I've had a beagle. I think they might be great.

An unconventional one is a mini or toy poodle. Seriously. They're wicked smart, they have very warm coats that still work very well when wet. They're fast enough to chase down small game on their own, and have been bred to retrieve.

 

Agreed. Also, they eat very little, cr@p very little, take up little space indoors and are too small to make a good target from a distance. A was going to say Daschund, short-hair. Easy maintenance and smart as well.

 

Rat Terrier! Very fast, excellent watch dog, great hunters, don'y eat much and fits under the covers on a cold night!

Note, this past summer in the desert he did not require large amounts of water.

 

Airedale. Smart, loyal to the family, protects all kids automatically, premier war dog, tenacious, fast, observent, great watch dog without being scary to innocents, good parent, can hunt anything with a little training from rabbits to cougars, can herd animals with a little training. Can't say enough good things about the good ones. Avoid puppy factories. That goes for any breed.

 

I had an Airdale as a kid. Unfortunately, my dad used to keep him on a chain most of the time which ruined him. He was still a really cool dog. If only I could go back in time and rescue him from that awful chain.

 

I went with a bigger breed. Wanted something that was very intimidating and has the muscle to back it up in case i cant be around to keep watch. I've also (in the last 3-4 months) had 3 sexual predators move within 100 yrds of my house. I picked a very nice German Sheppard - Rottweiler mix at 8 wks old. He is appropriately named...... Nitro.

 

I've been looking at Rhodesian Ridgebacks. I agree with Jerry on avoiding the puppy factories.

 

Rhodeasian Ridgeback would be the best to have (IMO)

 

I have two German Shepherds who I would trust my life to. (One of them has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that she WILL attack anyone who threatens me. The other has not had the opportunity but if his attentiveness to my older dog's demeanor is any indication I believe he would also.)

That said, I don't think they would handle the heat as well as some other dogs, and are not much use hunting wise.

I would like to acquire a couple of coon hounds in the future. My brother had a pack that he hunted everything under the sun with. Those dogs were fearless.

I have heard many good things about RRidgebacks also from a friend who has three.

 

if there were a dog i'd want to have with me in the wilderness it would undoubtedly be a german shepherd. i have a golden retriever but he's a lover not a fighter. and yes, coon hounds are incredible.

 

I'm not sure there is a best breed for a survivalist alot depends on what you want the dog for and the dog itself.

We have a soppy Collie Spaniel cross that for the last 15yrs has proven to be almost untrainable, he's sat and let kids pull poke and prod him all day long in the past but seen off dobermans and alsatians when he's been attacked, he's also proven protective of myself and the wife if he's felt us threatened. The old bugger is currently sat at me feet with a smug look on his face (dog farts are nastey)

 

I would think there would be 2 schools of thought here. Small and smart or big and smart.

Small and smart dogs will eat less, so you need less to sustain them. They are smart and can even act as early warning.

Large dogs like shepards can be very smart also and can also be trained as attack dogs (though most people dont do this properly) but they can defend and intimidate someone. The downside is that they take A LOT of food to sustain. I had one go though a large bag in a week or so. So prepwise it would take up much space and resources.

I like the small and smart option personally.

 

I'm a hound fanatic so I think your beagle choice is a good one. I wouldn't be stuck on finding a purebred though. I had a beagle/cattle dog mix that was great. A couple things about beagles though; they, like any hound, needs lots of excercise. People see the hounds lying on the porch in the movies and think of hounds as lazy. That's Hollywood, not real life. Beagles needs lots of excercise or they will drive you insane with their barking. Second is that hounds are basically noses with legs and beagles are no exception. They don't live in a sighted world like you and I, their world is invisible to us with our weak sense of smell. Beagles must, must, must be trained well or else when you let them out the door and they pick up a scent trail they will follow it and never hear you calling them back. Again, like we first see things and then we start to listen, beagles first smell things and if not trained simply won't listen.

A well trained beagle though is worth it's weight in kibble. Mine was a great snake dog, a happy tracker and even enjoyed retrieving and driving for me. She once took a wild turkey right out of the air as the turkey took to flight. Yeah, it's illegal but there was turkey meat without me having to waste a bullet.

When you do decide to take the plunge share a picture with us. Especially if it is a hound of some sort.:

 

I'm pretty dead set on a Beagle. I had one as a kid on my grandparents farm. It was a wild one because it just did what it wanted too all the time in that environment. I'm interested in teaching myself exactly how to train a Beagle specifically. I figure that I'll pick one up locally for the $50 or so I see families selling their puppy offspring for. I've never really been a personal fan of spending 500 to 2000 dollars for "pure bred" dogs. Most of my dogs have always been from the local pound.
lone squirrel; great things to consider in your post. Thanks for that.

I think I'm also leaning toward the small and smart mentality. A smart dog can be trained to fill whatever roles you need.

 

I like Turtles....

 

Dog intelligence rankings:

Understanding of New Commands: Less than 5 repetitions.

Obey First Command: 95% of the time or better.

Rank Breed
1 Border Collie
2 Poodle
3 German Shepherd
4 Golden Retriever
5 Doberman Pinscher
6 Shetland Sheepdog
7 Labrador Retriever
8 Papillon
9 Rottweiler
10 Australian Cattle Dog

 

I own a Border collie. They are GREAT dogs. Very smart, agile, loyal and will WORK for you. The downside is.. you need a lifestyle in which you can give the dog CONSTANT exercise and mental stimulation. For example, with my dog , I run every morning about 4 miles with her, then play fetch for an addtional 15 minutes.. this is 5 days a week! Other days I will teach her new tricks or go over ones to make sure she hasn't forgotten. Again, I can't stress enough how much BC's as a breed need both physical ,and mental stimulation... like all work breeds, they need a "job". All that being said I have taken this dog up through the Cascades, hiking she is surefooted and alert off leash is no worries, She will sit , and If i leave of 2 hours and comeback she will be in the same spot until I give her the release command. Like almost any dog they will attack to defend their master(s). Great watch dogs as well.

