An origin that obliges.

Generations with dogs — from the first German Shepherd through real rescue work to standing in front of the camera.

Historical training photograph: a German Shepherd in training

Working with dogs was something we were born into. For generations it has shaped our family: German Shepherds in breeding and training, tested under IGP and IBGH — then still called Schutzhund —, trained as avalanche and rubble dogs, on duty at the Österreichring in 1984. That origin is the foundation of Lunar Lupus: seeing dogs as partners, not as a means to an end. Whoever books our film wolves is not booking a motif. They are booking a line that knows what a dog carries when it counts — and what you therefore do not ask of it on a set.

Daniel's father Wolfgang was a doer and a teacher: a strict father with an understanding for individual development, as long as every duty in the house was met. Self-teaching, leadership, learning — all of it born into us.

An exceptional talent with cars and with dogs. Anything, once you had shown it to him. Fun fact: he never touched a computer. Daniel: self-taught learning, a maker, a finisher. His father's licences became certificates. Genetics? Probably. Family at the very least.

The roots

German Shepherds.

At the beginning stood German Shepherds — in breeding, training and daily work. They formed the understanding of the dog that we carry on to this day.

That school is where the calm on set comes from: an animal that is led, not posed. The Czechoslovakian Wolfdog stands in exactly this line — shepherd and Carpathian wolf, work and wildness in one body.

Historical photograph of a dog handler brigade at a demonstration — Dog handler at a demonstration

Training

IGP & IBGH — then still called Schutzhund.

Trained to recognised standards: IGP and IBGH, then still called Schutzhund. Obedience, tracking and protection work built bond, calm and reliability.

Our wolfdogs speak the same language today, in the ring and in front of the camera. Without that foundation there would be no film wolves — only beautiful animals that fall apart on the first take.

Avalanche dog in the snow during a search operation — Avalanche search

In real operations

Avalanche & rubble dogs.

Beyond the sport: trained as avalanche and rubble dogs to find buried people — in snow as well as in collapsed buildings.

Anyone who has once searched for people with a dog does not put it on a stage as a gag. That attitude is the reason we refuse scenes that turn the animal into a weapon or a prop.

From the archive

Österreichring 1984.

Daniel's father at the circuit: guarding, demonstrations, service dog work. The track was not taken over by Red Bull until 2004 — the story belongs to the family, not to a sponsor.

Service dog deployment at the Österreichring in 1984 — Österreichring1984

Guarding with a service dog at the Österreichring in 1984 — Guarding1984

Dog handler and German Shepherd at the Österreichring in 1984 — Dog handler1984

Public demonstration with a service dog, 1986 — Public demonstration · 1986

What has remained

The same standard, a new breed.

Then: The German Shepherd in breeding, sport and service
Today: The Czechoslovakian Wolfdog from our own FCI/ÖKV kennel
Remained: Leading instead of posingAn animal that is led works calmly. One that is posed does not last a shooting day.
Remained: The limitAnyone who has searched for buried people with a dog does not turn it into a prop.

Next step

Lunar Lupus grew out of this origin.

The same standard carries every branch today — from the litter to the film set.

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