Best dogs for SHTF?

[mesta26]

I was thinking about this today.  My wife loves dogs and we raise bullmastiffs, I was trying to think of a better dog come SHTF and I couldn't.  Bullmastiffs are incredibly loyal, fierce, and physically impressive animals.  But I am sure many will have other opinions as to the ultimate SHTF dog, so let's hear em!

[javabrewer]

Hunting and defense dogs that are good with the family and easily trained.  I'd like to submit the Labrador: great hunting abilities, smart, learns easily and is eager to please, forms a great bond with the family and is large and loud enough to thwart intruders and/or alert you to danger.   

[mesta26]

I agree with you on the hunting aspect, a dog that can help get food in any way would be highly valuable.  As far as threat deterrent though, maybe a 7 on a scale of 1 to 10, they just aren't that scary.  But depending on your needs you may be right.

[Rishmoca]

I also second the lab.  But one needs to access thier own needs.  Will they need a defence dog, working dog, hunting dog.  Each would require a different breed. Also interaction with kids could be a big factor. Also consider the area you live - urban or rual. AZ or AK. You would not want a Huskie in AZ or a Ridgeback in Alaska.

[19114life]

I have to agree with the Mastiff breed. We have a English Mastiff and she is so gentle with the kids.  She hears everything and I def. wouldn't want to break in a house with a Mastiff standing guard.

[excaliber]

I'd have to vote for the Pit Bull

I've had several, and if raised right are a great dog


they are EXTREMELY territorial, they know what is there home.

they are obedient

they are smart

according to several books they have the ability to distinguish between a "good person" and someone there to do harm.

they really are great with kids, they are super tolerant, to things like their tails and ears being pulled, or stepped on etc.

and they are not a hyper spastic dog even as a pup, they are calmer than most.

they have been used to hunt hogs down here as well as other animals, round up cattle, etc

it is a DEFENDER and will protect you in a SHTF situation,

not to mention the "fear" people have of the word Pit Bull.

the pit bull does NOT even make the top 10 list of reported dog attacks per ca-pita,

it does however rank #1 in severity


mine sleeps on the foot of the bed, and is a big baby, but no one knows it, everyone is scared as hell when they first see him
and he heads over to "check them out"

and if there is a creek, crack or pop in the house, he is up and gone to investigate.

and if someone comes to the front door, he barks and growls like crazy. usually he is going nuts before they get to the door, he hears them pull up and shut their truck door.

 I could not ask for a better protector, I honestly believe if I got in to a physical confrontation with someone he would be right in there.



my dog Boo, and my boy wrestling






and he is a smart dog as you can see.




 

[BigDanInTX]

I don't remember where I read or heard it, but they had outside dogs and inside dogs.  Their neighbor's dogs would warn their bigger outside dogs, which would warn the smaller ("yippy") inside dogs if anything was incoming.  This would mean bigger dogs.  I do agree that training would be key to ensure they're not barking at the wildlife (other than predatory type animals).

Although, you probably would want something that can be trained to watch your butt in SHTF.  Check out what breeds they recommend for K9 dogs and go from there.  Those breeds are obviously able to be well-trained in both discipline and defensive purposes.  Just keep that in mind.  =-]

[mesta26]

Awww he is cute!  I would submit that a pitbull may be a better defender in an urban or crowded environment because often larger breeds suffer in these areas specifically,  and people are often scared of them for no reason.  That being said my pitbull, may she rest peacefully, could not match the damage that could be done by a larger animal.

[mesta26]

19114life, that is a nice looking mastiff you got there!

[excaliber]

I have to agree with the Mastiff breed. We have a English Mastiff and she is so gentle with the kids.  She hears everything and I def. wouldn't want to break in a house with a Mastiff standing guard.

ohh, Hell no! I could not afford to feed that thing, I guess it could pull double duty as maybe a Horse.

[19114life]

19114life, that is a nice looking mastiff you got there!

Shes a bit bigger now.  She was about 130 lbs then.  Now shes right around 190.  Here dad was just a monster.  I think he weight in at 215

ohh, Hell no! I could not afford to feed that thing, I guess it could pull double duty as maybe a Horse.

The horse part is about right, she can pull like one.  I weigh 250 lbs and she can pull me across the ground on my back.  Funny story how that happened but she did pull me.

[mesta26]

Two of mine are in the 200-220 range, and another female that is lighter. Pound for pound my little female is the toughest one of em all.

