# How dangerous are wolves? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 14, 2016, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dangerous-are-wolves/754736 "2016-05-14T00:40:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2016, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dangerous-are-wolves/754736/41 "2016-05-15T14:35:04Z")
The [most dangerous dog is the Wiener Dog](https://www.ourdogs.co.uk/News/2008/July2008/News110708/dda.htm). Luckily for us their ancient ancestor the Wiener Wolf is now extinct. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2016, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dangerous-are-wolves/754736/42 "2016-05-15T17:06:10Z")
> [@spamforbrains](#): > > How did you establish that, exactly? All of the studies on canine bite force I’ve seen indicate it’s based primarily on the dog’s size. A 250 pound mastiff can bite far harder than a wolf. Of course, a 90 pound wolf can bite far harder than a 40 pound pit bull. A 40 pound pit bull can kill a person. > > And how did we establish that bite force is a major factor in the danger of the animal? Bite force for a T-rex might be important, but not for wolves. Wolves manage to kill large animals not because they bite hard, but because they work cooperatively in groups. Watch some videos of wolves killing things. They dart in and out and nip and retreat, trying to exhaust the animal and make it bleed to death. Read [here.](http://dogs.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Which_Dog_Breed_Has_the_Strongest_Jaw). I was not able to get the NatGeo source to load properly but the data is that site. > [@](#): > > I think we should go with statistics that show that wolves very rarely kill people. Ergo, they aren’t very dangerous. The raw statistics are meaningless. For one, there are about 100x as many dogs in the world as wolves. Secondly, wolves tend to live where people don’t (these days) whereas dogs live particularly where people do live. I think we can expect that the OP was talking about dog (e.g. German Shepard which he explicitly named) vs wolf under similar circumstances. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2016, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dangerous-are-wolves/754736/43 "2016-05-15T18:42:31Z")
The _exact_ same circumstances in every little detail … I think the human victim dies, perhaps a little slower with the Shepard. If that’s our measure of danger, then once again we have nearly equal danger. There is no physical aspect of a wolf that sets it _dramatically_ apart from a Shepard. Or are we discussing a typical Shepard vs. a typical wolf … here’s where the dramatic behavior differences will come into play and it’s not hard to define circumstances where the wolf will attack whereas the Shepard will not, particularly if we have a well bred and properly trained Shepard. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny2Bad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ee7513/32.png) [@Johnny2Bad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny2Bad)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2016, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dangerous-are-wolves/754736/44 "2016-05-16T00:39:31Z")
I’ve a fair level of experience with wolves. We weighed one that was shot and being skinned for fur, at 145 lbs. I know one individual who was kind-of-sort-of attacked by one, in winter, while jogging near the jobsite (remote area of North America). The wolf came upon him from behind and to one side, jumped up and bit him on the forearm, but was beaten off fairly easily. Had that individual fallen to the ground, the outcome could have been much different. I know of one individual who was killed by wolves. I know the principals involved, read the police report, that kind of thing. He was young (18) and had learned of wolves hanging out at the camp dump (again, remote North American work site). He had then taken to walks at night (darkness falling around 4 PM, winter time again) and photographing them. There was a den, a bitch, and a couple of cubs. One night he left quickly from supper, and had taken and packed some meat from the supper (strictly prohibited to take food outside the dining area) to feed his subjects. He had apparently had his head and shoulders inside the den, taking photos, when momma arrived. When he did not return in a reasonable time, around 8 PM that night a party was arranged to look for him. They knew about his photography habit (he’d shown photos on his digital camera to others) and went to the dump first. They found his body, he was dead and badly mangled, in particular about the head. They drove off the wolves but had to leave the scene to preserve evidence, returning the next morning. In the meantime, a bear had come upon the body during the night, and further mangled the corpse. Police and the camp principals arrived on scene before first light (9 AM that time of year and latitude) and took care of the particulars. From the