First Fisher

[PAhippo]

anything that can take a porcupine definitely deserves respect!

[Robel]

Originally Posted by bangorme

Your chow could not take down a fisher. Not even close.

You have no idea the temperament/ability of my Chow. She is the scrappiest dog I've ever known. I'm a runner and she has been my running companion for years. I can't count the times over the years that untied dogs have come out to challenge her while we were running. She has taken down every dog she ever fought with in less than 5 seconds. I've her seen take on two dogs at the same time sending them both running back home yelping with tails between their legs.

Fishers are ferocious no doubt, and can put a hurting on a dog but I'll put my money on my Chow.

[PAhippo]

wouldn't take a bet on that either way, especially if your dog was defending you and the fisher was fighting for survival. Hopefully it'll never happen.

[Westernfrog45]

I don't understand why people seem to think that a domestic animal can act wild. Sure a chow is a rugged animal, but not experienced in hunting/killing for survival like a fishercat. Take a human being. One is an average city folk who think that the police will protect them if something goes wrong. Then take a person in the country who knows the police are typically 45min to an hour away and know that they need to address a dangerous situation themselves and can do it properly. Experience is everything, and unless trained, a domestic dog will probably be killed by a properly equipped wild fishercat

[tcrackly]

You may have lots of confidence in your chow, but my suggestion is to still maintain a good distance from any wild creature. As the previous poster said there is a big difference between being scrappy and being a born bred and accomplished predator.


Northwest Wildlife Weasels - this page is devoted to the weasel like wildlife of the great Northwest

[Bydand]

Originally Posted by Robel

Fishers are ferocious no doubt, and can put a hurting on a dog but I'll put my money on my Chow.

I've got $100 that says the Fisher would be pooping Chow chunks for a week.

[bangorme]

Originally Posted by Robel

You have no idea the temperament/ability of my Chow. She is the scrappiest dog I've ever known. I'm a runner and she has been my running companion for years. I can't count the times over the years that untied dogs have come out to challenge her while we were running. She has taken down every dog she ever fought with in less than 5 seconds. I've her seen take on two dogs at the same time sending them both running back home yelping with tails between their legs.

Fishers are ferocious no doubt, and can put a hurting on a dog but I'll put my money on my Chow.

I really hate to respond to this, because I don't want to get into a "baddest dog" discussion. For over 30 years I've been involved in a rescue program for a fighting breed of dog. This program puts rescued dogs into experienced homes where they live out the rest of their life as couch potatoes. Just among dogs, you have to understand that dogs, like the chow, practice ritualistic fighting unless they are specifically bred to do otherwise. The intent of a fight isn't to kill the opponent, but to establish dominance. Now, with the fighting breeds much of this natural instinct is bred out, and these dogs are trained to fight to kill. A fighting dog would dispatch a chow in probably under a minute, and certainly under two minutes. It isn't about size, it's about pound for pound strength, quickness, jaw grip strength, heart, pain tolerance and willingness to fight to the finish.

Now we get to the fisher. This is an animal known to take bobcat and lynx. It is pound for pound much stronger than any dog, quicker than any dog, and an accomplished predator. Any dog persistent enough to continue a fight with a fisher would be killed. Almost all dogs would run away once they were injured. The fisher would not pursue the dog (unless it was prey-size) and would run from a dog unless cornered in the first place. It isn't a sport for them.

So... that's why I think dogs should leave fishers alone.

[Robel]

Originally Posted by bangorme

I really hate to respond to this, because I don't want to get into a "baddest dog" discussion. For over 30 years I've been involved in a rescue program for a fighting breed of dog. This program puts rescued dogs into experienced homes where they live out the rest of their life as couch potatoes. Just among dogs, you have to understand that dogs, like the chow, practice ritualistic fighting unless they are specifically bred to do otherwise. The intent of a fight isn't to kill the opponent, but to establish dominance. Now, with the fighting breeds much of this natural instinct is bred out, and these dogs are trained to fight to kill. A fighting dog would dispatch a chow in probably under a minute, and certainly under two minutes. It isn't about size, it's about pound for pound strength, quickness, jaw grip strength, heart, pain tolerance and willingness to fight to the finish.

Now we get to the fisher. This is an animal known to take bobcat and lynx. It is pound for pound much stronger than any dog, quicker than any dog, and an accomplished predator. Any dog persistent enough to continue a fight with a fisher would be killed. Almost all dogs would run away once they were injured. The fisher would not pursue the dog (unless it was prey-size) and would run from a dog unless cornered in the first place. It isn't a sport for them.

So... that's why I think dogs should leave fishers alone.

I agree 100% that dogs should leave Fishers alone. I would never encourage my dog to take on a Fisher or any wild animal. That's crazy and I'm not a moron. lol

I just think my dog could handle a Fisher if she really had to. I'm not bragging about having a bad azzed dog, in fact I wish she were more friendly. All I'm saying is she is scrappy with a killer instinct. In fact if I didn't pull her off the various dogs that have attacked her while running I have no doubt she would kill them.

Anyway I agree Fishers are one bad azzed animal and all people and dogs should steer clear of any that you happen upon.

[Maine Writer]

I raised two litters of pups bred specifically to keep livestock and poultry safe from pests and predators. My dogs deal with everything from field mice to moose. They rarely touch a wild animal. I'd rather they tree or corner something than break its neck. Along with the predator/pest being dangerous, there's the possibility of disease.

Namder, congrats on the fisher. They're not easy to see. DH has worked in the woods as a logger and forester since 1983 and didn't see one until two years ago.