The process of hybridizing shepherd dogs and wolves may be more common and recent than previously assumed in the Caucasus, according to a new study. The researchers of this study found that around 10 percent of the dogs and wolves they sampled had recent hybrid ancestry and around 2-3 percent of the sample population were first-generation wolf-dog hybrids.

The study was done by Doctors David Tarkhnishvili and Natia Kopaliani, along with colleagues from the Institute of Ecology at Ilia State University in Georgia and Tbilisi Zoo in Georgia. Kopaliani explained the motive behind the study, “Since the 2000s, the frequency of wolf depredation on cattle has increased in Georgia, and there were several reports of attacks on humans. Wolves were sighted even in densely populated areas.” She added, “Reports suggested that, unlike wild wolves, wolf-dog hybrids might lack fear of humans, so we wanted to examine the ancestry of wolves near human settlements to determine if they could be of hybrid origin with free-ranging dogs such as shepherds.”

Tarkhnishvili said, “We expected to identify some individuals with hybrid ancestry, but it was quite surprising that recent hybrid ancestry was found in every tenth wolf and every tenth shepherd dog.” He added, “Two dogs out of the 60 or so we studied were inferred to be first generation hybrids.”

The study found that around a third of the sampled dogs shared recent maternal ancestry with the local wolves and not domesticated wolves in the Far East. “Ironically, their sole function is to protect sheep from wolves or thieves,” Kopaliani explained. “The shepherd dogs are free-ranging, largely outside the tight control of their human masters. They guard the herds from wolves, which are common in the areas where they are used, but it appears that they are also consorting with the enemy.”