best dog breed for the woods

mymindisamob said:
Our male (Erik) was phenomenol. I have more stories to tell than we have space to write. He was always on point with me as a child and I was always tracking some form of wildlife or other. If I was still, so was he. But he would bark and herd deer or bear like a pro. He was also good around horses that we raised and rode regularly. He would lay on top of me in the back of our Ranchero and keep me warm. This in fact saved my life in a 12 car pile-up where 3 lives were lost outside Bellingham, WA.

I have been told they are good with children they are raised with as a pup. My experience with several others as a kid was of near intolerance since they were older. They are fantastic at perimeter check while @ home or in the outdoors. Eric didn't bury his feces. I remember since it was my chore to clean the yard.;)
Click to expand...

thanks for the info - i'll definitely be getting a pup. i've got two young kids, two and a half and 8 months, and i'm moving to location with a coyote pack as well as credible reports of a mountain lion. previous owners of the house have seen bull moose fighting in the yard - so i want the kids to have a good companion when they're out and about.
 
+1 for the Rhodesian Ridgeback
20100515143321.jpg

20100417015215.jpg


Very smart dog! He didn't even notice the pack on this trip (~25lbs) It was his first day hike with his pack on and he didn't seem to know it was there. He is about 7 months in this picture. Great dog for long distance horse packing. They have a great temperament and are great for guard dogs. He has an amazing bark. They are bred to hunt lions/elephant. They are very fast runners and great at harassment/distraction. Everything I'm looking for in a woods dog.
 
Mountain view Cur...Rare but great dog. Can be found in Tennessee and Kentucky. They are good woods companion, used to hunt boar, coons, and cats, and are even better with the family.

Boerebull. Probably spelled that wrong. BIG dogs. Look like a cross between mastiff and pitbulls. Good for the familt, bad for anything that tangles with the family.

Rodesian ridgeback...Beautiful, can run all day but do not like the cold.
 
Man... I love all these pix and wish I could live with everyone of these breeds. But... here's one thing for the OP to consider that hasn't been mentioned and comes from experience (mine and other hikers, some of them very long distance hikers). If you are going to do any serious cross country or wilderness hiking (as opposed to hiking in state parks or staying on fairly easy trails), you will most likely find that at some point you will need to help the dog get over, down, or across obstacles like rocks, cliffs, or deceptively fast/deep streams.

Having the right equipment like a good strong hiking harness with a handle and secure but non-harmful attachment points will be a help, but it's a lot different helping a 70# dog up the side of a cliff than it is a 130# dog. Same for helping them ford a water barrier. And if your dog should suffer an injury on a remote trail (been known to happen) and depend on you for evacuation, the same thing applies. It's much easier to help or carry a mid-sized dog to safety than a large or giant breed dog.
 
Tasselhoff said:
Rodesian ridgeback...Beautiful, can run all day but do not like the cold.
Click to expand...

I took Bear pictured above on a pack trip this last may. He did great!! For being a young dog still ~7 months. We were in 5ft of snow pack @ about 5k ft in the Cascades, and he did wonderful. They are short haired and would not be as comfortable as a Husky or some other long haired dog, but if you live in Washington I'm guessing you venture to the East side of the state. In the summer it can get about 100 f, so a dog that will not get heat exhaustion will be good as well.

As long as they have an insulated place to lay down they would be ok as long as its not very cold (sub zero). He tolerates the cold much better than Stella our pitbul she will hardly even go out in the winter, while he will stay out and wander around.
 
Jeephat said:
+1 for the Rhodesian Ridgeback
20100515143321.jpg

20100417015215.jpg


Very smart dog! He didn't even notice the pack on this trip (~25lbs) It was his first day hike with his pack on and he didn't seem to know it was there. He is about 7 months in this picture. Great dog for long distance horse packing. They have a great temperament and are great for guard dogs. He has an amazing bark. They are bred to hunt lions/elephant. They are very fast runners and great at harassment/distraction. Everything I'm looking for in a woods dog.
Click to expand...

Be careful, pitbulls eat babies. :D Great lookin dogs!
 
If you're going to do branded; Dalmations and Poodles are worthy of consideration. I'm quite fond on my friend's Dalmation. It has the potential to hunt although that is unrealized and it is easy to see why they were used as carriage dogs. His has tremendous stamina, brains, and an excellent temperament. I don't see them that differently from Ridgebacks. Poodles will do anything an Alsation can do and don't have the hair problem. As a bonus research the French use of them for waterfowl.
 
