Best survival dog?

edited November 2014 in Other Breeds
Does anybody have a preferance? It doesn't have to be a nihon ken. Just name a breed and a reason. I'm interested to hear from you guys.
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  • What type of survival? Wilderness? End of days? Urban post apocalypse? Zombie apocalypse?
  • Wilderness. And for rules how about these conditions

    Your stuck on a savannah/ temperate forest island. There are cave and mountians too and the island is about as big a Texas. The prey species are small swamp rabbits, small 60-90 pound deer, Japanese/Australian wild boar crosses, wild goats, and large feral cats. The carnivores include bobcats, golden jackals, a large eagle, red foxes, and honey badgers. You have a large machete, a canteen, and a large backpack full of camping supplies. You have two dogs with boar hunting gear on and spiked collars. They also have a doggy backpack. What breed would you choose and your reasons?
  • Luytiyu (Brad's CO) bit only if he recognized me as something to be protected.
  • edited November 2014
    Personally if I had to chose I'd go with a blue heeler/kelpie/irish staffy bull mix. This would create a powerful medium sized dog capable of stoping a boar and catching fast prey. The weight range is around 40-60 pounds-ideal for a survival dog- so they won't have to eat to much. Not to mention they are almost unmatched in stamina and working ability. Hopefully the staffy blood will produce large jaw muscles and teeth, and a wide head/muzzle. All 3 breeds are known to be specifically muscular and explosive so I like the combo. Not to mention their jumping ability. The highest I've ever heard a heeler jump is probably 64 cm. whilst a kelpie holds the record at almost 9 feet in a jump. Pit bulls are also good jumpers. Heelers and kelpies also have large ears that would help with hearing animals. And then there's their intelligence at no.10 . Of course the most important thing is hunting. The best things about the selected breeds are their prey drive and grit. Pit bulls and staffys can go for hours as can heelers. Bull breeds twist their head to make a bite more painful and shake at the same time. Adding in the staffys teeth and the blues heelers tendency to aim for the hind legs and nose will help immobilize boar. Actually I've met a good number of blues that had webbed paws. Their rough coat also protects from hot and cold. Cattle dogs have swum miles, survived on their own with no help, survived cougar attacks, fought off alligators,etc. So my ideal dog would have:

    The ability to work in hot or cold for hours
    The muscle of a working line pit bull
    The teeth of a staffy
    The ears of a kelpie
    The fur of a heeler
    Webbed paws
    The tail of a heeler
    The jump of a kelpie
    The attack of a pit bull
    Be liver colored
    Have golden eyes
    Be personal protection trained
    Have only the best blood
    Be hog trained
    Be PP trained
    Be very obedient
    Be very loyal.
    Luytiyu (Brad's CO) bit only if he recognized me as something to be protected.
    Then let's say you've raised this dog since birth and it only trusts you.
  • Hunting saluki for savannah. They still have the instincts and ability to catch the rabbits, deer, goats and cats (though I wouldn't eat a carnivore). They won't be apt to catch a boar and get injured in the process. Somewhat guardy/protective. Large enough to handle the carnivores.

    More mountainous/lush and I'd choose a different breed.
  • edited November 2014
    Just some examples of what I'm looking for



    http://www.sptimes.com/News/072701/State/Blue_fights_off_gator.shtml
    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1239326/Dogs-survival-tale-set-Hollywood-hit.html
    http://news.discovery.com/adventure/activities/7-heroic-dogs-that-saved-their-owners-lives-and-most-of-their-toes.htm

    cattle dog vs cougar
    The 1-year-old Blue Heeler was bloody and barely able to stand.

    Monday morning, Jirsa was walking with Lady along a trail near her home in a remote area on Stanley Mountain.

    Lady was 150 feet down an embankment from the trail when the mountain lion attacked.

    "When I realized it was a mountain lion, I really started hollering," Jirsa said. "I was pretty much at its mercy if I did decide to go down there."

    The large cat picked up the 40-pound dog and carried it out of sight.

    Jirsa ran for help and when she returned, there was no sign of the mountain lion or her dog.

    "Over and over and over I saw that scene in my head and felt the helplessness of that," Jirsa said.