 

I like my Newfoundland. Origionally they were used as draft animals for loading ships. They say a full grown Newf can pull a ton. They don't eat as much as one would think. They are natural born rescuers, it is ingrained in them. The old sailors found this out by accident. When the ships would sink the newfs would go in and rescue people without training. Mine has done this when we are swimming...it hurts.
They are also very loyal and protective with a deep growl and huge bark. There was someone in our yard one night and that dog just about cleaned the door off the hinges to greet them. They are also good heat radiators on a cold night.

 

Personally... I've always had a soft spot for Black Lab mixes. My current Heidi is 1/2 Black Lab and 1/2 Blue Heeler. She's about 55 lbs and the wild child of the house at age 2. But she sure is a snuggle, cuddle, hugging kisser.... and she makes a great bed warmer on winter nights. As far as protection? She's TOP NOTCH!!!! (Now if I could just get her to STOP snapping at the wasps? OUCH)

 

I will have to give my vote to the Rottweiller. As my wife says, "they are a dog that commands respect", and I must agree. We have had 2 over the last 16 years and they are the best. I was even teaching our last one (Oz) new tricks 2 weeks before he pasted away, at the young age of 8. Very smart dogs.

 

I prefer German Shorthaired Pointers, although any of the German hunting breeds (German Wirehaired Pointer, Weimaraner, German Longhaired Pointer, Small/Large Munsterlanders, etc) would be good. The Germans wanted one dog that would be able to do the job of a pointer, retriever, hound, and protector. (People in other parts of the world at the time would have to own four or five different breeds of dogs to accomplish the same tasks.)

These breed were originally developed to point and retrieve upland game birds and waterfowl, on land as well as in the water, hunt rabbits and other small furred game, dispatch predators such as fox or coyotes in the field, and to blood track wounded large game such as deer, elk, or moose. Then, to be a family protector at home.

 

I have a yellow lab now. He smart. Elsewhere I have read that the smarter breeds are equivalent in intelligence to a two year old. We consider him one of the family. Everyone who meets him thinks is is one great dog. Unfortunately is now 10 years old and due to arthritis is not very mobile. This will limit my bug out options as where I go, he will go or i won't.

Before him we had a Shetland Sheep dog. Some are very shy (mine wasn't), but all of them are yippie - they may be smart but they will drive you crazy.

 

Ditto for the lab mix. I've owned and lived with Newfies, Lab's, Shepherd's and Hounds. I'd be REAL careful about the Beagle. Hounds are STUBBORN. You live with the hound and not vice versa.

I was privileged to share life with a German Shepherd/Black Lab mix. His name was "Buckley" and yes, he was named after William F. Unbelieveably smart animal. This dog could do it all and do it damn well. He climbed a ladder without being told or trained... just after watching me. Great disposition, awesome nose, and HEALTHY! I would tell you to avoid breeds because their just too darned inbred. The most popular "breed" out there right now is the Labradoodle (as someone pointed out earlier Standard Poodles are AWESOME dogs..very versatile). Humans mix bred dogs to bring out their best attributes for centuries and then stopped. Watch the movie "Best In Show" which is about the "Dog Show" world and breeds. Comedy but dead on. Scary people.

 

I've had good luck with hounds. I have Walkers. I have a choco Lab also. She is almost too smart for her own good.

 

I have a 4 year old (SchH2) GSD. Would and have trusted him to save my life. IMO German Shepherd and Belgian Malinois for the win. Any K9 Officers want to chime in? Would love to hear a LEO thinks about this topic. Tiekerhook kennel and Alhedys Hoeve kennel out of Holland breed great working GSDs, super strong drive, hard hitting, and great bite.

 

I've had a German Shepherd, Black Lab (mix but looked all lab), Border Collie and a Beagle when I was really young. Out of those dogs they were ALL great dogs except for the Beagle because I can't remember too much. The Border Collie was almost all snow white and the smartest dog I've ever been in contact with. Great dogs but they will WEAR you out.

 

I know what you mean about border collies wearing you out! They seem never to get tired out and always are ready to go. Mine is 9 years old and is still like that. They also need a "job" to do or will pick one themselves if you don't give them one. I didn't give mine a job to do, so she has taken it upon herself to be a 24/7 guard for me. This is sometimes unhandy, but would be perfect in a SHTF situation.

 

I have a Pom mix which is alert and barks when ever someone is on the driveway or near the house. He is a fierce little guy but if I had to pick a dog for a survival situation I would have to say german shepard. Smart, strong and loyal and if the enforcement and military circles find them a suitable breed for the job I'm sure they live up to it.

 

I have German Shepards and Walker Hounds (slightly bigger than an American Fox Hound) The hounds are great for hunting and early warning, nothing slips past a hounds ears and nose, the German Shepards are excellent for protection but the hounds know you're coming from a mile away.

 

get a mutt,lab or a pit bull. They are great loyal dogs. Stay away from beagles, my neighbor had four and all they did was bark all day long, not cool unless you want everyone knowing where you are. I don't think there is a better breed per say. Dogs are what you make them. Gotta know how to train them properly. Ive always wanted a mastiff personally, or better yet a kane korso(they were bred to chase people down and knock them down and hold them there)

 

We have two dogs. A 5 year old pure breed Black lab (female) who is very voicetress, but friendly, and a 16 month old Rotweiller mix (possibly lab) that is very protective. The rotti mix will bite. He is friendly once he gets to know you, but he appears to always be on the lookout.