There is an ancient burial site in Germany called Bonn-Oberkassel. This site dates back 14,000 years and is home to the oldest joint remains of dog and man. They are by far our longest running animal ally. No creature has worked its way into our lives the way dogs have.
It would only make sense that dogs become a part of our preparedness plans as they are already part of our household. Dogs are family and these days they are living better than ever before! Of course, times they are a changin’.
I believe we are on the cusp of some very precarious times. I don’t see how we make it through the next 6 months without a serious economic collapse and maybe even a war with China. It might be time for our dogs to get back to the work they have done for thousands of years.
It might be time our dogs become hunters, guardians, and herders once again. Let’s look at the absolute best dogs to have around for SHTF.
Intimidation and Protection
Most of these names will not surprise you. They are all big dogs with big power and a knack for protection.
Feeding: these are high energy, large breed dogs that burn up the dog food. While you will have the physical protection and the bowel loosening barks you gotta pay for it. A dog that weighs over 100 lbs can eat up to 6 cups a day of dog food. 1 cup is about 16 oz or 1 lb.
So, now you are putting out lots of food, and in turn, you need to be able to store that food, and more for emergencies. You might even look at this as a serious downside to having a big dog.
Pit bull
I am going to hold back my inherent bias as best as I can. The Pit bull has a great size and the breed is an incredible demeanor for the family.
They are loyal to a fault when it comes to humans. However, they are so strong that if they do decide to engage a threat, there is little intruders can do about, unless they have a firearm or pepper spray.
Pit bulls are insanely strong, and they do not run out of gas. Mostly, this has to do with the fact that they are literally being bred to kill each other. Because of their bad rap they also deter most people from trying to buddy up.
Rottweiler
Little dog bears. That is what rottweilers are. They are big, powerful dogs that are all about protection. In fact, they don’t even like you to leave the house! At home these dogs are big, unaware of how big, and loving.
Their main use was to herd livestock and pull carts laden with butchered meat to market. Although still used to herd stock in many parts of the world, Rottweilers are now also used as search and rescue dogs, as guard dogs, and as police dogs.
Again, they are a great deterrent animal because of their size and intimidating bark.
German Shepherd
Whether in wars or cop cars, these are the dogs that men bring on duty! There are lots of breeds of dogs out there, but we have decided to bring one breed on duty with us into war zones both foreign and domestic. Now that is interesting.
German Shepherds are working dogs developed originally for herding sheep. Since that time, however, because of their strength, intelligence, trainability and obedience, they are often the preferred breed for protection.
The German Shepherd can be a handful because of their size, but they are incredible dogs with a long history of fighting alongside humans.
Dobermann
We don’t see a lot of Dobermanns around anymore but there was a time when these dogs would adorn the old spiked collar and be one of the most terrifying dogs out there. They are huge animals as pets and are capable bringing a grown man to the ground if need be.
Dobermanns are known to be intelligent, alert, and tenaciously loyal companions and guard dogs.
Personality varies a great deal between each individual but, if taken care of and properly trained, they are generally considered to be loving and devoted companions.
They can easily be grown in pairs, since they instinctively know which one of them is the leader, and will strategically defend your property.
Related: The Best Way to Train Your Dog For Hunting And Security
Herding
Some dogs are simply perfect on the homestead. They have been bred to perform in wide open spaces and as protectors of livestock. They are also great on perimeter security.
Feeding: the herding breeds can vary in size. Just understand that a dog like the Burmese is going to tear through food at 115 lbs! You are talking 6 cups of food each day!
The Border Collie, while the function is the same, will eat about half the food a Burmese Mountain Dog eats.
Bernese Mountain Dogs
These big old herding dogs can weigh in at 115 lbs at the top end. That’s a lot of dog!
Bernese Mountain Dogs are going to do wonders around your property as they are bred to see threats and keep the sheep or other livestock corralled and safe.
A bread with origins in Switzerland, they do fine outside in the winter and are capable of doing the work of herding all year round in most areas.
Herding is also about watching so these dogs will notice when something doesn’t look right.
Border Collie
These medium sized black and white herders are great family pets. From an upkeep perspective they are easy to groom.
Considered highly intelligent, extremely energetic, acrobatic and athletic, they frequently compete with great success in sheepdog trials and dog sports.
They are often cited as the most intelligent of all domestic dogs.
If you wear out their energy, they are also capable learning almost anything! A great dog to have by your side.
Trainable
While these dogs are not the intimidating powerhouses that we think of chained up in junk yards, these dogs are all great at being trained to do all sorts of things around your property.
Feeding: these pups are great, and most are mid-sized so that means you can get away with feeding them less than you would our bigger breeds. Labs can get pretty big but for the most part these are mid-sized breeds.
2 – 4 cups a day, depending on activity, will give these dogs all the nutrition they need.
Rhodesian Ridgeback
A fierce protector of family and a great hunter, the Rhodesian Ridgeback has been bred to impress.
They are medium size dogs with lots of strength. They don’t have a huge requirement for exercise. You would have to let them loose in your backyard, or go daily for a walk, since Rhodesian Ridgebacks have lots of energy.
They are reserved around strangers but not mean dogs. The Ridgeback will run with you for hours if you need someone to gallop with!