evidence the previous night, momma had attacked him from behind while he was partly in the den, and the pups joined in. Not a full pack of adult wolves, but capable carnivores none the less. A pack of 6 wolves can consume a deer-sized mammal (perhaps 180 lbs) in 30 minutes, and by “consume” we mean nothing but fur and bloody snow left as evidence. I have come across single wolves many times myself, but they were always skittish (running away if I got closer than about 10 feet). There was one who lived somewhere about 100 yards from my place and whose tracks I would find every morning after a fresh snowfall on first light, but I never actually saw the wolf itself. Of course I’ve heard pack wolves many times at night, and have been able to get them to call, again, many times. But as with the lone wolf living near me, I never saw them or heard them coming closer as they called back to my howls. If you ever have the opportunity to see a wolf in the wild reasonably close, you will never forget the eyes. With pack wolves, the typical attack pattern is to form a circle and individuals or pairs will move in to distract the target. Those out of sight (behind the target) are always ready to move in and attack while the target is pre-occupied with those he can see and who may be making false charges, etc. The idea is to get the target on the ground where a group attack can take place. Wolves have no problem breaking even large bones in two with their powerful jaws. Comparisons to dogs are always interesting, but no dog is the equal. You often hear of wolf/dog cross breeds. I am personally suspicious of such claims but since I do not know for sure either way I keep an open mind. A trapper I knew and respected very much says there is no way a wolf bitch would let any dog anywhere near her. Because of the size differences, I suspect a sire and dog bitch pairing is unlikely. However wolves can be domesticated to an extent, so there may be a possibility that way. There is, apparently, no genetic reason why it could not result in a viable pregnancy. ---
**Author:** ![spamforbrains](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@spamforbrains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spamforbrains)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2016, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dangerous-are-wolves/754736/45 "2016-05-16T03:30:06Z")
> [@](#): > > I think we can expect that the OP was talking about dog (e.g. German Shepard which he explicitly named) vs wolf under similar circumstances. If you look at the kinds of people killed by dogs, you’ll notice practically none of them are healthy adults. It’s all infants, children, and infirm/elderly people. I myself was once attacked by an extremely aggressive 80 pound dog and I had no problem winning. I didn’t even need stitches. I was wearing heavy clothing so I had to throw the shredded clothing away and I was quite bruised up but once I got hold of the dog’s neck I just lifted it up off its feet and it couldn’t do anything. I could have killed it quite easily by smashing it against a tree; I refrained. I am a fairly small woman. I know someone else (also a small woman) who was attacked by a pitbull (40 pounds or so) and she wasn’t wearing sleeves and has some impressive scars on her arm but she also reports she had no problem winning the fight. I have a lot of trouble believing a singe wolf or a German shepherd could kill a healthy young man. He might need some stitches after an altercation. I don’t think they are dangerous unless they go after someone as a pack, in which case their biting power has no relevance; it’s their numbers, brains, and determination (how hungry are they?) that count. I’ve never been attacked by a wolf, but I used to go watch the local coy-wolf pack that had moved into the area (heavily populated east coast place near Philly) and they totally ignored me and my dogs. Tons of deer to eat. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny2Bad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ee7513/32.png) [@Johnny2Bad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny2Bad)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2016, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dangerous-are-wolves/754736/46 "2016-05-16T08:45:40Z")
