Wolves and Dogs and Leonbergers

Image above by Kevin from The Beginning at Last

This is a submission for Kevin’s No Theme Thursday

Canis Lupus Familiaris

Canis Lupus Familiaris, the dog, is a close relative of the grey wolf. Dogs and wolves share a high percentage of DNA and are in fact the same species. They can mate and produce offspring referred to as wolf dogs. However, keeping wolves or wolf dogs as pets is not recommended. Our late Leonberger dog Bronco was in fact accused of being a wolf by a little boy and he was accused of being a bear by a neighbor. The boy was very close to being right.

The left-hand side of the picture shows a grey wolf looking into the camera and the text underneath says : Canis Lupus, the grey wolf is a fearsome and courageous hunter in nature. The right-hand side of the picture shows our Leonberger dog Bronco looking into the camera and the text underneath says : Canis Lupus familiaris, a close relative of the grey wolf, is sometimes also brave. This specimen bravely protects the life of smaller dogs and hamsters.
Leonbergers are big dogs, and little boys may think they are wolves, but Leonbergers are very friendly.
The left-hand side of the picture shows a grey wolf looking into the camera and the text underneath says : Canis Lupus, the grey wolf is a fearsome and courageous hunter in nature. The right-hand side of the picture shows our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo sitting in a stroller and the text underneath says : Canis Lupus familiaris, a close relative of the grey wolf, is sometimes less brave. This specimen prefers to sit in a stroller when he hears strange sounds.
Mini Australian Shepherds like our dog Rollo may look like wolves but are rarely mistaken for wolves. A quacking duck can be very scary to little mini–Australian Shepherds.

Are Big Dogs Wolves ?

The short stories below are from my book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle, Stories and Tips from Thirteen Years with a Leonberger”. A Leonberger is a large type of dog, a so-called giant breed, closely related to Saint Bernards, and allegedly also Great Pyrenees dogs Newfoundland dogs. Bronco weighed 140 pounds when he was not overweight.


Bronco was a big dog. Once when I was walking Bronco around the neighborhood, a neighbor who always let his black Labs run loose saw us. He shouted to his wife, “Honey, get the dogs inside! Someone is walking a bear out here.” I guess letting your large dogs run loose isn’t a problem until someone walks a dog much bigger than yours.

On a number of occasions, we’ve met people who said to us that Bronco is the biggest dog they’ve ever seen. However, there are bigger dogs. We’ve met bigger English bullmastiffs and bigger Great Danes.

One day I took Bronco into PetSmart, and after I did my shopping, he and I were standing in the checkout line. Bronco was very quiet and well-behaved, but a boy ahead of us in line became quite alarmed when he saw us. He shouted, “Look! A wolf, a wolf, a wolf!” He pointed his finger at Bronco. His mom tried to calm the boy, but he would not stop shouting. He didn’t seem to be afraid of Bronco, but he was really concerned that there was a big wolf in the pet store. I tried to explain to the boy that Bronco was not a wolf. He was just a big dog.

Since our neighbor called Bronco a bear, I am including a second image from Kevin’s post that I think illustrates what our neighbor saw as I walked passed his house. Well, I had only one Leonberger/Bear and I don’t have antlers or a beard, and our neighborhood does not have that many trees. Other than that, it is spot on.

AI generated image showing an old man with a long beard wearing antlers as he is walking his two Grizzly Bears through a dense coniferous forest.
Walking my bear through the neighborhood. Image from Kevin’s No Theme Thursday

Nordic Wolf Lullaby

Finally, a beautiful Nordic Lullaby sung by Jonna Jinton. Jonna Jinton is a Swedish singer who lives nearby Örnsköldsvik in northern Sweden, which is the town where I am originally from (now I live in Dallas, Texas). So, if you watch the video, the nature you see is from my old neighborhood.

The Lullaby is about a wolf who is hungry and cold, but he can’t have the singer’s baby for dinner. But she could offer a pig tail. What some may find remarkable about the Lullaby is that the mother being threatened by the wolf shows the wolf empathy. The existence of the stomach creates conflict between us creatures. To see the English translation turn on subtitles.

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Author: thomasstigwikman

My name is Thomas Wikman. I am a software/robotics engineer with a background in physics. I am currently retired. I took early retirement. I am a dog lover, and especially a Leonberger lover, a home brewer, craft beer enthusiast, I’m learning French, and I am an avid reader. I live in Dallas, Texas, but I am originally from Sweden. I am married to Claudia, and we have three children. I have two blogs. The first feature the crazy adventures of our Leonberger Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle as well as information on Leonbergers. The second blog, superfactful, feature information and facts I think are very interesting. With this blog I would like to create a list of facts that are accepted as true among the experts of the field and yet disputed amongst the public or highly surprising. These facts are special and in lieu of a better word I call them super-facts.

