A great post by Richard Vickers of Dark Forest Kennels
In light of some very recent and ongoing confusion, perhaps it would be good to discuss Filial Generations (F#).
What is it and how does it apply to WD’s? Though many refer to it as F#, the official terminology is Filial Generation (pronounced feel-ee-ull) Simply put it is a scale to measure parental background in a hybrid cross. I know, it’s the dreaded “H” word. Yes WD’s were called Hybrids many years ago. Yes the name was changed but not really for the majority of the reasons many think. WD’s are still technically hybrids. Now before anyone chimes in with “they can’t be hybrids because they are the same species”, please read up on intraspecific canine hybridization. This is a growing field of study these days especially concerning coyotes, and several sub species of wolves. The F# will represent the generations removed from pure background. For example-----a wolf crossed with a dog would produce an F1 Wolfdog Hybrid. That F1 crossed later with another dog would produce an F2 Wolfdog Hybrid or if crossed back to a wolf would then again create an F1 Wolfdog Hybrid and so on. Many decades ago this was easily kept track of in WD lineages. Most breeders kept good records, there were little secrets, and there was an abundance of wolves to choose from to create a line. Unfortunately these days it is nearly the exact opposite. Most good breeders have retired and/or are retiring letting their line go. Practically no breeders have been or are replacing them or continuing that particular line. Many breeders had wolves and access to them but have let the lines go as well as their contacts. With the fall of all but one remaining org, and Iowolfers, we no longer have registries or people tracking them. This has resulted in some breeders taking advantage of the absence and falsifying their records. This has resulted in the average WD these days to have a higher F# than most did 20 years ago.
Where does it come from? Filial generations were first discovered, created, and used by the scientist Gregor Mendel in 1865. Though it wasn’t immediately accepted then, by the 20th century it became a staple in biology and is even taught in most college and even high school curriculums. It’s origin concerning WD’s may never be actually known but can be traced back many decades. Though some have thought it was only used concerning WD’s in the 90’s or borrowed from hybrid cat breeders, many of the traceable good WD breeders used it long before that. When I first entered into WD’s in 1987, I encountered breeders using the filial scale nearly immediately. Some of these breeders had been involved with and breeding WD’s for decades. Most of our current WD lines come from the roots of popular wildlife breeding facilities and fur farms. These facilities found good profits in selling wolves and WD’s to individuals. Many of the lines from these places and some like them were using the filial scale and documenting it all the way back to the 50’s & 60’s. This also corresponds with other WD breeders all over the world as well, including the Czechoslovakian Wolfdog that was created in 1955, and documented several F1 & F2 crossings in their original registry (see photo attached). Unfortunately here in the US, we have not done as much as other countries have concerning WD’s, so we do not have good records dating beyond that to know if the filial scale was used prior but I am sure we would love to see some examples if anyone could find them.
Is it something that should be believed in? It sounds like a ridiculous question but I have seen a few statements as of late claiming that someone doesn’t “believe” in Filial numbers. I am unsure if this means they do not believe in the science, the record keeping, or something else. Whether a person accepts documented scientific fact or not is completely up to them. Unfortunately if they choose to educate while ignoring this important aspect, it can make them look quite foolish. The Filial scale is not new (also not new concerning WD’s. It is indeed heavily in use currently in many aspects of science. Not believing in that would be like not believing in math, or physics, or something else heavily used in today’s sciences. I can possibly understand not believing in it as far as records go. It is no secret that the majority of current WD breeders have either been lied to, actively misrepresent, or do not actually know the background of their breeding stock. This would make the majority of pedigrees worthless concerning WD’s. There are still a handful of good breeders left that have kept good track of their lineage and have been truthful though. At one time we had several WD orgs that tracked lineage, and even had an org/registry that tracked and recorded lineages to keep breeders honest and owners informed. Unfortunately, like many things concerning the WD, these went away with the growth of the internet, and were buried with the rise of social media. Whether or not they will exist again is unknown at this point. If one would speculate based upon history and current status of the WD, the answer would likely be a resounding NO!
