Everyone knows dogs are among the best criminal deterrents one can get. In hard/bad times, I’m curious what breed you guys believe would serve a guard dog role best?
I am thinking real hard about a fila brasileiro for this task. Yes they are big, and they will eat a little more, but from my experience really no more than a high energy dog like a shepherd. A good buddy has a great dane/mastif mix, over 200 lbs and he eats less than some labs I’ve seen. This is also true of another friends Fila. The Fila/mastifs are very hearty/strong dogs that I believe would far well in rough times, plus they will not out of boredom chew up everything under the sun. They are quite happy just laying around until the time comes to bite an arm off. They are great around & guarding other animals as well.
I found a jack russel terrier/ rat terrier/ mutt running down the road one day. She’s about 20 pounds and just a little bigger than a Jack Russel terrier. She is the most vicious thing I’ve ever seen, but only to anyone or anything getting close to me. If something makes noise, she hears it. If something moves, she sees it. I rely on her increased awareness as an early warning so I can grab my weapon. Nothing is going to come around unnoticed with her here.
She has backed down my Miniature Doberman Pincer, Chihuahua, My parents German Shepard, and their Mississippi Red Hound Dog that weighs better than 90 pounds… she’s a little Joe Pesci… just a little death dealer…
Solid white with a light brown stripe on her back from the top of her head to her tail that stands straight up when she is playing or attacking… and her name is La-Ronda
I don’t know much/anything about dogs, but I remember the blogger ferfal (also author of Surviving the Economic Collapse mentions the Dogo Argentino as a particularly good breed for this role.
Ferfal’s stuff has some interesting points and some other misguided (IMO) advice, so I don’t know how valid/invalid, but seems like an interesting breed and one that may fit the bill if you’re unfamiliar with them: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogo_Argentino
For hard times I would go with a breed no larger than 75-95lbs. I have a great dane/american bulldog mix and he’s alot of dog to take care of. As far as the particular breed if the size is no problem for you then the Fila is a excellent choice as well as a Presa or Boerboell. With the right training though you could be well served by a mutt also.
I’m certainly no expert on dogs, but when my wife and I decided to get a dog I wanted something that would be a good “guard dog” as well as a family dog, since Im away a lot for work…
We got a German Shepherd. Somehow we ended up with the funniest, friendliest, and goofiest German Shepherd in the world! However any strangers or people planning to do harm to my wife/property dont know that, and just SEEING a german shepherd makes people think twice. She’s the perfect family dog, listens well, hardly ever gets out of sight of us…yet again, she is ALL GSD looking. And she’s got the GSD bark…
I do wonder if she’d actually attack someone who broke in, or just bark at them…but if they decide the bark isnt scary enough hopefully my AR will change their mind
I absolutely disagree. Size doesn’t mean shit. Get a breed with a natural patrolling instinct coupled with a genetic predisposition to guard its master, master’s family, and property. A German Shepherd or Belgian Malinois. Don’t consider these breeds if “laying around” is high on your list of priorities though.
Oh the size issue is the least of my worries. I just know our lifestyle, very busy and honestly I know I will not have the time to exercise a high energy dog like the Shepherd. I love shepherds, as all dogs; infact I cannot fathom “eating one” as was mentioned, so I would really feel bad not being able to work with/exercise/give the shepherds what they need and desire.
I know a guy with a Fila it is unbelievible around family & other animals, but an unreal guard dog. If he doesn’t know you forget coming into the yard without the master’s concent. So, in being honest with myself, laying around and “being watchful” is very much high on my list at this point in my life.
I know you personally HW, so I’m not worried about you being one of those mouth breathers that thinks that a big dog is a better dog and a sort of penis extension.
I think that you are doing the right thing researching this because a large dog like this with such low ownership in the US is a relative unknown. Especially around a family.
Personally, were I you; I’d look around for a 3-5 yr old Shepherd. By that age, they’ve mellowed and are truly excellent family and guard dogs. My last dog was just such an animal and a more noble dog I have not seen.
The problem with researching new dog breeds is most of the time you just hear a bunch of bullshit about how great the breed is from folks that have pride of ownership (just like firearms).
You could also consider adopting a military working dog washout from Lackland Air Force Base. Many fail due to lack of aggression and are fine dogs. Mals and Shepherds.
I can take a joke & I know some people are just not dog people, I’m not much of a kid person FWIW, but seriously, there is no friend a man can have that will be more loyal and true than a dog. Infact in many places in the world, man’s very meals come from the hard work & help of a dog & his nose. For some their every waking moment is spent working and trying to please their masters. Why would I ever consider eating my best friend? I wouldn’t suggest to someone in a bad situation to eat their kids, so lets leave that kind of talk from this thread please.
I had not even thought of adopting, damn good idea LL. Are shepherds good around other dogs, chickens, livestock…? I might try and start up a funny farm in the next couple years too.
A German Shepherd will be fine with other dogs and livestock given proper leadership and guidance. I grew up on an 85k acre cattle ranch with a German Shepherd as my constant companion. You need to exert positive leadership and let the dog know its boundaries. These dogs need a human Alpha.
I’d look for a 2-4 yr old male, even a 5 yr old. A dog that is not afraid of you, meeting your eyes with a direct gaze but not aggressive either.
There’s a guy on LightFighter that breeds and sells good GSDs on LightFighter. I trust him implicitly and can put you in touch with him.
i have a 7 year old belgian malinois and a 5 year old chihuaha/boston terrier mutt thing. they seem to be the near perfect combination for detecting and detering. the mal is starting to go deaf, somewhat lazy, and lives a pretty laidback lifestyle. the mutt hears, sees, smells everything and will fight or bite anyone/thing that crosses him wrong. there has been 2 occasions where people were breaking into cars in the neighborhood, and started jumping fences to go yard to yard. i was in the garage messing with something, the mal was by my side chewing on a bone, the mutt was in the yard. i hear him start going crazy barking and growling, the second he went off the other dog sprang to action and i hear a zombie type character start yelling and hear running. by the time i got into the yard all i see is a bloody leg falling over the fence. the little dog caught his size 8 nike and ripped it off while the big dog caught him on the ass and worked down the back of the leg. they remind me of the little guy in the bar who will talk a big game because he has the big corn-fed buddy standing behind him. Lady(belgian malinois) and The Beast(mutt) i feel would serve me pretty well in any SHTF situation.
Herding/Working dogs are invariably best though they require effort.
If we’re talking about SHTF I’d think a 80+ lb dog might consume a lot of resources. My thoughts were that two 35-45 lb dogs represent a more efficient solution.
Two breeds I’d look at are either the Queensland Heeler/Australian Kelpie or the Canaan Dog. Very smart, very loyal and very adaptable to a variety of roles (herding, guard). The Canaan Dog especially is notorious for its ability to spot out of place things/people and is almost paranoid about survival.
I have a Neapolitan Mastiff. She’s sleeps a lot and she’s probably not the greatest dog for SHTF but if anyone acts like they’re gonna hit me or the rest of my family or even jumps on me (like my little cousins) she gets pissed and bites at them and gets them away from me.
And she has gained a few pounds of muscle since this pic. She’s a little over 2 years old and she’ll get thicker but this is about as tall as she’ll get.
Oh, and they were bread to guard palaces in ancient Rome or something like that. And she does use her weight against you. She’s probably 120 or 130 pounds by now.
Lighten up, I happen to be a former US Army Working Dog handler. I know the value of a dog. I also understand the liabilities of taking care of an animal in a combat zone. It’s not all positive.
