees to the horizontal. The neck must be sufficiently long for the nose to touch the ground effortlessly. BODY : Topline: Flowing transition from neck to body. Sloping away sligthly. Withers: Well muscled, pronounced. Though pronounced, they must not interrupt the flow of the topline. Back: Firm and straight. Loins: Short, well muscled, not broad, sloping slightly. Croup: Short, well muscled, not broad, falling away slightly. Chest: Symmetrical, well muscled, roomy, pear-shaped and narrowing towards the sternum. The depth of chest does not reach to the elbows. The point of the sternum does not extend beyond the shoulder joints. Underline and belly: Taut bellly, tucked up. Slightly hollow in flanks.
TAIL : Set on high, hanging straight down. When dog is excited, generally raised in sickle shape.
LIMBS
FOREQUARTERS: General appearance: The front legs are straight, strong, clean and close together with slightly turned out feet. Shoulder: The shoulder blade is placed rather far forward, well muscled. It forms an angle of nearly 65 degrees to the horizontal. Upper arm: Strongly muscled, forms an angle of 120 to 130 degrees to the shoulder blade. Elbow: Close fitting, turned neither in nor out, well defined, flexible. Upper arm and forearm form an angle of approximately 150 degrees. Forearm: Long, clean and straight. The length of the forearm and pastern is 55% of height at withers. Pastern joint: Solid, flexible.
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Pastern: Long, forms an angle of at least 75 degrees to the ground. Lightly springy in movement. Forefeet: Large, turned slightly outwards. Longish arched toes and strong, dark nails. Well defined, elastic, dark pads. HINDQUARTERS: General appearance: Powerful. The hind legs stand parallel. An imaginary vertical line drawn from the point of the ischium, would run midway through the hock joint. The dewclaws are undesirable and must be eliminated. Upper thigh: Long, well muscled. Forms an angle of 80 degrees to the pelvis. The hip joint is sturdy and flexible. Stifle (Knee): Strong and flexible. Lower thigh: Long, clean, well-muscled. Forms an angle of about 130 degrees with the hock. Hock joint: Clean, solid, flexible. Hock: Long, clean. Position almost vertical to the ground. Hind feet: Longish, arched toes with strong dark nails. GAIT / MOVEMENT : Harmonious, light-footed, ground covering trot in which the limbs skim over the ground as closely as possible. Head and neck incline to the horizontal. Pacing when walking.
SKIN : Elastic, tight, without wrinkles, unpigmented.
COAT Hair: Straight and close. Winter and summer coat differ greatly. In winter an immense undercoat is predominant and, together with the topcoat, forms a thick coat all over the body. It is necessary for the hair to cover the belly, the inside of the upper thigh, the scrotum, the inner part of the ear and the area between the toes. Well coated neck. Colour: Yellowish-gray to silver-gray with a charateristic light mask. Light hair also on the underside of the neck and the forechest. Dark gray colour with light mask is permissible.
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SIZE AND WEIGHT : Height at withers: Dogs at least
65 cm, 60 cm. 26 kg, 20 kg.
Bitches at least Dogs at least Bitches at least
Weight:
FAULTS : Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog. • Heavy or light head. • Flat forehead. • The absence of two PM1 (premolar 1) or of both M3 (molar 3) is not to be penalized. However, the absence of one M3 in addition to 2 PM1 or the absence of one PM1 in addition to both M3 is to be considered as a fault. • Dark brown, black or different coloured eyes. • Coarse ear. High or low set-on of ear. • Neck carried high in repose; low position of neck when standing. • Unpronounced withers. • Untypical topline. • Long croup. • Tail long, set on low and not carried correctly. • Too little or too much angulation in forequarters. • Weak pastern. • Too little or too much angulation in hindquarters. Insufficient muscle.
• Barely pronounced mask. • Short, wavy movement.
DISQUALIFYING FAULTS : • Aggressive or overly shy. • Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormalities. • Discrepancy in proportions. • Faults in deportment and temperament.
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• Untypical head. • Missing teeth (except 2 PM1 and the M 3, see § faults), irregular bite.
• Untypical shape and position of eyes. • Untypical set-on and shape of ears. • Dewlap. • Strong slope in croup. • Untypical ribcage. • Tail untypical in set on and carriage. • Faulty and untypical position of front legs. • Stand-off and untypical coat. • Colours other than those in the standard. • Slack ligaments. • Untypical movement.
N.B : • Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum. • Only functionally and clinically healthy dogs, with breed typical conformation should be used for breeding.
