Wolves, both male and
female often disperse from their birth pack and wander on their own until the
opportunity or urge to take a mate presents itself. Also, a lone male may wander
on a packs periphery until able to lure away a young female to seduce... or the
female will wander off to tempt him. However dog meets bitch, the greeting
ritual is usually tense, as violence is quite possible when two strange Wolves
meet each other for the first time; for distrust and suspicion run high on both
sides. When seducing a female away from her pack there is always the
possibility that pack's alpha dog might take exception to a strange male on his
territory and strike out against him before his daughter and the suitor can
properly introduce themselves.
Upon greeting, both Wolves stand tensely shoulder to
shoulder, with fur bristled, tails out and wagging, and ears erect as they
venture a sniff of each others nose and muzzle. As they get to know each other
better, there may be some play posturing, and then tail, genital, and anal
sniffing. This progresses into romping, running, licking, and nuzzling, by
which time the greeting phase fades and courtship begins.
Courtship is a bonding phase whereby a bitch and dog get to
know each other intimately and a mutual emotional attachment develops. This
bond often becomes so strong that the pair will become lifetime mates. However,
unlike the romanticism by human beings, lifetime relationships
are more a thing of opportunity than an absolute. Many things can happen in the
wilderness to push even the most mutually dedicated lovers apart; such as
rivalry between Wolves, injury, illness, or death. As courting progresses there
comes playful attempts to mounting from the front or side, mutual licking of
muzzle, anus, and genitals, parallel running which incorporates nuzzling under
the other Wolf's jaw or ear, and pricking the ears sideways while together.
If she hasn't already, the bitch soon enters a period of
bleeding and frequent urination called proestrus, which lasts for 7 to 10 days
during which her vulva will swell significantly. Following proestrus she will
enter actual estrus and blood may be replaced by a clear or yellowish discharge
having a very erotic effect on the male. Nuzzling or sniffing the croup of her
tail while in estrus may cause her to flag; that is, lift her tail up to the
side and assuming the "lordosis" posture to entice mounting,
intromission, and coitus. Estrus lasts 4 to 7 days during which time the bitch
is insistent that her dog mate with her over and over as often as possible. The
final stage of estrus is called diestrus, and like proestrus lasts 7 to 10
days. During diestrus the bitch will be unreceptive to mating and may sit down
or get grumpy with the dog if he attempts to mount her.
During and after mating the dog and bitch will spend much
time, cuddling, playing, and hunting together, until seven or eight weeks have
passed when the bitch loses interest in her mate for a while as she prepares
the den and whelps their litter of pups 61 to 63 days after conception.
Denning and Whelping
Two or three before a
Wolf bitch whelps her puppies, she will sniff around for a place to make a den.
If fate allows, she might take up residence in an old den, maybe a foxhole, or
rock cave. Well established Wolf packs often use the same denning ground year
after year. Carbon dating of bones around a well established den showed that
Wolves had used the same site for almost 800 years. Note that it is only during
the early spring, when a bitch prepares to whelp and rear the pups, that either
she or the pack lingers around the den site. Failing an established den, the
bitch will dig her own.
Inexperienced females sometimes dig shallow pits. Rarely a
bitch may whelp above ground in the open. In this latter case the pups are
usually moved later or may end up dying. Dens are often dug quite large, more
than adequate for the bitch and her puppies. With an entrance half a meter (20
inches) wide or more, a tunnel extending 1.5 to 4 meters (6 to 14 feet) leads to
a whelping chamber that can be 2 meters (6.5 feet) or more in diameter.
The den is a sacred place and the alpha female won't even
allow her mate enter, although she may select an assistant from among the
pack's other females to help her rear the pack puppies. Wolves love puppies and
the entire pack eventually participates in their care.
When it's time to whelp, the bitch will enter her den and
gives birth to her pups. The pups are born about 40 minutes apart; the
umbilical cord is chewed off by the mother, the puppy is tongue-groomed clean,
and then the placenta is eaten. The average litter size is four to six, but up
to eleven have been documented. Pups are born sightless and deaf, and unable to
maintain their body temperature independently until about three weeks old.