Last edited:
Jeephat said:
I took Bear pictured above on a pack trip this last may.
Click to expand...

Is that a Ruffwear pack? I can't tell with him in the background but it looks like their modular pack system.

We use Ruffwear for our guys, Murphy:
100_1695.jpg


and Molly:
MollyatHighFalls.jpg


The harnesses are extremely strong and we can harness up both dogs and just switch the packs every 3 or 4 hours to keep one dog from having to carry all their stuff the whole day. The harnesses are even strong enough for us to use them without their packs for their attack training.
 
I haven't read through this whole thread, but:

Karelian Bear Dogs are literally bred for this purpose.

I'm not sure that picking a woods hiking companion dog for the purpose of it's ability to fight large, wild predators is sensible, but I don't have the time and interest to pursue that avenue of discussion, right now, so I'll just say: Karelian Bear Dog.

Edited to add: Please be aware that no dog is necessarily safe in a fight against bears, mountain lions, and wolves. (And that's an understatement.)
 
Last edited:
Down here in GA, even north GA, we don't do a lot with severe weather gear like coats and boots, but my buddies in Fairbanks have used coats and Paw wax on their labs for winter hikes.

We're pretty impressed with Ruffwear's stuff. It's held up for a couple of years now through everything we've done to it and their CS was very responsive when we contacted them with a a suggestion about future mods to one of their pack systems.
 
Zombie Zeke said:
Be careful, pitbulls eat babies. :D Great lookin dogs!
Click to expand...

Hahaha! :thumbup: She has been around tons of kids, including our little 1mo old. She is the biggest baby lap dog I have ever met. (Well along with all of the pitbulls that I know)

@ Dalefuller

Yep, Ruffwear all the way! They are very well built packs with a strong handle as someone mentioned above. Very durable packs I have not found any dog packs that can compare. This one also has bladder systems for both sides so he can carry his own water, I use it more as a balancing system for the weight.
 
the ovarchka that someone recommended is a huge, powerful, and intensely fierce guard dog, however, it is very hard dog to socialize, can't be left alone around strangers, etc. You really need to know what your getting yourself into.

German shepherd is about the perfect dog, intensely loyal, one of the most intelligent breeds, fearless, very alert, excellent olfactory senses, can easily be taught to warn you when something approaches, etc.

Another thought would be a shiloh spepherd (literally an attempt to get back to the older type of german shepherds, basically a german shepherd about 10-20% bigger with less health problems)...
 
Belgian Malanois, Wolf, Canaan, or Norwegian Elkhound. Those are the four I'm considering. Around here lots of trail runners and mountain bikers and backpackers get german sheperds thinking that they can automatically keep up, though they find after 4-5 miles in the hills, they are quickly worn out. I don't know how many German Sheperds I've seen foaming at the mouth being carried on their owner's shoulders down the hill in the backyard. Keep your environment in mind, as well. Some dogs don't handle intense heat very well.
 
You should consider a Kai for cross-county wooded travels. They were bred on a Japanese Island covered in mountains and forests, specifically to hunt on that terrain.

I have a Plott Hound and a Great Pyrenees as well. The Pyrenees poops out after a short while in the heat of summer with all his bulk and hair, and the Plott Hound is like "Doug" from the movie "Up" when it comes to squirrels. While I have not had her out for long periods in the winter - I wouldn't trust her short coat to protect her from the cold for long durations. We will have to do some winter hiking and find out in the coming months...

The Kai may not single-handedly kill a mountain lion or bear for you, but it will provide loyalty and companionship without any hassle. Mine is great for both stamina and speed, and is very protective of myself and my finance.

50005949.JPG
 
Last edited:
ajpalda said:
Mine is great for both stamina and speed, and is very protective of myself and my finance.

50005949.JPG
Click to expand...

Financial protection is an important consideration in a dog breed ;):D

That particular kai looks a lot like a Norwegian Elkhound - the similarities between the Scandinavian spitz breeds and the Japanese spitz breeds is remarkable.
 
I like hunting dogs for general woods use as they are bred for that. While they are not "fighting" dogs, I really don't think that is necessary anyway. I'd rather have one with loyalty, stamina, good instincts and the ability to warn me of imposing danger.

My choice is the German Shorthaired Pointer, but Labs, Vislas, Golden's, English Pointers, etc will do fine.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top