Best pound per pound dog for a wilderness man ?

[the lone gunman]

Wilma,my Blue Heeler ,54lbs of muscle. If I let her ,will hunt and kill anything that stinks or moves.

 

[Choke]

I don't think you could ever have a true answer to this question. Different people have different views on what's important and also what their needs are. Not to mention everyone can't help but want to select the dog that has a special connection to them. Heck, dogs are AWESOME!! I would love to have my Boerboel Ajax by my side. Highly intelligent, robust, primitive breed that survived through natural selection. Descended from the original "gladiator" breeds. Utterly fearless and also a big teddy bear if your in the good books. 140lbs and can run down just about anything (provided it's a straight line LOL). He's run off about 4 bears, a few coyotes, and a cougar (not to mention a few clowns when my wife has had him out alone ) The pic is when he was about 1.5 years old. He's 6.5 now and has filled out. Cheers.

 

[co556guy]

depends on your style of survival.

My akita would be my mate. Trustworthy hunter, guardian, doesn't eat as much as other big breeds (they aren't super active), and well coated for harsh winters.

 

[eomeo]

I'm voting for the Karelian Bear Dog. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karelian_Bear_Dog

Relatively small, but fierce and protective. Lots of training required though.

 

[camoninja]

To me it doesn't matter which breed of dog it is. All breeds have good and bad. What matters is if you and the dog click.

 

[JParanee]

I love dog threads and all of your dogs are beautiful.

With my 2 boys, father & son all I need is a knife

They have caught about everything and anything. From hogs to deer...... etc.

In the field and around camp they do their job

 

[Thomas Linton]

"The more I meet people, the better I like dogs."

 

[GentlemanlySteve]

Man i love those Dogos!

So initially my response was a Caucasian Ovcharka, just cause theyre freakin monsters and super loyal. But then i realized that a 170 lb monster would need a lot of food.
After giving it some consideration I'm going to have to say that my vote is for the following...

1- Airedale Terrier, there are few dogs with more prey drive out there, excellent all weather coat, and not overly huge. But large enough to scare even the meanest and biggest of predators.
2- Jack Russell Terrier, My last JRT was a freak, he killed every rat and snake and ferel cat he knew of, which would come in handy for meals. He used to pin our neighbors 120 lb German shepard and make him cry and cower, very cabaple of protecting himself and me.
3- Jagdterrier, Border Terrier, Irish Terrier, Very hardy dogs and excellent hunters and very loyal companions.

But in all honesty, I'd consider myself one lucky SOB if I had any breed/mix of dog with me. they learn to please and adapt to whatever needs to be done, even if they're not bred for the task at hand.

 

[woody d]

im not gonna get real breed specific, they all have their benefits and drawbacks, but id prefer something built a bit sturdier structure wise....slightly heavy boned.
taking care of an injured dog would be a burden in the wild and would not only slow a man down, but it would be an extra mouth to feed that isnt earning its keep.

 

[pitdog]

im not gonna get real breed specific, they all have their benefits and drawbacks, but id prefer something built a bit sturdier structure wise....slightly heavy boned.
taking care of an injured dog would be a burden in the wild and would not only slow a man down, but it would be an extra mouth to feed that isnt earning its keep.

I've noticed a lot of big built dogs appear to hurt themselves and end up limping easier than smaller dogs, my Bull terrier is a good example.

 

[climbingrocks]

This one:

I grew up with Rott's as we lived in a bad neighborhood. The local thugs fears the "Big Black Devil" in our back yard. They served their purpose and in truth, we couldn't get them to bite anyone if we wanted them to. They did look intimidating though Way back about 20 years ago, a friend was going away to the first desert storm and left me with his blue heeler. At first, I thought what an ugly dog. Well, shortly thereafter, we moved to the west Texas desert for work. It didn't take long for that heeler to prove his worth. These healers (Australian Cattle dogs) are as smarter than your average democrat and tough as nails. He hiked hundreds of miles with me hunting, wildlife photography, exploring, artifact hunting, etc. He found and killed two rattlers (without getting bit) and listened to every word I said it seemed. I lost him once in Dell City, Texas for 1.5 weeks. A rancher in New Mexico found him 50 miles north in the desert. When I picked him up, he'd been in a fight with something (coyote or badger I suspect) but none-the-worse for wear. He lasted another 6 years until he passed. When we went looking for a new dog, my wife, son and daughters knew exactly what they wanted; another heeler. This time, we just picked a different color, a Red Heeler. This little guy eats nails and craps pancakes; as tough as they come...He'll stay right by your side out in the sticks and fight anything (regardless of size) that he thinks is a threat.

J

"Eats nails and craps pancakes." That has to be one of the best lines I've heard in a while.

