The Saarloos Wolfdog is one of the nine recognized dog breeds from Dutch soil. It is a rare and special breed that is still close to nature. It is not a breed for everyone, but for a small group of enthusiasts who appreciate the qualities and limitations of the breed.
History of origin
Leendert Saarloos (1884-1969), was a great lover of the German Shepherd Dog, but he felt that his beloved breed had lost many natural traits. That is why he set out to create a new breed in which the natural traits of the German Shepherd were bred back. In the twenties of the last century he thought that the wolf would be very suitable for this. Leendert Saarloos wanted to combine the stamina and strength of the wolf with the work ethic of the German Shepherd, creating a new breed without degeneracy errors.
Saarloos started his experimental breeding in his hometown of Dordrecht around 1925. He mated the German Shepherd male Gerard van de Fransenum to a European she-wolf he had obtained from Diergaarde Blijdorp in Rotterdam. He called this she-wolf ‘Fleur’. Gerard and Fleur thus became the ancestors of all current Saarloos wolfdogs. Saarloos made a strict selection. In the end, twenty half wolves were the result of his cross-breeding. Mating back to father Gerard provided him with a basic population of quarter wolves. Saarloos only chose dogs for character and service to use in his breeding. He also had to deal with the wolf’s urge to escape and found that the dogs’ danger-avoiding behavior made some very suitable as guide dogs for the blind. Because Saarloos continued to select for service, shyness, a characteristic of many modern Saarloos Wolfhounds, was hardly present during his breeding. Saarloos was advised by the renowned geneticist Dr. L. Hagendoorn in his efforts to create a new breed. He called his dogs European wolf dogs and his kennel was named “Van de Kilstroom.”
However, the breeding base of the population was narrow. To control inbreeding, Saarloos crossed another she-wolf in 1963, again from Blijdorp and again he called the she-wolf Fleur! He mated this Fleur to his wolfdog Yro van de Kilstroom. The puppies from this cross (with a higher percentage of wolf blood) were housed with a group of enthusiasts. The outcross was not a success. The descendants of Yro and Fleur 11 were too wild and after a while they all returned to Saarloos’ kennel. Only one dog from this cross, Valpar van de Kilstroom, later used Leendert Saarloos. Saarloos wanted his breed to be recognized by the Board of Directors. Homogeneity and service were a requirement for recognition. But the greater influence of the wolf also increased the shyness and the urge to escape of the offspring.
Leendert Saarloos lived in the knowledge that all his attempts to get his dogs recognized as a new breed had failed. But in the end the dogs were recognized as a breed by the Board of Directors in 1975! Later it also received international recognition from the FCI. Leendert Saarloos has not been able to experience all that anymore. He passed away in 1969. When recognized in 1975, only the descendants of the second wolf were entered in the studbook register and the breed was henceforth named Saarloos Wolfdog in honor of its creator.
Health
The Saarloos Wolfhound has been separated for 30 years from two populations. Since the split in 1982, part of the population is represented by the NVSWH, until recently the only breed club recognized by the Board of Directors. The NVSWH has a central breeding policy and only recognizes Saarloos wolfdogs that have emerged from the central breeding. Most of the other population has been represented since 2007 by the AVLS, which in 2010 was recognized as a breed club by Board of Directors. The two subpopulations have been confirmed by a relationship analysis by Dr Marianne Stroop. The dogs within the subpopulation are more closely related and there are other types of hereditary defects.
A study in 2011 provided the following insight into the breed’s hereditary conditions
- 257 Saarloos wolf dogs were examined for hip dysplasia (HD). Of these, 250 dogs had HD-A or HD-B. There were 4 dogs with HD-C and 3 dogs with HD-D.
- 180 dogs were examined for Degenerative Myelopathy (DM, neurological disorder of the spine). 89 dogs were free from DM, 80 carriers (44.4%) and 11 affected (6.1%).
- On the dwarf gene (dwarfism) 244 Saarloos wolf dogs were examined. There were 225 dogs free from dwarfism, 18 carriers (7.3%) and 1 affected.
- 348 dogs were examined for PRA (eye disease), of which 79 dogs from the NVSWH and 269 dogs from the AVLS. 31 PRA sufferers were registered in the NVSWH group. In the AVLS and other dogs 4 PRA sufferers.
- 348 dogs were also examined for hereditary cataracts (cataracts, eye disorders). No data are available from the NVSWH population, because they have not published any results in recent years. Of the 269 dogs from AVLS or other 14 cataract sufferers have been registered.
Average age
The mean age of the parents is 4.09 years. This is made up of an average of the mother 4.23 years (3.4 – 5.4 years) and of the father 3.95 years (3.4 – 5.0 years). The maximum for both sexes is 9 years.
Conclusion
In 2011, the AVLS commissioned external experts to look at the health of the population. Their research shows a large increase in the inbreeding percentage in the years 1986 to 2001. This in turn leads to an increase in hereditary problems within the population. This development is worrying and the association wants to do something about it. The health committee of the AVLS shares the view of the experts that expansion and strengthening of the gene pool is necessary.
An extension of the gene pool will have to take place through outcrossing. This simply means; interbreed with individuals of a different pedigree. Outcross, however, is a particularly delicate topic in cynology. It remains to be seen how this development will actually take shape.