    She spent the day in her house, wracked with grief.

    Until the moment, part way through the afternoon, when Lady staggered into the house.

    The dog was bleeding and covered with dirt.

    Dr. Jody Engel of Mountain Park Veterinary Hospital says Lady was nearly comatose when Jirsa carried the dog into the clinic.

    Engel says it's rare for a dog as small as Lady to survive such a severe attack.

    "She's very lucky to be alive," Engel said. "She actually has a fractured skull. It was amazing because you could see her breathing through her forehead."

    Engel says she has seen a recent rash of brazen mountain lion attacks on pets. In one case, she said, a cat forced its way into a garage to kill a dog.

    Tuesday evening, Lady emerged from a three-hour surgery and is expected to go home within a day or two.

    "She is tough as nails," said Jirsa.

    Engel says Lady's survival story is a good reminder to pet owners to keep their animals on leashes when in mountain lion country.

    So in body it might look like this but red nose pit bull color

    imageimage
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  • I'd choose an American Cur, a Catahoula Leopard Dog, or a Dogo Argentinio. They're all hardy, semi protective, and can catch game. I'd trap the rabbits.
  • I'd go with catahoula or catahoula mix. I've owned a mix of one and she was one tough dog.

    Met some pure ones too and they're neat breed.. I don't think I'd own one personally unless I had game in my area to hunt with it.

    I liked the personalities of the ones I met..
  • I'd probably go for a tazi or cur if I meant to hunt... but honestly, maybe going with some primitive CAS-type LGD would be more efficient. Trap and tame the goats for the LGD to guard, set up a base of operations instead of leading a hunter-gatherer life if I'm meant to be in that position for a while. The LGD can and will hold the occasional boar, but the goats, gathered plants, and the small game that I could trap would be the way to go.
  • If I had a gun, then no question - I'd choose a Laika or a Kishu. Probably the Laika over the Kishu because some Laiki are fast enough to catch rabbits.

    But since I just have a machete, I need a dog that can hold large game until I can dispatch it with the machete. This is why I chose those breeds - and I'd probably like a mix of them, like one Catahoula Leopard Dog and one Dogo Argentino.
  • edited November 2014
    I'd have Naresy and Tavi. :P I've already planned out that in a zombie apocalypse we would win. Tavi would catch our food. Shes fast, powerful, and is a very skilled hunter. Nare would eat everyone's face and bully others into handing over their supplies and food.
    I'd imagine it would be similar, Tavi would catch us rabbits and small prey, Nare would ward off larger game/predators.
  • If I had to pick just two of my dogs, Nami (Kishu) and Russell (cur X) would win. But that makes me a bit depressed to think about.
  • I definitely wouldn't choose anything too big as you're not just feeding yourself, would probably have to catch an extra boar just to feed a dog like Luytiy. Stocky dogs would also probably need to eat a decent amount of food to maintain mass and energy. Also, the more energy the dog burns the more they need to eat, so I wouldn't go with anything too hyper. My ideal survival dog in this situation would be 40-60lb, have a medium double coat, medium build, be good at baying and treeing, have predator awareness, an "off" switch during down time, and can structurally handle pulling somewhat heavy loads. I probably would go with a siberian husky with strong prey drive and a hunting spitz breed like a Laika or Kishu.

    Though for the most part, I would find other ways to hunt and survive that doesn't rely on dogs. If this survival thing is long term, I'll be living it far beyond the dog's lifespan and you can only go so far with breeding related descendents. The machete can be used to make other types of weapons such a spears, bow and arrows (with enough practice/knowledge), and wooden knives. The weapons may be a bit rough but good enough to get started with, once I have my first kill then bone weapons can be made. If there's any hollow shafted plants like bamboo then I can have me some blow darts, and I would also build a stone sling out of plants or sinew. Find a sapling and turn that into a fishing pole, make a hook out of cat claws or bones, and line out of plant fiber.

    I'd probably use the dogs on boar and deer, but wouldn't really rely on that game for a main food source, bigger game means more energy used. Trapping small game and fishing would be a more efficient way to procure meat on a regular basis, and the big game reserved for stocking up for winter months. With the boar and deer, I'd prefer the dog to bay or chase them and possibly have the dog lead the prey to me so I can ambush it with a spear.