> [@spamforbrains](#): > > … (snip) … > > I have a lot of trouble believing a singe wolf or a German shepherd could kill a healthy young man. He might need some stitches after an altercation. I don’t think they are dangerous unless they go after someone as a pack, in which case their biting power has no relevance; it’s their numbers, brains, and determination (how hungry are they?) that count. > I’ve never been attacked by a wolf, but I used to go watch the local coy-wolf pack that had moved into the area (heavily populated east coast place near Philly) and they totally ignored me and my dogs. Tons of deer to eat. The incident I remarked on isn’t just anecdotal evidence … it’s well documented, right to the point of a Coroner’s Inquest. I did get the age wrong … the victim was 22 at the time. A near 150 pound dog jumping on a human, including a “healthy young man” could easily knock him down. As mentioned by myself, a wolf has no trouble breaking bones in two or crushing them to the marrow, and we are talking essentially living creatures (versus brittle old bones in stored meat). Now, it is true that confirmed wolf kills on humans are rare … Carnegie was the first known confirmed incident in North America. None the less, if we are talking about the _possibility_, then it clearly is a possibility. Contact between wolves and humans are rare for various reasons, mostly due to the wolf avoiding us rather than the other way around. Some farmers and ranchers despise wolves, but in my experience if you have wolves in the area, you won’t have Coyotes. The Coyote is, in my opinion, more dangerous as it’s fear of humans is near-zero, making interactions far more likely. I have a friend whose job is to investigate Coyote attacks on livestock, and if he feels the attack is confirmed, to recommend compensation in a government program set up for the purpose. He tells me the most common form is the coyotes stay on the opposite side of a barbed-wire fence, waiting for the cow to calve. At that point they move across the fence, drag the calf across to the other side, and eat it in view of the mother. It’s extremely common here for coyotes to attack calves and smaller farm animals such as sheep. Personally my opinion is a Coyote would more closely fit your expectations (that a healthy young man" would be unlikely to be a victim) than a wolf, with the caveat that the wolf is certainly the more capable if circumstances allowed. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2016, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dangerous-are-wolves/754736/47 "2016-05-16T13:06:51Z")
It’s not surprising if children/aged/infirm people are the most common victims. That is the usual method for the type of predator that goes after a single prey individual. It’s a question of efficiency: you want to fill your belly at the cost of the least exertion on your part and risk of damage to your own body. So you spook the herd and go after the one that looks easiest to catch/kill, which is unlikely to be that big bruising male in the prime of his life. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2016, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dangerous-are-wolves/754736/48 "2016-05-16T14:26:37Z")
> [@StarvingButStrong](#): > > It’s not surprising if children/aged/infirm people are the most common victims. That is the usual method for the type of predator that goes after a single prey individual. It’s a question of efficiency: you want to fill your belly at the cost of the least exertion on your part and risk of damage to your own body. > > So you spook the herd and go after the one that looks easiest to catch/kill, which is unlikely to be that big bruising male in the prime of his life. That’s true of wolves and many predators, but I think he was referring to dogs and meant that healthy adult humans wouldn’t easily succumb in most dog attacks. I get the impression that most dog attacks are a territorial response. I don’t have any statistics, I don’t think they’re actually available because dog attacks don’t get studied and analyzed the way the rare wolf attacks do. I don’t know if wolves ever attack on that basis unless you happen to literally invade their den. I also get the impression that human training and breeding has a lot to do with dog attacks while wolves are simply engaging in their naturally evolved survival behavior. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2016, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dangerous-are-wolves/754736/49 "2016-05-16T15:14:03Z")
> [@StarvingButStrong](#): > > It’s a question of efficiency: you want to fill your belly at the cost of the least exertion on your part and risk of damage to your own body. Username/post combo! ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2016, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dangerous-are-wolves/754736/50 "2016-05-16T15:35:25Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > When I posted the question, I was thinking merely of the physical damage a wolf could as opposed to a German Shepherd or a Neapolitan Mastiff. > > The ensuing discussion fascinates me, and now I am also interested in the camping question, especially the difference between camping in the New World – say, Montana – as opposed to the Russian steppes. A 110 pound German Shepard is a pretty fierce animal when need be. I’d suspect that the Shepard would be (as in a trained police dog) the most lethal to a human. There are lots of coyotes around here. I see them in the early morning, or late at night. They always seem to be alone and very willing to avoid any contact with humans. ---
