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I almost wonder if someone really into it could cobble together a breed from scratch. After all it didn't take long to make the Dogo de Argentino or other modern breeds. With modern breeds plagued with all sorts of problems a smartly made mutt may be ideal.
I recommend the American Brittany (aka Brittany Spaniel) for an incredibly energetic hunting dog (pointer, retriever) with awesome endurance and an incredible nose. Our Brittany finds the bird when every other hunter's dogs fails, every time. Her energy and endurance is endless. They are small for hunting dogs, about 30 lbs, which makes them very portable and easy to transport and travel with, but they are tough and courageous enough to take on anyone or anything challenging their people. They are smart as a whip and learn quickly; they listen to coversations and will head upstairs instantly if you mention feeling tired or going upstairs, etc.
Best of all, the Brittany is incredibly attached to her family (a house dog, NOT a kennel dog) and needs to sit in your lap (and sleep in your bed) as much as any small lap dog. The cuddle factor is great if you're stranded in the woods, or WTSHTF.
Plus, they bark LOUD if they hear anything like an intruder, and they have jaws that would make a Doberman envious. There is virtually NO "long-lasting" chew material that lasts more than 5 minutes with our little Brittany's incredible jaw strength.
Rough Collies make great pets, but are pretty useless as a working dog.
The Scotch is more like a bigger, more confident Border Collie.
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Actually, a lot of roughs and smooths I know of are doing herding competition and do rather well.
They are GREAT alert dogs.
And you can train them to do almost anything. I have had them all my life.
I don't believe for a second they would be good at biting/protecting/fighting, though.
There is protective instinct, but their disposition isn't to attack.
So that would rule them out anyway.
Of all the dogs I have ever had, I would pick a Chesapeake Bay Retriever for a survival situation. Mine was 90 lbs., incredibly loyal, and could handle himself in a fight very well. We hunted together and other than being a little hard headed he retrieved everything with fur or feathers I ever shot. We even took some small game together without shooting it.
Scent hounds are hard to manage. Their nose takes control of their feet and short circuits their brains. It's easy to lose one.
Sight hounds might be a good choice if you live in the desert.
For general gun dogs I prefer spaniels. I hunted a little springer ***** for years and she never missed a retrieve on land or over water. She was legendary among my hunting buddies. They are also soft, fuzzy and affectionate, so may not be the best for your purpose.
Whatever dog you choose, you are going to need more than one. You are going to lose them to disease and injury. They are going to get old and incapable when you need a young, trained dog. A ***** is going to be down with pups. You will end up running with a pack, which can be hard to feed, but when things get really tight they can feed you.
edit: Really, I can't even talk about a female dog without having the word hashed?
I like Golden Retrievers for many of the things you listed. Because they are good with kids many don't know that they are tough enough. I get females now I had a male golden who liked to fight. I trained a golden to come and wake me up whenever she senses company. They are great hunting dogs and easy to train,
Actually, a lot of roughs and smooths I know of are doing herding competition and do rather well.
They are GREAT alert dogs.
And you can train them to do almost anything. I have had them all my life.
I don't believe for a second they would be good at biting/protecting/fighting, though.
There is protective instinct, but their disposition isn't to attack.
So that would rule them out anyway.
It depends on the dog as some will revert to some of the instincts that came from the foundational Scotch, We had one Blue Merill female that loved to work sheep, but she was the exception as we've had several roughs that weren't smart enough to come in out of the rain.
I agree, as a breed, the collie isn't aggressive, which makes them fantastic family dogs, but they are also very protective. The Scotch with its shorter broader muzzle and head have a lot more bite strength and power than the Roughs with their long slender snout and skull. They aren't the same animal.
My favourite breed for protection and they do hunt big game also. They will not do well in a hot climate though
Had one of these! Fantastic dog, great pet and guarded the ranch against all animals, but was a marshmallow with humans. He was superb as a watch dog, I just couldn't teach him anything. Everything he did was by instinct.
He did hunt to, killed and ate skunks, (breath was horrific), fought coyotes, any other dog that came on the place left in a hurry if it still could. Big dog, about 90lbs, he was gentle as a kitten with all the kids that came around.
He was big and strong enough that he could have carried a pack, but I never could get him to pull anything like a sled although he was plenty strong enough.
I would love to get another one just to have around the place.
I am military trained and grew up the sticks. My whole life we were taught to prep for certain things from having no power during the winter (which happened every other year) to communist take over of the US. My folks were a bunch of backwoods paranoid meth heads and the military just reenforced this, what can you do?
But between my childhood and military as well as various survival/prepper forums, people never talk about dogs. I rarely see dogs brought into the survivalist or prepper lifestyle and all current anthropological data we have suggest dogs were one of the largest reasons we survived when other species did not (IE neanderthals).
So what do all you y'all survivalist/preppers/Dog trainers think the best possible dog breed would be to have with you?
My current Criteria:
Protection
Sounding the alarm
Durable to various weather conditions
Obedience
Hunting
Scenting
(Feel free to post suggestion to add to this list).
Great question!
I would add
Herding,
high level of intelligence, and
seldom barks
to your list and go with the breed I've had for the past 10 years: American Dingo/Carolina Dog. This breed can do it all.
It's a primitive native American breed with a close genetic relationship to the Australian Dingo. It can be found in remote areas of the American south. It was discovered by the rest of the world about 40 years ago. Mine came from the wild. Another plus, they don't suffer the hereditary disorders and diseases common in domesticated breeds. You can get one from a breeder these days but I don't have personal experience with later generations.
They get along great with children and okay with domesticated dog breeds but beware, they might kill small pets and any small animals they can get to, like your free range chickens. They can be trained not to, but it ain't easy. Keep in mind it's a wild dog breed, not a feral dog.
I'm familiar with large dogs having had a GSD/Husky mix, GSD/Samoyed and a Golden Retriever/St. Bernard mix.
If we're talking a real SHTF long-term scenario, is it good to have something large? Many eat a ton of food.
Wondering if the smaller dogs (60# and under) may be a better choice as they can get by on a lot less food which may not be available.
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The American Dingo