103 thoughts on “Wolves and Dogs and Leonbergers”

    1. Thank you so much Introverted Bookworm. You are right, they look similar but they don’t look the same. I think why the boy thought Bronco was a wolf was the size. Male adult grey wolves are between 66 to 180 pounds and male adult Leonbergers (not overweight) are between 120 and 170 pounds. And you are right about the temperament. Leonbergers are big softies as heart. They are very good family dogs, even more gentle than Saint Bernards. Wolves as pets can be dangerous.

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    1. Thank you so much Jacqui. I agree wolves are interesting and the ancestors of our dogs. 56 million views. I did not realize that, but Jonna Jinton is a little bit famous, not like Abba, but she is well known in Sweden and somewhat in Europe. It is a little bit fun considering that she lives nearby Örnsköldsvik, in Örnsköldsvik county, which is my hometown, a small country side place in northern Sweden.

      However, there are other famous people from my little hometown of Örnsköldsvik, such as famous NHL hockey players. The Sedin twin brothers who were the most distinct players for the Vancouver Canucks and Markus Näslund the captain of Vancouver Canucks. Peter Forsberg, my former neighbor, who led Sweden to a gold medal in the Winter Olympics 1994, scoring the winning goal against Canada, at the age of 20. Since then, he has won a couple of World Cups, a couple of Stanley Cups and another Olympics. He won the Hart Memorial Trophy, got inducted into the International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame, the Hockey Hall of Fame, and the 100 Greatest NHL players.

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    1. Thank you so much masgautsen. You are right, they are kind, playful, and funny, but friendly and calm at the same time. They were originally bred to be family dogs, and they are. However, Bronco also acted like a good guard dog when he chased off a peeping Tom who was terrorizing the women in the neighborhood including my wife. He probably just wanted to give the intruder/trespasser a hug, but he ran for his life and did not come back.

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        1. The guy really scared people. He sat outside our bedroom window on one of our lawnchairs and screemed obscenities and threats. The police wouldn’t do anything unless he had done real physical harm. Then I hired detectives to catch him. They hid in our backyard at night with all kinds of equipment, but he did not show up for two days, so I let them go. Then on the third day he was back and I sent out Bronco to chase him. He was extremely frightened and did not come back. Bronco had fun, but I actually felt sorry for the guy. He was a homeless guy with mental problems (I found out afterwards).

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        1. I agree with you. Letting your dog run off leash is not fair to others. They may think they have complete control of their dogs but it often turns out that they don’t. I have the right to walk my dog even if he is reactive and barks at other dogs as soon as he sees them, as long as my dog is a leash. However, most dogs, even those the owner thinks he has control over, will react to another barking dog and run over. Who’s fault is it if there is a problem. It is the one without a leash, not the dog that barked first.

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  10. This was such a nice post. I remember reading the stories you mentioned in the book. Bronco was certainly a very large dog, I still remember that picture of your wife and Bronco, always makes me chuckle.

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  11. It’s understandable how a young boy could think that Bronco was a wolf. It’s quite likely he had never seen a dog Bronco’s size before.

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  13. Jonna Jinton’s voice is beautiful with such a lovely mystical quality, and the winter video was the perfect backdrop for the lullaby. A very cute comparison of Bronco and Rollo to their ancestors, Thomas. My little guy thinks he’s a wolf when he’s clobbering his chicken-toy. 🙂

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  16. Lulu: “One of my nicknames is ‘Coyote’, because the first time I met the veterinarian, that’s what she said ― ‘Don’t you look like a little coyote?’ And the name stuck.”
    Chaplin: “We always knew you were a wild thing.”

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      1. She looked even more like a coyote when she had her full glorious coat, the first few weeks that we had her. After she was spayed she lost some of her luster and some of her thickest furs. We figure it’s some kind of hormonal change resulting from the spaying …

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        1. Yes that’s the risk with spaying and neutering. The hormonal changes it causes can cause changes as well as damage to the health but it depends a lot on the breed. They’ve made a lot of research on this lately.

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  17. What a great post Thomas… I can only imaging to that young boy how Bronco looked like a wolf…
    Only today a lady who lives a couple of streets away walks her Irish Wolf Hounds past our home most days… One she always keeps on a lead, the other and older dog, walks ahead not on any lead, stopping now and again to see her catch her up with him…

    Lovely photos and I loved the Song… I happen to follow Jonna on YT… She makes some wonderful jewellery and artwork too..

    I have always had an affinity with wolves… and have one as an animal totem.. 🙂
    Have a great new week and I hope you are keeping warm.. 🙂

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    1. That is interesting. Yes Jonna Jinton is an artist as well as a singer. She lives in a very small village called Grundtjärn nearby Örnksöldsvik, where I grew up. Grundtjärn is in Örnksöldsvik’s county/municipality. I’ve seen the Irish Wolf Hounds a number of times but not every day. They are majestic and beautiful dogs. On average they are a couple of inches longer/taller than Leonbergers but they are thinner built. Thank you so much Sue and I wish you great week as well.

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  20. I’ve found that people are afraid of big dogs and certain dogs, no matter what they are called. It’s a shame, because the owners teach a dog to be vicious or violent. My pit bull and Great Dane were sweet dogs, but people assumed they were mean. My aunt, on the other hand, always taught her dogs to be mean. I hated her dogs.

