Best All Around Dog for TEOFTWAWKI

[ohiofarmgirl]

The "best" dog is going to be in the eye of the beholder.

yeah SD and Tanks... a cat will always tell you that he's the "best" one!

ha!

 

[ninny]

I think you need a system like the monks have. A small dog for a alerting and big dog to respond. They used lasa apsos and tibten mastiffs. I love my bichons for alert dogs. `My female is nasty when she wants to be. She goes for your achilles tendons. No one will deliver pizza to my mom anymore. The pizza guy got to close to me. Oops killer fluff ball! Now a very scary sight is a mastiff going for the kill. Golf clubs and chairs to the head don't even phase them. My male lab is very scary when he wants to be. He almost went through a window after my DH. I grabbed him midair. Yikes. We are going to see what he will do this summer. Now my female i would be shocked if she did anything. I hope she would but i'm not counting on her.

I think a terrier for alerting would be good. You'd get a ratter plus a watch dog. I love mastiffs but they don't live very long. Thats a big downside to them.

Im been hearing that standard poodles can pack a punch. Anyone else hear that?
I think if the world comes to a end im gonna go raid the pound.

 

[freemotion]

I know a guy who trains police and other guard dogs, (works with the handlers and their dogs) and said the best bite dog he ever had in a class was a white standard poodle.

Poodles are very good alert dogs and will bark and bark. I have an oversized mini (30 pounds of muscle) who is an excellent ratter, even after a knee surgery. He needs a little assistance now, but he and I are a great team. We have no more rats, finally! That is personal protection in my book!

Now I just need a "spider dog" and I'll be all set.

 

[tortoise]

Now I just need a "spider dog" and I'll be all set.

I've had a couple bug-chaser bug-eaters. They are too funny. Unfortunately the "worst" one is a service dog. We were training some stuff on the city bus and there was this fly. OMG, hysterical and hard to keep the poor dog on-task.

 

[Wifezilla]

That is why you also have to have cats. They will pounce on a spider in a heart beat. Even my fossil kitty gets excited when a moth flutters on a lamp shade. Crickets and June Bugs are also in danger should they enter their domain.

 

[old fashioned]

the best bite dog he ever had in a class was a white standard poodle.

When I was little, we had a black standard poodle/poodle mix with no training & just a big fluff of happy.......until some friends wanted to see what the dog would do if he thought my safety was threatened. So I hollered for help & the dog went for the guys throat. Needless to say, they never messed with me after that!


I too am one for love, loyalty & instincts as the motivator for any dog to do what's expected/needed, they'll put their heart & soul into it and will protect their family to the death.
I am not a dog expert but that is my opinion and this is how I 'trained' our current dog (and any future dog), I took into consideration the 'pack' hiearchy (sp?) with DH as Alpha down the line to the dog being Omega or bottom of the totem pole and Scooby responds well. He knows and minds DH first & foremost, then me, then the boys. Anytime he's not respected those invisible boundaries, I made sure to 'stare him down', that the people went thru doors first, ate first, etc. and when he did a big NO-NO, he was sent to his doggie bed with a stern reprimand. Now we rarely have any issues other than an occaisional reminder and he's well behaved most of the time since ya can't expect perfection from a terrier

 

[lorieMN]

I have two trained protection GSD's.I bought the male off a guy that trains them for K-9,,the dog just couldnt handle the stress of being an actual police dog,,but he is a awesome family dog and protector,,I sent my one female to a trainer,and she is also a great dog,could go K-9 or SchH if I wanted but I dont have any desire for that..they also herd..Now I went with GSD just because I grew up with them,and understand them..and most people are leary of them just standing there,so its the whole "attack dog" mind games that start in peoples heads before I or the dogs ever have to do anything.But truth be told my old snarly minpin is the one they really need to worry about,,she will come up behind a person and attack them..she is my old agility dog and had tons of exposure but she is still all minpin with the minpin mentality

 

[pinkfox]

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

 

[savingdogs]

Well put, Pinkfox, I think that is what I was trying to say but you did it better.

 

[pinkfox]

thanks saving, and i 100% agree with you, the op never mentioned anything about an attack or personal protection dog...
instead to me it seems like they are looking for an all around farm dog...

which in my opinion leads to breeds bred for that purpose specifically, breeds like the porigional south african boerboel (not the big bad "nasty" thing that seems to be popular here in the us...
or a rotty, ect...

a breed that was specifically bred to be an ALL AROUND farm dog...

if you want a herding dog, get a herding dog, want a protection dog get into belgians ect and ring training...

but the op seems to want a FAMILY and FARM dog...and while many breeds and mixes thereof would happily fit the bill, this is the exact origoian purpose of some breeds...
a standard/giant schnauzer for example
a rotty
ect...

while in some degrees i do agree that breed only realy matters for papers...
i also firmly belive that breeds were developed for individual "niches" and are potentially better suited for those kinds of work...