Can wolf and dog mate?

Yes, wolves and domestic dogs can breed and produce fertile offspring.

However, dogs have been shaped for human needs in the process of domestication, so that they are different from their wild ancestors in many characteristics. They become sexually mature earlier but stay juvenile in terms of their behaviour for very long, i.e. they let themselves be trained by humans and accept a subordinate role. We have bred them in a way that the caution that is typical for wolves has been lost and many physical attributes have been gained, which makes them different from wolves. Many of these attributes reduce the survival capability of dogs in the wild. Therefore, dog genes intruding the wolf gene pool can have a negative impact. The smaller the affected population, the stronger the effect even with rare hybridisation events. You can find further information regarding hybrids and information on how to deal with them under “Wolf management”.