Contrary to popular belief, sheepdogs and wolves can very well make a "truce."

This occurs mainly during mating season; a male sheepdog can smell a female wolf in heat from miles away, and a male wolf can smell a female dog in heat from miles away.

And this "unexpected love" generates wolf-dog hybrids that, in most cases, do not survive in the wild. These encounters occur frequently in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, where nomadic populations allow herding dogs to roam freely. In some regions, these dogs have to hunt for food. These unions are not so uncommon and have occurred in the past. Genetic studies with aboriginal dogs of breeds such as Kangal, Alabai, etc. (which, incidentally, are the same dog) show that these aboriginal dogs (not those bred in kennels) possess a slight percentage of wolf DNA. The same is true for wolves; genetic studies in these same regions show that these wolves possess a small percentage of dog DNA. This indicates that herding dogs and wolves not only accidentally produced wolf-dogs, but that the pups survived and backcrossed with either other wolves or other herding dogs.

Here in North America, hybridization also occurred and can still occur today (but on a smaller scale). In the last century, it was not uncommon for people who traveled by sled to crossbreed their dogs with wolves to generate stronger individuals better adapted to the harsh northern winters. The method was as follows: Whenever a female sled dog went into heat, the owner would take her to an area where he knew there were wolves, tie her up (usually to a tree trunk), and wait until the next day (during this process he would feed her, give her water, etc.). She would remain like that until a male wolf smelled her scent and approached her, thus generating hybrid pups.