In light of some very recent and ongoing confusion, perhaps it would be good to discuss Filial Generations (F#).
What is it and how does it apply to WD’s? Though many refer to it as F#, the official terminology is Filial Generation (pronounced feel-ee-ull) Simply put it is a scale to measure parental background in a hybrid cross. I know, it’s the dreaded “H” word. Yes WD’s were called Hybrids many years ago. Yes the name was changed but not really for the majority of the reasons many think. WD’s are still technically hybrids. Now before anyone chimes in with “they can’t be hybrids because they are the same species”, please read up on intraspecific canine hybridization. This is a growing field of study these days especially concerning coyotes, and several sub species of wolves. The F# will represent the generations removed from pure background. For example-----a wolf crossed with a dog would produce an F1 Wolfdog Hybrid. That F1 crossed later with another dog would produce an F2 Wolfdog Hybrid or if crossed back to a wolf would then again create an F1 Wolfdog Hybrid and so on. Many decades ago this was easily kept track of in WD lineages. Most breeders kept good records, there were little secrets, and there was an abundance of wolves to choose from to create a line. Unfortunately these days it is nearly the exact opposite. Most good breeders have retired and/or are retiring letting their line go. Practically no breeders have been or are replacing them or continuing that particular line. Many breeders had wolves and access to them but have let the lines go as well as their contacts. With the fall of all but one remaining org, and Iowolfers, we no longer have registries or people tracking them. This has resulted in some breeders taking advantage of the absence and falsifying their records. This has resulted in the average WD these days to have a higher F# than most did 20 years ago.
Where does it come from? Filial generations were first discovered, created, and used by the scientist Gregor Mendel in 1865. Though it wasn’t immediately accepted then, by the 20th century it became a staple in biology and is even taught in most college and even high school curriculums. It’s origin concerning WD’s may never be actually known but can be traced back many decades. Though some have thought it was only used concerning WD’s in the 90’s or borrowed from hybrid cat breeders, many of the traceable good WD breeders used it long before that. When I first entered into WD’s in 1987, I encountered breeders using the filial scale nearly immediately. Some of these breeders had been involved with and breeding WD’s for decades. Most of our current WD lines come from the roots of popular wildlife breeding facilities and fur farms. These facilities found good profits in selling wolves and WD’s to individuals. Many of the lines from these places and some like them were using the filial scale and documenting it all the way back to the 50’s & 60’s. This also corresponds with other WD breeders all over the world as well, including the Czechoslovakian Wolfdog that was created in 1955, and documented several F1 & F2 crossings in their original registry (see photo attached). Unfortunately here in the US, we have not done as much as other countries have concerning WD’s, so we do not have good records dating beyond that to know if the filial scale was used prior but I am sure we would love to see some examples if anyone could find them.
Is it something that should be believed in? It sounds like a ridiculous question but I have seen a few statements as of late claiming that someone doesn’t “believe” in Filial numbers. I am unsure if this means they do not believe in the science, the record keeping, or something else. Whether a person accepts documented scientific fact or not is completely up to them. Unfortunately if they choose to educate while ignoring this important aspect, it can make them look quite foolish. The Filial scale is not new (also not new concerning WD’s. It is indeed heavily in use currently in many aspects of science. Not believing in that would be like not believing in math, or physics, or something else heavily used in today’s sciences. I can possibly understand not believing in it as far as records go. It is no secret that the majority of current WD breeders have either been lied to, actively misrepresent, or do not actually know the background of their breeding stock. This would make the majority of pedigrees worthless concerning WD’s. There are still a handful of good breeders left that have kept good track of their lineage and have been truthful though. At one time we had several WD orgs that tracked lineage, and even had an org/registry that tracked and recorded lineages to keep breeders honest and owners informed. Unfortunately, like many things concerning the WD, these went away with the growth of the internet, and were buried with the rise of social media. Whether or not they will exist again is unknown at this point. If one would speculate based upon history and current status of the WD, the answer would likely be a resounding NO!
