Best All Around Dog for TEOFTWAWKI

[Beekissed]

I didn't read the whole thread, so if anyone mentioned this breed, I'm sorry....but I'll take a Lab anyday for all around versatility and eagerness to work and please their owner. Good with children, excellent guard dog, excellent with other animals, hardy to the max, big enough to carry a pack, smart enough to learn easily and survives on little fuel....actually will get too fat if you're not careful with the diet and exercise.

Not the hunting lines, but the regular ol' family dog lines. Love the Labs!

 

[lorieMN]

see personally i DONT want a dog for actual protection, i want a big scary LOOKING and intimidating dog...but when it comes down to it dogs are NOT impervious to bullets and in a worst case senario most of the bad people will also have guns...

i want a dog thats going to make most people think twice about trying something...a dog thats going to eb able to help me out around the "farm", make a good alarm and help me in other ways...
a dog who can put on a real good show...

but a good shot is going to be my protection method of choice first and foremost...because when it comes down to it, IM the human and IM responsible for not only my protection but the protection of my "family"...my dogs need to be usefull to me beyond physical protection and are worth more ALIVE and behind me than latched on and bleeding to death...


unless they make bulletproof dogs that is...in which case i want one of those

well in all honesty,I would rather my dog get shot and I have a few extra minutes to protect ourselves then a dog that looks scary but will turn tail and run when things get hairy..properly trained protection dogs are everything you just said you want,GSD are first and formost herding dogs,and most will still herd,properly trained dogs are excellent family pets,mine are and most others I know of are,ANY breed of dog if well trained even in basic OB is a better dog to have around then one thats not,protection dogs are not supposed to be mean,if they are they are a danger,,yes mine are trained to bite on command or when THEY see us in danger,but I do not have to worry about them running around biteing randomly for no reason.People are confused about the term "protection dog"..for some reason they think the dogs are mean,which is totally not true,but if you tell them its a K-9,they think that is cool..think of it this way,just because you send your kid to karate doesnt mean they are going to go around and attack other kids for the fun of it,it just means you had them learn a skill that they may or may not have to use some day.

 

[tortoise]

How much do those bullet-proof dog vests cost? I need to add 2 of those to my SHTF list.



I completely agree with lorieMN. You don't understand what a "clear-headed" dog is until you see it. And after that you'll never be satisfied with an ordinary pet dog.

I have a friend with a German Shepherd Dog. He trains his dog in Schutzhund. He is also disabled in a wheelchair and the same dog is his service dog. Service dogs endure high levels of stress. They get mobbed by kids, get hit with shopping carts. A clear-headed dog has no reaction. A bite-trained dog is more than capable of living in a home and community without ever biting.

I trust a bite trained dog far more than a pet. I've been bitten by dozens of pets, but never by a bite-trained dog. I would let my 4-yr-old son pet a bite-trained dog. I NEVER let him go near a pet dog except my fiance's dog.

A real protection dog is not an option for most people. Almost everyone out there can't handle one, but would do fine with an alert/barking dog. Plus SHTF, you will only have whatever dog you have to work with and almost ANY dog can be trained to alert bark.

Don't eliminate the option of a protection dogs PURELY on misconception, such as the misunderstanding that a bite-trained dog is unstable and dangerous.

 

[savingdogs]

Don't eliminate the option of a protection dogs PURELY on misconception, such as the misunderstanding that a bite-trained dog is unstable and dangerous.

This has not been my experience with bite trained dogs. I think it depends on who selects and trains the dogs as much as finding a "clear headed" one. I don't think calling other peoples experience "misconceptions" is taking a very broad view. We all have different experiences and call it like we see it. I have respect you have known really good bite trained dogs. I have not. I have known the "reject" dogs as they were in rescue and also worked for people who said they trained top protection dogs and sold them to police departments. In both instances, the folks involved would have been better off choosing something else. JMHO. But it isn't a "misconception"......dogs are not created equal as you yourself said, they are not all "clear headed". What happens when someone chooses the wrong dog to train for this? THAT is what I've seen and it wasn't pretty.

 

[MsPony]

Putting in my bid for a pit or rhodesian Two breeds that have the strength, stamina, mental capacity and drive to do it all. I have a customer w/ a bull of a red nose, in Nicaraqua he grabbed a farmers pig and didn't blink when the farmer hit across the back w/ a machete. Never blinked as they stitched him up (in some hut in the middle of nowhere, no anethestics!) and isn't scarred at all mentally from it.

Ill always have labs though, never a golden *ducks from SKR8PN* I'm not a puppy person so I didn't dig mine until he was 16 months old. He's American, bred for hunting. He points, flushes and retrieves like no ones business. Only thing that makes *him* not as great; can't catch a lizard, not protective at all. And he was born w/ hip dysplasia :/

 

[savingdogs]

I think if survivability is a factor, the pit bull comes to my mind as well. I've seen similar type instances involving pitties, nothing I've been around is as tenacious, or able to cling to life through starvation and adversity and still come out of it a good dog.

The "clear headed" dogs that I have known, I'd say a higher percentage of them have been actually a certain mix, pit/lab. But my selection and experience is skewed in that I've taken 100 percent "thrown away" dogs, not to say they were not beloved in some cases. But in my experience there is a wide range of dog experience out there and there are as many dog experts as there are dog owners practically. I spent a lot of time thinking other people's ideas were wrong-headed, until I saw through experience that dogs react well to many different types of training and experiences, and different people get different reactions from the very same dog. The proper way to train each dog is individual to that dog.