[lmeehan1332]

A relatively new breed is the dogo argentino this fearsome breed is used to hunt large game such as bear and wild boar. They are reported to be impervious to pain extremely loyal and deadly to intruders
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogo_Argentino
http://www.dogo.org/

[MTUCache]

I'm a big fan of large dogs. In fact, I'd love to own a Bull Mastiff, but in a SHTF scenario I think you're going to have to address some serious trade-offs.

If you've got plenty of food stocked, available, and you're able to bug-in, a large protective dog like this is going to be a life-saver. (Assuming of course that you've stocked food for them as well, you don't want to be spending half your energy feeding an animal who eats as much as you do.)

If you're separated from that food supply, bugging-out, or stuck in some very cramped conditions, I can see many scenarios where they'd be a pretty difficult hindrance to your efforts.

[CombatPeds]

I am going to go with the Anatolian Shepherd.  They are large, imposing, and very useful.  We have had them for several years and livestock guardian dogs with great success.  They are gentle to their owners, death to opossum and raccoons, and can function independently for long stretches of time.  They do eat a fair amount, but with the aforementioned supplementation of opossum and raccoon, it isn't bad.

[daved]

I'm a big fan of large dogs. In fact, I'd love to own a Bull Mastiff, but in a SHTF scenario I think you're going to have to address some serious trade-offs.

If you've got plenty of food stocked, available, and you're able to bug-in, a large protective dog like this is going to be a life-saver. (Assuming of course that you've stocked food for them as well, you don't want to be spending half your energy feeding an animal who eats as much as you do.)

If you're separated from that food supply, bugging-out, or stuck in some very cramped conditions, I can see many scenarios where they'd be a pretty difficult hindrance to your efforts.

I agree with the food aspect. For something short term a large breed would be great. For longer term disasters though I see it being a big problem to keep them fed. I guess it would be fine as long as you store dog food to last the same amount of time as food for the people in your family. I'd hate to have to make the decision on either not feeding the dog, or knowing that by doing so I am reducing the amount of food for everyone else.

[sdcharger]

Bigger dogs = more meat

[mesta26]

In a true long term SHTF, intruders might make a decent dietary supplement

[sdcharger]

Good point.  Besides, I like my dog more than most people!

[Teancum]

I've been thinking about getting Redbone Coonhound or a Rhodesian Ridgeback.  The sad fact, however, is that I love dogs and am pretty alergic to them.  I've had family suggest Labradoodles, but I have a hard time with that one.

[19114life]

Good point.  Besides, I like my dog more than most people!

I have to agree on that.

[Sister Wolf]

Teancum, our girl is a pitbull/rhodie mix.  Rhodies are some of the damndest dogs out there.  They're so dang smart, and lovable, and awesome.

If you have a chance to own one, I highly recommend it.

Oh, and for the record, Golden Doodles are GREAT dogs (never met a labradoodle, so I can't attest to their intelligence or lack thereof).  They suck at "guarding" anything, but they are so sweet, and so pretty, and SMART as a whip (comes from the poodle side, I think).  And they don't shed (er... most of them don't).  We met a full sized Golden Doodle last time we were out in Havesu.  I'd drop $2000 on a dog like that one any day of the week.  They're not as "foofy" as you might think.  The one we met was HUGE, and quiet, and just an all around great dog.  They almost look like a mix between an irish wolfhound and something with silky soft hair.  Beautiful animals.

Anybody who has owned a poodle will attest to their intelligence.  I'd own a poodle in a heartbeat (though I'd prefer a standard size over the itty bitty ones).

I'd never own a lab again.  They've got about half a brain and that's it (or at least, that was the case with the 3 I've owned over the years).

I LOVE pit bulls.  They have the most personality of any purebred dog I've ever met, and as others have mentioned, they're downright intimidating when they need to be, regardless of their size.

I really really like Alaskan Malamutes, but you've gotta be prepared for the shedding.  My old girl (Charlie) used to shed sweaterfulls of fur every year in late spring.  It was miserable.  Of course.... if you're good at that sort of thing, you could harvest their fur for spinning into yarn.  

I love mastiffs for the same reason that I love pit bulls.  Only problem is that they are heart breakers (IMO).  They don't live long enough.  I don't think I could handle losing my sweet mutt every 6 or 7 years.

And then there's my hubby's favorite dog breeds:

Border Collie - smart as a whip, not so great at being a ferocious guard dog, though.
Viszla - fantastic hunting dog, wouldn't know how to be mean if their life depended on it and has no undercoat, so needs to be inside.
Rhodesian Ridgeback - great all around guard dog and family dog.
Springer Spaniel - Fantastic little mutt for everything from cuddling to hunting.  Not so good for guarding.

Hell... I guess we just love dogs. 

