Swiss Shorthaired Pinscher vs Czechoslovakian Wolfdog - Breed Comparison

The Swiss Shorthaired Pinscher is an ancient dog breed and dates back to 1780. It is believed that this dog breed is extinct, but that the German Pinscher of today is family of this dog breed. The dog used to be good on the farm as an all-purpose working dog.

When you look at the history of dogs, there are so many that have come and gone, never to be seen or heard of again. Other animals become extinct because of environmental factors, but with dogs it’s a bit different and most, like the Swiss Shorthaired Pinscher, died out simply because it became unfashionable.

Maybe the jobs that this dog was designed to do no longer existed and he died out because he was no longer needed.

The Czechoslovakian Wolfdog is a mix between a German Shepherd and a Carpathian wolf. In fact the Czechoslovakian Vlcak is another name for the Czechoslovakian Wolfdog and Vlcak is the Czech name for a German Shepard dog.

When you translate the name, it means Czechoslovakian German Shepherd. There was a biological experiment that began in 1955 and these experimental breedings went on for a decade, so that in 1965 a plan was created for the breeding of this new breed.

It was in 1982 that the Czechoslovakian Vlcak was recognized as a national breed in the former Czechoslovakian Republic and recognized by the United Kennel Club in 2006.

This attractive, intelligent looking dog won the title of ‘World Champion’ at the World Dog Show in 1990 and in 1999, the breed met all criteria of the World Canine Organization, earning full recognition of the Czechoslovakian Wolfdog breed.

Described as a medium sized dog, the Swiss Shorthaired Pinscher is an extinct variety of the German Pinscher. Like that dog, the Swiss Shorthaired had a muscular, strong square build.

Possibly he also had his ears and tail docked at that time. It is thought that he stood between 40 – 48cm in height and weighed in the region of 11 to 15kg.

He had the typical looks of the Doberman Pinscher with short smooth hair in black and tan, short erect ears and a tail that was traditionally cropped. He was lean and muscular with brown eyes. They were working dogs in their day and were not considered the best dogs to have for the first time dog owner.

Tempeament

These dogs have always been hardworking, brave and fearless. They make good family pets too and get on well with children. They would have been adaptable too to life in the city or the countryside, so long as he got his exercise.

A well bred Swiss Shorthaired Pinscher was alert and a good guard dog, and one wonders why this dog with its good qualities died out.

The Czechoslovakian Wolfdog looks like a true German Shepherd/Wolf mix with his erect ears, bushy tail and straight, muscular legs.

The eyes of the dog are slanted and brown. He stands at about 65cm in height and weighs up to 26kg. The thick coat of the dog is greyish in color but other colors come in as well such as white, cream, black, silver and yellow - all wolf colors. In fact the density of the coat as well as the color changes according to the seasons.

The coat is particularly thick in the Winter, thinning out in the Summer. The coat color may be yellow-gray or silver-gray.

Temperament:

Having a pet which has some wild animal mix can be risky and dangerous. Adding wild animal DNA means that you can get some of the behavior of the wild animal added in and this can be asking for trouble.

When the Czechoslovakian Wolfdog turns on a person, he will be blamed and put down, whereas it is the stupidity of the human to breed such dogs and bring them into their homes in the first place. You need to be careful with children in the home, especially if they don’t know how to treat a dog with respect.

Nonetheless the Czechoslovakian Wolfdog is able to develop a deep relationship with his owner. He is a dog who, when training and socialized, can gets on well with his human family as well as with other pets in the family.

He has got other excellent characteristics such as being fearless and courageous. He is intelligent and learns easily.

The Swiss Shorthaired Pinscher is no longer around but he would no doubt have made a good family pet. He would have wanted to protect his human family.

He was a stubborn, bold dog, and maybe socialization and training didn’t exist then, but he would have benefited from it.

He’s the kind of dog that would have adapted well to life in the city or the countryside, but you could never neglect his exercise needs. In the right environment, this Pinscher would have made a loving, loyal pet.

The beautiful Czechoslavakian Wolfdog resembles a wolf and in many of these dogs, their characteristics are wolf-like too. The dog is confident and independent, but it also able to form good relationships with his human family.

Many people thrill at the idea of having a pet which has a wild side to him, but there is a price to pay for having such a pet in your home. Their wild side can suddenly come to the fore, with dangerous consequences.

There are so many dog breeds to choose from that surely it isn’t necessary to start tampering with animals from the wild?

It is not too sure about the health status of this extinct dog but we can assume that he would have been prone to some of the typical dog illnesses there are.

Hypothyroidismd, bloat, cancer, cataracts, infections and obesity were just some of the diseases this dog would have had to contend with.

Hypothyroidism:

The thyroid glands in the neck produce hormones. These hormones affect the functioning of the body. Hypothyroidism in dogs is usually caused by shrinkage of the thyroid gland or inflammation.The disease occurs more often in Pinscher dogs.

You may notice a dulling or thinning of your dog’s hair, weight gain and reduced activity. Hypothyroid dogs also tend to battle more with ear- and skin infections. Veterinary treatment will become necessary.

Catarats:

It causes a whiteness,cloudiness or opacity on the lens of the eye. It's not painful for a dog but it can cause loss of vision. Surgery can improve vision for the dog.

Your Czechoslovakian Wolfdog is a healthy dog who with good health care, can reach the age of 12 to 15 years. However, it is good to be forewarned about some dog sicknesses that your dog might get and which could be detrimental to your dog’s quality of life.

Hip Dysplasia:

This disease comes about when the ball and socket joint at the hip doesn’t form properly. The bones rub and chafe when the dog moves and the condition just gets worse as time goes on. Your dog can actually end up with arthritis, and worse, become lame.

Degenerative Myelopathy:

This is a progressive deterioration of the spinal cord which causes lameness in your pet’s hind legs. It is incurable and can be the end of your pet. The exact cause of this tragic illness is unknown.

Diet:

In those days of the Swiss Shorthaired Pinscher, maybe commercially manufactured dog foods weren’t available. If the dog were still around today, you would feed him dry kibble for medium sized dogs.

Probably the owners of these dogs fed them from the food they ate. It can be a good idea to feed any dog you have with some homemade food.

This can include things such as boiled chicken, brown rice or pasta and spinach, sweet potatoes and carrots. This is the kind of simple food that dogs love.

Being a farm dog in his day, he was probably tossed raw meat occasionally and this would have done him the world of good.

General Care:

Although the short, smooth hair of the Swiss Shorthaired Pinscher is looked upon as low maintenance, the dog would have needed a good brush twice a week just to keep it shiny and healthy.

After a hard day of work on the farm, the Swiss Shorthaired Pinscher would have required a nice warm, dry spot to sleep.

Exercise:

Vlcaks have been specifically bred for stamina and if you neglect to exercise him, he’ll become bored and frustrated and possibly destructive and aggressive. He must be trained and he must be constantly provided with lots of exercise and activities.

Training and Socialization:

Because of the wolf side of this dog, Czechoslovakian Wolfdogs have a high prey drive, so he will need to be trained and socialized if you want him to get along with your other pets in the home.