**Author:** ![misterW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f1d935/32.png) [@misterW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/misterW)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2016, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dangerous-are-wolves/754736/51 "2016-05-16T15:50:10Z")
> [@spamforbrains](#): > > If you look at the kinds of people killed by dogs, you’ll notice practically none of them are healthy adults. It’s all infants, children, and infirm/elderly people. > > I myself was once attacked by an extremely aggressive 80 pound dog and I had no problem winning. I didn’t even need stitches. I was wearing heavy clothing so I had to throw the shredded clothing away and I was quite bruised up but once I got hold of the dog’s neck I just lifted it up off its feet and it couldn’t do anything. I could have killed it quite easily by smashing it against a tree; I refrained. I am a fairly small woman. I know someone else (also a small woman) who was attacked by a pitbull (40 pounds or so) and she wasn’t wearing sleeves and has some impressive scars on her arm but she also reports she had no problem winning the fight. > > I have a lot of trouble believing a singe wolf or a German shepherd could kill a healthy young man. He might need some stitches after an altercation. I don’t think they are dangerous unless they go after someone as a pack, in which case their biting power has no relevance; it’s their numbers, brains, and determination (how hungry are they?) that count. > I’ve never been attacked by a wolf, but I used to go watch the local coy-wolf pack that had moved into the area (heavily populated east coast place near Philly) and they totally ignored me and my dogs. Tons of deer to eat. Is this tongue in cheek? An 80 lb dog that is actually trying to injure would not be fended off by a small woman, never mind being killed by being smashed against a tree. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2016, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dangerous-are-wolves/754736/52 "2016-05-16T17:37:04Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > When I posted the question, I was thinking merely of the physical damage a wolf could as opposed to a German Shepherd or a Neapolitan Mastiff. > > The ensuing discussion fascinates me, and now I am also interested in the camping question, especially the difference between camping in the New World – say, Montana – as opposed to the Russian steppes. Unprovoked wolf attacks in the USA are so rare as to pose about a zero risk. Worry more about being hit by a meteor. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2016, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dangerous-are-wolves/754736/53 "2016-05-16T17:40:35Z")
> [@Johnny2Bad](#): > > I know of one individual who was killed by wolves. I know the principals involved, read the police report, that kind of thing. He was young (18) and had learned of wolves hanging out at the camp dump (again, remote North American work site). He had then taken to walks at night (darkness falling around 4 PM, winter time again) and photographing them. There was a den, a bitch, and a couple of cubs. > > One night he left quickly from supper, and had taken and packed some meat from the supper (strictly prohibited to take food outside the dining area) to feed his subjects. He had apparently had his head and shoulders inside the den, taking photos, when momma arrived. > > When he did not return in a reasonable time, around 8 PM that night a party was arranged to look for him. They knew about his photography habit (he’d shown photos on his digital camera to others) and went to the dump first. They found his body, he was dead and badly mangled, in particular about the head. They drove off the wolves but had to leave the scene to preserve evidence, returning the next morning. > > In the meantime, a bear had come upon the body during the night, and further mangled the corpse. Police and the camp principals arrived on scene before first light (9 AM that time of year and latitude) and took care of the particulars. > > From the evidence the previous night, momma had attacked him from behind while he was partly in the den, and the pups joined in. Not a full pack of adult wolves, but capable carnivores none the less. A pack of 6 wolves can consume a deer-sized mammal (perhaps 180 lbs) in 30 minutes, and by “consume” we mean nothing but fur and bloody snow left as evidence. > . And, IMHO, this was not a “unprovoked” attack. ---
