Another behavior commonly seen among wolves during the winter is the shake-off. This very basic, and likely instinctual, behavior is not social in nature, but rather is to promote care of the individual body. Shaking snow, rain, and even dirt off the fur coat is regularly seen among all dogs, some cats, and most other mammals, but there is a simple, yet very important survival motivation behind such shaking.

Wolves maintain a dual-layer fur coat. The seldom seen inner layer of fur is known as the undercoat. It is comprised of densely compacted, solid-shafted, and always gray hairs (hence the name gray wolf) which comprise the main insulation layer of the coat. However, this layer of fur does not insulate well when saturated with water. Conversely, the outer layer of fur, known as the guard hairs, is comprised of long, straight, hollow-shafted hairs that are quite oily. These hairs vary in color dramatically and thus create the individual coloration to each wolf. The hair follicles of the guard hairs create oil that essentially provides a waterproof barrier along this outer layer, therefore preventing the inner undercoat from becoming wet. Snow and rain collect on the guard hairs and would eventually seep downward to the undercoat if not removed. By shaking-off the precipitation, a wolf is ultimately keeping the undercoat dry, which in turn maintains thermoregulation for survival.

The process of a shake-off is quite simple, and occasionally comical. The animal typically begins by shaking the head side to side and twisting the neck, then the shaking motion quickly proceeds through the body, ending with the tail. Any person who has ever given a dog or cat a bath can surely attest to the velocity of water leaving the fur coat! Wolves also use this shake-off behavior when their fur coats become dusty after bedding down in the summer and I have also witnessed it being used to expel flies and other insects that land upon the guard hairs.

Even though most dog and cat keepers have probably seen the shake-off behavior hundreds of times, now you know that this simple behavior does have an incredibly important motivation among wolves-thermoregulation and ultimately survival.