Puppies require a lot of motherly devotion in order to survive. The mortality
rate for newborn Wolves making it to yearling is about 60%.
Mom will remain in the den for several days straight,
licking and feeding the brood, and only after two or three days leave only
briefly for a sip of water. Wolf pups are born quite strong and immediately
begin competition with each other to reach mother's nipples. This struggle to
suckle also establishes early social ranking. Wolf pups nurse five or six times
a day for three to five minutes each feeding.
Pups will usually remain in their den for the first three or
four weeks of their lives before mother allows them to venture forth into the
light. During this time the mother is quite dependant on her mate and other
pack members to bring her food in the form of meat that is often regurgitated
for her.
Puppiness
Wolf pups are whelped
from late March to early May. In northern climates litters may arrive as late
as June, and in Southern climates as early as late February. Litter size ranges
form one to eleven puppies; with an average of four to six. In areas where
there have been intense activities to eradicate Wolves, average litter sizes
tend to increase.Puppies that die during or after birth are usually buried by
the mother. Sometimes the mother will carry a dead puppy around in her mouth,
showing the little corpse to the members of the pack. It has even been observed
where pack members will take turns doing this until someone finally buries the
dead puppy. In captivity dead puppies might be eaten, this behavior has never
been observed in the wild.
When the pups are
born the entire pack is filled with excitement. It is well documented how much
adult Wolves love puppies and how every pack member contributes to their care
and education. The alpha bitch will not allow any other Wolves to come around
when she whelps, not even the alpha male. Later, she might allow a select
female to assist her in rearing and nursing the pups. Female Wolves are able to
enter "false pregnancy" after estrus if they fail to conceive. While
in this condition they lactate and are able to assist the alpha bitch with
nursing the puppies.
Wolf puppies are born deaf and with their eyes closed. They
have large heads and short thin tails. They tend to be born with dark fur which
lightens as they age. When they open their eyes 10 to 13 days after birth,
their eyes tend to be a very dark blue, which pails over the next several
months until achieving their adult eye color. Adult Wolves very rarely may
retain their blue eyes. There is only one example I know of where a captive
adult Wolf was known to have blue eyes his entire life.
For the first few weeks, Wolf puppies nurse five or six
times a day in feeding sessions lasting three to five minutes each. Wolf pups
are weaned at five to eight weeks. During weaning, the puppies are fed
regurgitated food brought to them by their pack mates when they return from
hunting. The puppies will nuzzle and lick at the adults muzzle and lips to
trigger regurgitation. At a couple months of age mothers will move their
puppies away from the den site to what some call a "rendezvous site."
This area is usually less than an acre in size, is near water, and is a place
for the pups to play, romp, harass lazy adults, and learn their initial skills.
Gradually the puppies start eating solid food and at twelve weeks begin to
accompany adults on hunts.
Wolf puppies grow fast, gaining on average 79% of their body
weight and 96% of their overall length in the first year of life. By six months
of age the puppies are hard to distinguish from the adults and at eight months
have virtually achieved their full grown stature.
Wolf Puppy Development
•10-13 days: eyes open
•3 weeks: ability to hear. milk teeth appear. start
exploring the den
•4 weeks: leave the den. begin to eat meat. start to howl
•5 weeks: start to travel up to a mile from the den
•5-8 weeks: weaning and moved to the "rendezvous
site."
•12 weeks: start to follow along on hunts
•4-7 months: loose milk teeth
•7-8 months: start to hunt
The mortality rate for Wolf puppies is very high in the
wild. An average of 60% of pups die before reaching a year of age, with the
mortality range being 6-80%. Wolves mourn dead puppies. There have been
documented occurrences of males raising puppies by themselves after their mate
has been killed. Wolves understand the importance of family, and love each
other just as a human family might.