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    1. Yes unfortunately some dog owners think it is cool when their dogs are scary and then we have the pernicious problem of dog fighting that turns dogs like pit bulls into dangerous and vicious dogs. The people doing this are typically criminals but there are tens of thousands of them in the US, so it is a big problem. People are right to be afraid for themselves and their smaller dogs. There are a lot of accidents. Luckily, the Leonberger Club of America keep a watchfull eye on all breeders and owners so this cannot happen to Leonbergers.

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  21. “A wolf!” “A bear!” LOL! One time a little girl with her mother came trick-or-treating to our house. Our Great Dane stood about two meters behind me when I opened the door. The little girl pointed and said, “Look, Mom, a horse!”

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    1. Thank you Robbie. Yes it happened. Once I met two teenage girls, maybe in their twenties. One of them walked up to Bronco and started petting him, which he loved. The other one stood at a distance and she said, sorry but I think your dog is really scary. He is big and has a black face.

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  23. We need to talk about Kevin. My friend, how quickly, in your educated opinion, canines forget smell of their neighborhood animals. In other words: if I walk through my neighborhood without a stick without calling a friend in advance, in the wee hours of morning, what percentage of chances exist for my being hounded by Baskervilles?

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      1. Not in this part of the world and some streets have too many of them than the others. I was being sarcastic because usually if you have been recognised as a mere passenger once the dogs should let you pass unless they have completely forgotten your scent within that time period.

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  24. Oh, how I love this post! The illustrations entice my imagination, and the song sings to my soul. I appreciate you making the point about the woman having empathy for the wolf. It leads me to think about how wolves were eventually domesticated.

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    1. Thank you so much Deanne. Regarding the song, it is an old Scandinavian lullaby and it is the song that expresses some sympathy, not that she isn’t either but it goes back a long time. Yes Kevin’s images are great. If you want to participate in his No Theme Thursday you could write good news that relates to one of his images. He lets you copy the image and links back to your post.

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  26. Pingback: NTT Showcase: 1.9.25 Edition – The Beginning At Last

  29. Wonderful post, Thomas, and humorous as well. 😀 Bronco, as gentle as he was, did have some wolf-like features. Rollo, not so much, but he is adorable too and looks happy in the stroller. Such a beautiful video and a lovely, haunting song!

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  30. Pingback: Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – Blogger Weekly – #Update Jan Sikes, #Review Stevie Turner, #Writerlinks D.G. Kaye, #Dogs #Wolves Thomas Wikman, #Poetry Rebecca Budd, #GreenKitchen Carol Taylor | Smorgasbord Blog Magazine
  31. Pingback: Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – Blogger Weekly – #Update Jan Sikes, #Review Stevie Turner, #Writerlinks D.G. Kaye, #Dogs #Wolves Thomas Wikman, #Poetry Rebecca Budd, #GreenKitchen Carol Taylor | Smorgasbord Blog Magazine
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  33. A beautiful lullaby Thomas. wolves are such beautiful anaimals but not for pets..I myself prefer large dogs and generally its the small dogs that yip and yap and try to nip my dog such a lovely post, Thomas your Bronco had such a kind face 🙂

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words Carol. Bronco was indeed a kindhearted dog who protected our little dogs. It was a lot of fun to watch them interact. One time our little Japanese Chin, who loved to bark at passers by, came running full speed into the house and jumped on Bronco’s belly to wake him up. Bronco was sleepy but he followed him out to help him bark.

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  34. Interesting information Thomas. I’ve never had a pet, but my sister always has two dogs at a time. The biggest dog she had was a Newfoundlander. He was hugeeee, his head was massive, and looked just like a bear! Scary to look at, but a docile dog. 🙂

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    1. Leonbergers have a lot in common with Newfoundlander dog. The story says that Leonbergers were bred from Saint Bernards (~50%), Newfoundland dogs (~25%), and Great Pyrenees (~25%). However, that is probably not correct. There might be some German Shepherd and German farmdog as well, the Great Pyrenee might have been a different dog, and the breeding went back and forth. Anyway, Leonbergers have a temperament similar to Newfoundland dogs, they are a little bit more energetic, and they are on average a little bit bigger.

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  35. Your Canis Lupus Familiaris photos crack me up. Our Siberian Huskey seemed to have wolf-like traits. He was a hunter and killer of small rodents, and he had this particular gait I called “the wolf trot.”

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  37. Interesting facts on dogs and wolves, Thomas! But most interesting were the two stories about Bronco being called a bear ad a wolf 🙂 It’s always good to spread the word about big dogs, just in case… Thank you for sharing! I enjoyed reading. Light and blessings to you, my friend*

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  38. A fascinating post, Thomas! Bronco was a beautiful boy, and it’s hard to think that anyone could be scared of such a gentle soul. His eyes seem to say it all. I loved the Nordic Wolf Lullaby! Like Diane said, it has an incredible mystical quality to it.

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