The phrase that has been cemented in my brain in regards to dogs through my experiences rescuing them is that they are not all created equal. They are as unique as each of us. And choosing the wrong dog can be a heartbreaking experience all around. So I have spent the last 12 years counseling folks on how to select the correct dog for themselves, to minimize the "thrown away" dogs that need people like me to rescue, rehabilitate them and place them correctly.

In choosing the best dog for TSHTF scenario, you might go through several before you find that perfect dog, and for each person, the perfect dog description is just a little different.

 

[tortoise]

I think if survivability is a factor, the pit bull comes to my mind as well. I've seen similar type instances involving pitties, nothing I've been around is as tenacious, or able to cling to life through starvation and adversity and still come out of it a good dog.

Agreed. My little pitty (now deceased) nearly killed herself twice. The first time the vet told me that another breed of dog would not have made it. They did not expect her to live.

The "clear headed" dogs that I have known, I'd say a higher percentage of them have been actually a certain mix, pit/lab. But my selection and experience is skewed in that I've taken 100 percent "thrown away" dogs, not to say they were not beloved in some cases. But in my experience there is a wide range of dog experience out there and there are as many dog experts as there are dog owners practically. I spent a lot of time thinking other people's ideas were wrong-headed, until I saw through experience that dogs react well to many different types of training and experiences, and different people get different reactions from the very same dog. The proper way to train each dog is individual to that dog.

I can't tell you how often I tell people that there are good dogs in every price range. The best dog I've ever had was $60 off of Craigslist. He is an amazing service dog who has saved his handler's life more than once. He was purebred, I found the breeder and bought his littermate sister. I had a lucky break that I got her for lower price than the $3,000 - $5,000 she is worth. But in the same year I also ran through maybe a dozen rescue dogs that tested well but simply wouldn't *work*. My point is a $60 was equal to a $3,000+ dog. If you KNOW what you are looking for, you can find it.

And don't forget the origin of the Doberman breed is a pound/dogcatcher/shelter.

In choosing the best dog for TSHTF scenario, you might go through several before you find that perfect dog, and for each person, the perfect dog description is just a little different.

^^^ What she said ^^^

 

[tortoise]

Don't eliminate the option of a protection dogs PURELY on misconception, such as the misunderstanding that a bite-trained dog is unstable and dangerous.

This has not been my experience with bite trained dogs. I think it depends on who selects and trains the dogs as much as finding a "clear headed" one. I don't think calling other peoples experience "misconceptions" is taking a very broad view. We all have different experiences and call it like we see it. I have respect you have known really good bite trained dogs. I have not. I have known the "reject" dogs as they were in rescue and also worked for people who said they trained top protection dogs and sold them to police departments. In both instances, the folks involved would have been better off choosing something else. JMHO. But it isn't a "misconception"......dogs are not created equal as you yourself said, they are not all "clear headed". What happens when someone chooses the wrong dog to train for this? THAT is what I've seen and it wasn't pretty.

I had a bite trained dog that got unstable at about 3 years old. She was the fastest learner and environmentally sound, a really fun dog to work with. But bite trained + unstable/poor judgment is a disaster waiting to happen. I had her euthanized. Heartbreaking but the correct choice.

I wish others in that situation would have the balls to do what is right, rather than pass them off as a "wash-out" to an unprepared rescue group.

There are VERY FEW dogs that can do bitework. Training a less able dog is more than irresponsible.

 

[savingdogs]

I've placed about 10 rescues as therapy/service trainees. I call the quality "bomb-proof" .......some dogs are just nonplussed by anything and yet have great instincts. I let a couple like this slip through my fingers. But I'm sure they are being someone's good dog.

Sometimes I look at my group of dogs, some of which could not be adopted because of some quirk, and wonder what I could have had. But I do think that you can create good dogs with the right kind(s) of training in most cases if you select the right dog to begin with. Because my dogs are pretty darn good. But they are good at what I adapted and trained them to do....socialize foster dogs. My needs were certainly different than most people.

I think for the OP, just selecting a breed is not enough. Select for temperament.

 

[savingdogs]

Don't eliminate the option of a protection dogs PURELY on misconception, such as the misunderstanding that a bite-trained dog is unstable and dangerous.

This has not been my experience with bite trained dogs. I think it depends on who selects and trains the dogs as much as finding a "clear headed" one. I don't think calling other peoples experience "misconceptions" is taking a very broad view. We all have different experiences and call it like we see it. I have respect you have known really good bite trained dogs. I have not. I have known the "reject" dogs as they were in rescue and also worked for people who said they trained top protection dogs and sold them to police departments. In both instances, the folks involved would have been better off choosing something else. JMHO. But it isn't a "misconception"......dogs are not created equal as you yourself said, they are not all "clear headed". What happens when someone chooses the wrong dog to train for this? THAT is what I've seen and it wasn't pretty.

I had a bite trained dog that got unstable at about 3 years old. She was the fastest learner and environmentally sound, a really fun dog to work with. But bite trained + unstable/poor judgment is a disaster waiting to happen. I had her euthanized. Heartbreaking but the correct choice.

I wish others in that situation would have the balls to do what is right, rather than pass them off as a "wash-out" to an unprepared rescue group.

There are VERY FEW dogs that can do bitework. Training a less able dog is more than irresponsible.

So you have seen what I am talking about. I knew some folks who were very convincing that they knew what they were doing, but after working there a year, the facade wore quite thin and I grew tired of hiding the dogs and comforting the wounded, among other problems I had with that job. It was really a method of selling their puppies they were breeding for more money more than anything else.
They did NOT work with GSDs however, they had a different breed. I personally have seen another, much better trainer with GSDs doing bite work and doing it correctly, love her dog, but it is so hard for the lay person to be able to tell between the first kind of trainer and the second one. Had I not been an employee of each one I would never have known there was such a difference.