[Leonidas]

I was thinking about this today.  My wife loves dogs and we raise bullmastiffs, I was trying to think of a better dog come SHTF and I couldn't.  Bullmastiffs are incredibly loyal, fierce, and physically impressive animals.  But I am sure many will have other opinions as to the ultimate SHTF dog, so let's hear em!

Whichever one I have at the Time...

They all Taste Nice, when your Hungry

[OKGranny]

A couple of things to think about. If you intend to love in the country and have chickens or ducks does that dog know not to hunt them and kill them? A SHTF or any crisis situation is not the time to be trying to break a dog from hunting yours or your neighbors fowl. I never met a dog I didn't like as long as it was trained. Pit Bulls are wonderful when trained and treated right, my little black chihuahua is best friends with a big pit, they spend hours together. Breaking a lab puppy from killing chickens was a nightmare. Dry dog food can get bugs if stored too long and not be worth anything. One advantage of my (definitely NOT) yappy little house dogs is that 1/4 cup of food a day keeps them fat and sassy and they could care less if it's dog food or people food or somewhere in between, just as long as it's food. They hear everything and sound alarms. Personally I'd be happy with one or two or more of nearly every breed and a few dozen of the 'daddy was a traveling man' mixes but I couldn't afford to feed that many. Dogs are just good people.

[monkeyboyf]

I would have to vote for a well trained German Shepherd for an all around protection, extremely intelligent, faithful to the death  type dog. They are so incredibly smart it's scary. Living alone in BFE would be almost impossible without my Hoffen. She really doesn't eat much in comparison to other dogs that size. At 9 years old and 90 pounds she strikes terror in the heart of strangers. Her only vice is  her quest to kill any cat she sees.  So... don't have any kitties here anymore.

[NWBowhunter]

I have to say for ease of care and lower maint a Mutt is the way to go. Especially a mix if it's of a couple of good hunting breeds. Like lab/german short hair mix. Or hunting plus guard dog mix.  My preference for a hunting dog is the German Shorthair, all mine have been way to friendly to be considered guard dogs though.

[Morning Sunshine]

as a kid we had a doberman/german shepard mix, and she was the smartest best dog.
once we were camping in my grandparents RV, and it got stuck at the bottom of the mountain in the recent rain/mud.  My parents got us all out of the RV and started walking us up to the campsite we owned (I guess you could call it a BOL).  I was at most 9, so my sibs were 7 & 5.  We got tired, so mom and dad left us by the side of the dirt road with Dobby.  A neighbor (we didn't know) was worried about us and started to come over to talk to us.  Dobby stood right up, and she had the marking of a doberman, and growled.  neighbor thought "those kids will be all right" and went along his way.  He met up with my parents and told them the story.
This dog was well-loved by all the kids in the neighborhood; they knew her, she would play with them and she loved all the kids.  One time, around my 9th b-day, my parents were going to be gone for a week.  they asked a neighbor girl to come over and stay weith us - her parents would be just across the street were anything to happen.  The first day she had gone to the local amusement park and she had arranged with my parents to just come over when she got home.  I lay down on the couch to wait for her and fell asleep.  I did not hear her knocking, so her brother decided to try climbing in the kitchen window.  This was a kid Dobby knew and liked, but when he tried to enter through the window, she stood up and growled and showed her pointed doberman teeth.  they, and their parents, decided we would be fine that night and our babysitter came over the next morning.  oh, and that next morning, Dobby was just fine with the brother.
I wish I could find another dog like her (she was the second of that mix my parents had had)

[nkawtg]

Three dogs come to mind, a Lab, Husky, or German Shepherd. I've had a Husky/Wolf mix and he was the best dog I've ever had. He's gone now, and is well missed. My Black Lab is extremely loyal, a great barker, great with kids, but not very protective I suspect. I've never owned a German Shepherd but I love the breed and may someday have the fortune of having one.

[scott]

Anyone have or have experience with American Bulldogs?  I'm sort of in love with them.  Can't have one now, have to settle with our little chihuahua who alerts to everything including overhead geese.  If/when we get a little room to roam i'd like to have a couple large dogs.

[4bull]

Ive had a lot of dog over the years and the best of the best is the mut mix runt.
the uglyer the better, dogs will be soot after just like the cats in the old west and prized.
to large a dog then the shorter there life, to small to fragel, SHTF we will be spending a lot of time with and training them.
i like the red bone but there to friendly,catahoulas are spun way to tight some of them are just crazy but fun to run.
im looking for one to be part of our family not just a pet.
I think a well bread pit is a  great family dog, an inbead pit is a waste of skin.