St-FCI n°332/03.09.1999
CZECHOSLOVAKIAN VLCAK CHARACTERISTICS
BY TERRI WEMIGWANS
T he Czechoslovakian Vlcak (“CsV”) is influenced by the thousands of generations of its Carpathian wolf ancestors from which it inherits many traits. These traits include an immense intelligence, supe- rior olfactory and sensory abilities, and strong pack bonds that include members of its human family. CsVs place a strong emphasis on pack hierarchy and will allow the human to take the place of the pack leader—if the human is up to the chal- lenge. They are extremely aware of their surroundings, and because of their superior-developed senses, they can be extreme- ly vigilant and highly reactive. It’s typical for CsV to have a late adolescence, as most reach maturity at eighteen to twenty- four months; males sometimes even later. At this time, pack dynamics can often shift. Same-sex aggression can be common because of hierarchy challenges; spaying and neutering often does little to stop this behavior. It may lessen the intensity of the behavior, but not always. Males can be particularly challenging at this time. Calm, consistent training is critical. As a breed, the CsV is generally very healthy, with very few genetic diseases present due to the health testing that has been ongoing since the beginnings of the breed. The female reproductive cycle is usually twelve to fifteen months. They are classified as monoestrous animals; “come into estrus only once a year.” CsV are natural birthers and most make excellent mothers. CsV puppies mature quickly in early puppyhood and are robust and healthy. Early extensive socialization is a must. Socialization needs to be continued until, at the very least, the CsV has reached adolescence. As puppies and young adults, they often have extremely short attention spans. They can also be extremely “mouthy” as puppies, much more than the tradi- tional canine. This “mouthiness” will result in bruises and bite marks, and is not something that can be trained out. Sometimes it can be modified, but the behavior will still persist. Most CsV grow out of the extreme mouthiness by the time they reach ado- lescence. In females, this often turns into excessive licking. The extreme mouthiness sometimes reappears throughout adult- hood when the CsV is stressed; the stress may be as simple as the dog feeling like you have been gone too long or they’re just SO happy to see you.
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CZECHOSLOVAKIAN VLCAK CHARACTERISTICS
The CsV is temperamental and very active, with excep- tional endurance and intelligence. They are quick to learn, but do not respond well to repetitive tasks and may not be interested in doing a task when asked. Often, traditional training methods used with the average dog are not suc- cessful. Calm, consistent training made to be a fun game is required. The CsV should be interested to perform the task and the understanding behind it if you expect to get good results. They need daily training and activities with their human. CsV do well if they have a job to do on a daily basis. They learn to love the work, enjoy it, and expect it. To do well with a CsV, you need to know that you have an intelligent partner and work as a team. CsV excel at any- thing to do with using the olfactory senses. Since CsV want to be with you, they do not do well when left alone, even out in the yard with other canine companions. They view their human as the leader, so you are who they want to be with. They are also prone to separation anxiety, which usu- ally results in destructive behavior. They are often escape artists, going over, under, and through fencing, doors, win- dows, etc. This is not to escape from you, but to try to gain access back to you. You and the family are “their pack,” and because of this strong bond, they do not do well with rehoming. In fact, some never recover if they are rehomed as an adult. They are not a traditional guard dog; in that they often don’t guard or bark like a traditional guard- ian breed. Some do bark, but not as persistently as other guardian breeds; others make more of a huffing sound and bark very little. They will protect their family if the fam- ily is in real danger. They know and understand the dif- ference between a real and perceived danger. Because of this understanding of the difference, the CSV rarely looks or acts like it is guarding. They can be territorial towards other animals in the space that they understand is “their territory.” CsV do best on a raw diet; many dogs have few or no ancestors that have ever eaten kibble. That said, there are CSV that do well on kibble diets, while others never adapt. Living with a CsV is a way of life. Whether you like it or not, the human most often adapts his or her lifestyle to work around the CsV’s needs.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Terri Wemigwans’ life has, in one way or another, been devoted to working with dogs. She has been a Board Member of The Czechoslovakian Vlcak Club of America, Inc. since 2018. Terri began showing in AKC conformation when she was seven years old, showing her family’s Standard Schnauzer. She became very involved with the rescue and proper containment of wolfdogs/wolves due to the huge number of wolfdog puppy mills throughout North America. She realized there was a need to educate prospective owners and make sure that these animals found proper homes. This led her to working with and placing every type of breed imaginable. Teri’s involvement with Czechoslovakian Vlcaks (“CSV”) began in 2005 when she acquired a dog from a
breeder who could no longer care for its needs. Because of this experience, Terri decided to take a closer look at the breed. In 2012, when she was looking for a new breed to show in conformation, Terri decided to import her first CSV from the Czech Republic. This amazing CSV has gone on to win an amazing 23 Bests in Show, including five AKC BIS FSS Open Shows. She has since imported several other CSV, and is now operating a kennel called “Native Canines” and looking forward to continuing to show this wonderful breed in AKC events.
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