    I'd also go the captive goat route and build some really good fencing with a lot of spikes and bramble to help keep predators out. Try to catch some live rabbits and breed them for food too. Could even take advantage of the goat/rabbit areas and build a few pit traps outside it, anything that falls in in search of a meal becomes future food/clothing. I'd probably also be a nest raider, grab a fledgling eagle and young bobcats and put them to use. Figure out what plants are edible, for both me and the goats, and try to grow some near the base camp.
  • You guys are really putting alot of thought into this. :-)

    I still like my saluki because if they hunt like they do in their homeland, they don't kill the animals they catch. That'll make for catching the goats and rabbits easier for domestication. ;-)
  • edited November 2014
    This is very interesting and fun to think about. My first thought goes to one catch dog such as a dogo or Amstaff then one bay dog, maybe a Kishu? I've never hunted with Kishu but my experience hunting with my Kai tells me that Kai (mine at least) does not bark when prey is found so it becomes a game of "follow the jingling color". I've heard Kishu are great at alerting their handler. Then again when I think of survival being pretty reliant on which dogs I choose, I might stray away from a catch dog. Too much risk of it being injured or killed so I think I would either go with 2 bay dogs either Kishu or finish spitz or possible one bay dog and one packing/guarding dog. Your island is probably too temprate and humid for a thick coated dog like an OC but possibly a Turkish shepherd or beauceron
  • Frankly I'm surprised everyone is picking 80+ lbs dogs. I'm pretty sure that a medium sized, powerful, and game dog would be best. If you know how much half of these breeds have to eat you'd be astonished. I picked an acd cross because they've proven themselves to be hardy survivors. The only other dogs I'd pick would be a jindo or a dingo mix.
  • Also for the sake of laughs let's add in a 5 coywolfdogs . Also no guns allowed.
  • A pair of Gull Terr would probably fit the bill too, and would be under 80lbs
  • Yeah but they don't do well in the snow.
  • Sounds like a school assignment ^.^
  • I didn't think snow was an issue in a "temperate forest island"
  • Hands down Kishu or maybe a plott hound. Kishu will hunt all of those animals. Plotts for mostly the big game but will pretty much hunt everything. Both breeds are great all game dog.
  • Beebe and Grym (Shiba and CO)
  • I get the shiba, but why the co? They aren't the best hunters,require a lot of food, and tend to wander off.
  • I didn't think snow was an issue in a "temperate forest island"
    I I mentioned mountains. And yes it snows in the winter. For an example think of virginia around the year.

  • My CO kills more pests than my Shibas so I know he can feed himself and he is really thrifty with the food. He likes to work close to me and has decent recall. Beebe and Grym would also be my zombie apocalypse dogs.
  • For me I would say a Dutch ShepherdxAmerican Akita, and that would be for the temperate area where their is snow. Also a savannah is out of the question, I hate the heat even when it comes to living in Texas, give me deathly cold over heat and dryness anyday. But if i did i would want a SalukixBelgian Malinois.

    DSxAA because that would combine a balanced, drivey dog with excellent tracking abilities with a independent but hardy cold weather type dog that can pull sleds. It would most likely have a thick, but all weather coat and be able to make decisions for itself when I'm not in range but still be very loyal to me. Also this is just one of my dream dog crosses, I've met one in real life and I never seen a more beautiful brindle coat and impressive drive, even blind the dog would track and chase down balls and toys like noones business but was also very smart.

    Thats another thing I would want the dog to have a coat that really helps them blend in the environment and trick prey. Brindle dogs for me always seem to be the hardest to spot when they are in the woods, its almost like the brindle acts as camouflage.
  • edited November 2014
    Luytiyu (Brad's CO) bit only if he recognized me as something to be protected.
    Then let's say you've raised this dog since birth and it only trusts you.
    Sassy much? This entire thing is hypothetical unless you have new info on an oncoming apocalypse, it would be assumed per the context that the CO was cool. No need to be extra
  • Not really. I thought it was something I should add. You shouldn't assume the way someone's speaking from text.
  • I choose Dire Wolf.

    Jesse
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