**Author:** ![mmmiiikkkeee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/edb3f5/32.png) [@mmmiiikkkeee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mmmiiikkkeee)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2016, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dangerous-are-wolves/754736/54 "2016-05-16T17:55:44Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I get the impression that most dog attacks are a territorial response. I don’t have any statistics, I don’t think they’re actually available because dog attacks don’t get studied and analyzed the way the rare wolf attacks do. I don’t know if wolves ever attack on that basis unless you happen to literally invade their den. I also get the impression that human training and breeding has a lot to do with dog attacks while wolves are simply engaging in their naturally evolved survival behavior. In my experience yes a lot of dog attacks on people are initiated by territorial responses… but often transition to include a predatory aspect when the person gets scared and runs. And this happens with both wild and domestic animals hence the common advice of not running from bear or other types of wildlife displaying aggression to you. > [@misterW](#): > > Is this tongue in cheek? An 80 lb dog that is actually trying to injure would not be fended off by a small woman, never mind being killed by being smashed against a tree. I’d tend to agree - I have a hard time imagining an 80 lb dog that a small woman could just pick up by the neck; we’re talking German Shepard sized animal here… let alone hold there for more than a few seconds before having to put it back down. An aggressive dog isn’t going to stop attacking if you pick it up for a couple seconds and then put it back down. I once had a hell of a time picking up an ex-German Shepard police dog turned pet dog to see how much he weighed by standing on a scale holding him. I needed to use a bear hug and even then he squirmed so much I could only estimate his weight at between 70 and 80 lbs because the scale dial jumped around so much. As for easily killing the dog by slamming against a tree? Watch some youtube videos of male strength athletes training grappling and throwing drills with sand bags and heavy bags in that weight range. There’s a lot of grunting and technique required to just move the bag up to shoulder level and manipulate it around; no human without a lot of training and practice is going to be able to grab a 80 lb dog-shaped object and swing it around with enough force to break it’s back or damage the skull enough to kill it. I’ve only seen that technique in the movies. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2016, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dangerous-are-wolves/754736/55 "2016-05-16T17:56:42Z")
> [@spamforbrains](#): > > If you look at the kinds of people killed by dogs, you’ll notice practically none of them are healthy adults. It’s all infants, children, and infirm/elderly people. > > I myself was once attacked by an extremely aggressive 80 pound dog and I had no problem winning. I didn’t even need stitches. I was wearing heavy clothing so I had to throw the shredded clothing away and I was quite bruised up but once I got hold of the dog’s neck I just lifted it up off its feet and it couldn’t do anything. I could have killed it quite easily by smashing it against a tree; I refrained. I am a fairly small woman. I know someone else (also a small woman) who was attacked by a pitbull (40 pounds or so) and she wasn’t wearing sleeves and has some impressive scars on her arm but she also reports she had no problem winning the fight. > > I have a lot of trouble believing a singe wolf or a German shepherd could kill a healthy young man. He might need some stitches after an altercation. I don’t think they are dangerous unless they go after someone as a pack, in which case their biting power has no relevance; it’s their numbers, brains, and determination (how hungry are they?) that count. > I’ve never been attacked by a wolf, but I used to go watch the local coy-wolf pack that had moved into the area (heavily populated east coast place near Philly) and they totally ignored me and my dogs. Tons of deer to eat. Lots of things are “dangerous” but not lethal. The OP asked about the former, not the latter. ---
**Author:** ![spamforbrains](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@spamforbrains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spamforbrains)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2016, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dangerous-are-wolves/754736/56 "2016-05-16T19:54:38Z")
well, it’s wikipedia, but you’ll note most of these attacks involve multiple wolves. The list of those who escaped is also very interesting. > **[List of wolf attacks in North America](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wolf_attacks_in_North_America)** > > There have been few documented and undocumented wolf attacks on humans in North America in comparison to wolf attacks in Eurasia, and few relative to attacks by other larger carnivores. > Below is an amalgamated list of verified, questionable and unverified attacks. > [@](#): > > but once I got hold of the dog’s neck I just lifted it up off its feet and it couldn’t do anything. ? this is a time-honored technique frequently used by dog trainers to control large, dangerous, out of control dogs. Grab the collar, lift the front feet off the ground. Dog is helpless. It can’t move, turn, or bite. If you have a choker on the dog, it can’t breathe, either. Anyone working with a potentially dangerous large dog keeps a special collar referred to as a “dominant dog collar” on the dog for this very purpose. It’s harder to do if the dog isn’t wearing a collar but a good handful of scruff will do in an emergency. A fit small woman can easily overpower even a fairly large dog using this method. Once you start moving into 100+ pounds maybe not. I remember thinking at the time it was good thing the dog wasn’t any bigger or I might have not faired so well. ---