 

[dewingrm]

I want to say my dog Sophie, pointer/boxer mix. She's 70lbs, has lots of energy and is a great companion. Her coat is thin and she gets cold easy. I would not chose her for a wilderness dog. I live in Wisconsin and winters can be cold. I would want a dog with a good coat that can withstand rough winters. I would also want a dog with a strong hunting instinct.

I would chose a lab. Labs are great companions that have good coats with a strong hunting instinct. If I could pick anything it would be a small yellow lab. The yellows stay a little cooler in the summer than chocolate or blacks and are great hunters and companions.

Here's a pic of my mutt.

 

[ISKski]

Native American Indian Dog

Medium size, 30,000 year old blood line, no genetic health problems, fast, smart, instinctually good hunters / field / woodland dogs, they love to have a dominant pack leader and take orders...plus they're beautiful, IMO

My dad has wanted one for a long time, the only problem is they are very hard to find and usually very expensive..

 

[woody d]

I've noticed a lot of big built dogs appear to hurt themselves and end up limping easier than smaller dogs, my Bull terrier is a good example.

lol...and i have had the exact opposite experiences...it seems the beagles are always favoring a gimp leg, but ive seen my male APBT, who is a supreme coyote/coon dog, fall 15+ feet out of a tree with a big sow coon in his mouth and hit the ground, bounced, stood up on all 4 and then shook/crunched the coon. theres no hiding in a tree from him...no matter what the critter is. he goes up em like a cat, but the trips down are never as gracefull. lol

 

[Brisket]

Taking your dog fishing is a good way to make certain that at least one of you has a great day. That is one of my favorite dog sayings over the years and brings back memories of one of my labs swimming out and climbing aboard my kickboat or kayak eagerly awaiting the landing of a fish.

I would think the right wilderness dog would depend greatly upon not only the fit of the man and dog but also the locale. Where my labs were well suited for coastal plains and waterways my Pyrenean Mountain Dog is rather hydrophobic but would be a very good fit for the high country. While training is a huge factor I also think a major key would be to effectively utilize your dog's natural abilities. Although my Pyr pup lacks the hunting instinct of other breeds he took well to wearing a pack, does not spook wildlife and has a strong protective instinct.

 

[ADDICTEDD]

It depends on what you want in your dog:

If I were to pick a hunting dog I would pick either a:

German Shorthaird Pointer: 23-26 inches tall and from 45-70 pounds
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Shorthaired_Pointer
Very versatile hunting dog: can point, retrieve, sent, etc.

or a

Brittany: 18-20 inches and 30-40 pounds
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brittany_(dog)
Another very versatile Hunting Dog.


Draft:

Greater Swiss Mountain Dog: 23.5-28.5 inches and 105-140 pounds
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_Swiss_Mountain_Dog
Really strong dog that can draft, back pack, herd, guard, etc.


There are a ton of dog breeds that are great for wilderness work, especially rarer breeds such as Curs (Blackmouth Cur comes to mind), Drafting Breeds (Greater Swiss), Hunting (German Pointer, Brittany, etc.) and many others.

 

[filedog]

Very interesting thread. Lots of owners picking their current dog, which is understandable.
I would not want a small, light dog, no intimidation vs humans.
No collies labs or other "soft" breeds" see above.
No jumbos either, need to much food.
The cur and heelers both sound good, wouldn't have considered them.

 

[grunt soldier]

I got to go with the cane corso. they were bred to be the sporting mastiff. 90-140 lbs. mine can run all day long and is one of the fastest dogs I have had, Jump 5 foot fences standing still, tracks like a champion, crazy loyal, and will catch and kill squirrels quite regularly, along with moles and wood chucks.

I also have a big german shepard and he is a hell of a dog. smart as can be but extremely hyper active. out in the woods he will never just sit down and relax he is constantly running and chasing bugs, animals, digging holes lol. listens better than any dog I have ever had though.

We have had a mix of dogs forever, rott's, pits, muts. they are all good dogs and most would work fine. the only down side to the big dogs is how much they eat lol. a picture of my boys just cause!

 

[nate1714]

I couldn't just pick a dog by its breed. Sure breed is important due to drive, motivation, activity level, train-ability, size, ect...Personality is very important. I have seen some great Belgian mallows that love to work but then on the flip side have seen the some that are just lazy. Same with labs or retrievers, even mixes that are intelligent like Labradoodles. Dog are unique and finding the right mix of a lot of attributes is key.

 

[j_d]

I am late to the post and have not read every response. However, I did some research on my own a few years ago and bought a female black mouth cur from the Ladner line. I recently also got a male. Females go about 40 lbs. and are hunting fools. I live in ohio and would not go hungry with her. I would eat all the racoon, opossum, squirrel or cat (oops) I could want. I have had shepherds, labs and a couple of small breeds but they dont compare at all. Did I mention she is very gentle but protective and can blood trail?

Do yourself a favor and do some reading on them.
Josh