**Author:** ![russian\_heel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f05b48/32.png) [@russian\_heel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/russian_heel)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2016, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dangerous-are-wolves/754736/57 "2016-05-17T06:00:13Z")
> [@russian\_heel](#): > > Theres a band of coyotes at one of our factory locations, totally harmless. Beautiful animals. > [@John\_Mace](#): > > Coyotes take small pets as prey all the time. They rarely attack adult humans, but have been known to attack small children. Coyotes are much smaller than wolves and usually don’t hunt in packs. Usually not, but they have been known to form packs at times. > > You are misinformed if you think they are “totally harmless”. I don’t know about pets; I understand concerns about dogs because you have to let them outside to do their business but anyone that lets non-previously-feral cats outside are idiots to begin with. But there have only been 2 fatal coyote attacks on humans in the United States since 1981. More people have been killed by deer. Hows that for informed? ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2016, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dangerous-are-wolves/754736/58 "2016-05-17T13:32:23Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > A 110 pound German Shepard is a pretty fierce animal when need be. Also a highly unusual animal. Not sure why dog breed sizes lend themselves to exaggeration so frequently, but the German breed standard for German Shepherds – translated into English in the link below – caps at 40 kg (88 pounds). The AKC and UKC, the most prominent American clubs, do not list a weight range in their standards, but probably conform. [http://web.archive.org/web/20080610111211/http://germanshepherddog.com/regulations/breed\_standard.htm](http://web.archive.org/web/20080610111211/http://germanshepherddog.com/regulations/breed_standard.htm) ---
**Author:** ![misterW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f1d935/32.png) [@misterW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/misterW)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2016, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dangerous-are-wolves/754736/59 "2016-05-19T15:09:48Z")
> [@spamforbrains](#): > > well, it’s wikipedia, but you’ll note most of these attacks involve multiple wolves. The list of those who escaped is also very interesting. > > [List of wolf attacks in North America - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wolf_attacks_in_North_America) > > ? this is a time-honored technique frequently used by dog trainers to control large, dangerous, out of control dogs. Grab the collar, lift the front feet off the ground. Dog is helpless. It can’t move, turn, or bite. If you have a choker on the dog, it can’t breathe, either. Anyone working with a potentially dangerous large dog keeps a special collar referred to as a “dominant dog collar” on the dog for this very purpose. It’s harder to do if the dog isn’t wearing a collar but a good handful of scruff will do in an emergency. A fit small woman can easily overpower even a fairly large dog using this method. Once you start moving into 100+ pounds maybe not. I remember thinking at the time it was good thing the dog wasn’t any bigger or I might have not faired so well. No, you’re not going to overpower a large dog that is actually trying to attack you by “scruffing” it. How exactly do you intend to grab it by the neck without being bitten in the first place? And good luck maintaining that grip if the dog is truly after you. And you’re certainly not going to brain it against a tree either. Skulls and necks are much tougher than you think, they don’t snap and crush at the slightest pressure like in the movies. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2016, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dangerous-are-wolves/754736/60 "2016-05-19T19:37:03Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > On the other hand, domestic dogs and their feral kin like dingos are sufficiently habituated to humans that they are not fearful and may be brave enough to hunt and attack humans. I am given to understand the only humans a dingo will hunt are _babies_. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dangerous-are-wolves/754736.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dangerous-are-wolves/754736.md?page=4)