Labrador Retrievers
Labrador Retrievers are what they are.
There is nothing more American Hunter than a chocolate lab with a duck in its mouth.
These dogs are special. They are tied into the hunting world. This has a lot to do with intelligence and how easy they are to train.
Labs of all shapes and sizes are great dogs for the family and for survival.
Pointers
Outstanding eyesight, outstanding ability to be trained, pointers are hunting dogs.
They will be incredible companions if you decide to get some wild food or if you are taking a walk on your property the pointer is going to be ears up and eyes on.
Pointers are intelligent, affectionate, clean and intensely loyal. You can also have them around other dogs or cats, since their aggression level is very low to non-existent.
They tend to have extremely high energy levels, so make sure you go out for a walk each day.
Related: How To Understand The Signals From Animals Just Before A Natural Disaster Strikes
Watch Dogs
They aren’t gonna take a bite out of anyone and scare them off. However, these little yippers are a true blood and bone alarm system if they suspect something is going on outside their home. That could be the time you need to put your own home defense protocols in place.
Feeding: these are by far the most efficient perimeter alarms that you are going to get your hands on. Animals of this size are only going to eat less than a cup of food per day! That means dog food storage is pretty easy.
Chihuahua
Chihuahuas are pretty hilarious when they get angry, but they are also highly effective yippers.
They are utterly relentless, also. This is a great attribute. You will find that your Chihuahua will let you know what is going on outside and will let you know for a long time. Even if you live in a house with a backyard, or in an apartment, Chihuahuas adapt to any kind of environment and you can rely on them being your “alarm”.
A little boom box, the Chihuahua.
Jack Russell Terrier
Bred to kill rats, these little terriers are, well, terriers. There is no stopping a terrier. They just go and go until they drop. However, most things going along with them drop first. I have seen Jack Russel’s eat the walls of a home out of frustration and boredom.
This should let you know that you need to give these dogs an outlet of some kind. However, if you redirect their energy to the good then they will be powerful allies.
Related: 14 Dog Breeds for Preppers
The man’s best friend thing is not an accidental turn of phrase. These dogs have been running in our pack for thousands of years. They understand us and we understand them. They know when you are on edge and vice versa.
Can you think of anything better in a crisis?
Of course, your dog will have to be a functional part of your preparedness plan. Dogs cannot be a hindrance. You need to have room for them, food for them and all the rest. You need these things where you are and at your bugout location
All that said, if you have the right beast to guard the property, it will make all the difference.
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We have 2 labs, a Dane and a Anatolian, the Dane and one lab are pretty much couch potatoes but the other lab and Anatolian are always on alert! Nothing can come up our driveway without those 2 bolting out of the house to investigate.
Paid a ridiculous amount of money for a Doberman. Highly intelligent, great size, very trainable. No fight at all. Loved everyone, and let anyone pet. Be wary of buying a dog with a reputation, I suspect the aggression was bred out in favor of docility for showing. I bought from breeders who farmed and did not show.
For Initimidation and Protection the Cane Corso is my choice. Very trainable and a straight devourer of any threat.
In the event a person has many animals what is the best method for euthanizing if cant find a vet in a crisis? I have 2 dogs I can bring 3 I cannot and 4 cats. Any ideas? As humane as possible but obviously the obvious this is a firearm but that wiuld traumatic and even if they would be asleep when doing it it be horrible to do that to your pet
Carbon monoxide from a car exhaust or from a charcoal brazier. Car exhaust is the easiest to control I think. Cats are the easiest. Put the cat in a paper grocery bag and hold the bag over the running exhaust pipe. It is quick, painless and certain. Be sure to continue past the point where the cat has ceased movement. When the cat has ceased movement you can take the bag off the exhaust pipe, then close the end of the bag by wrapping string around the closed end of the bag. Leave the cat for a couple of hours to ensure death.
The Japanese have adopted carbon monoxide poisoning as a popular method of suicide. They cover themselves with a blue tarp and have a hibachi with charcoal under the tarp with them. I understand they even have besides on the correct way to do it.
A little political discussion here. Folks claim if we eliminate guns we will cut down on suicides. In Japan, guns are possessed by the yakuza, the criminal gangs, of course, and the police. Handguns possession is strictly forbidden to ordinary folk. Of course, wealthy people can own handguns as can politicians and very famous personalities. Rifles and shotguns can be owned by professional hunters. Most of the professional hunters in Japan are close to my age, hence Japan has a significant problem in rural areas with wild pigs running amok on farms and even in villages. They have a lesser problem with bears but it is still there.
Japan also has a much higher rate of successful suicides than the U.S. Gun possession is not the initiator of the depression that leads to suicide. As with murder by firearm, it is only the instrument. The initiation starts with the thoughts of the individual using the methodology, not the methodology used.
That should read “Even have websites” How does predictive get bedsides from websites?
And, I just read yesterday in the Japanese newspaper we get that wild monkeys are a major problem in farm areas and they are employing specially trained dogs and drones to minimize crop damage from monkeys. Whoa thunk that those cute monkeys would cause serious damage to crops? You know the ones that we see pictures of enjoying the pleasures of the hot springs? Yes, those monkeys. When they are not enjoying the hot springs, they are raiding your fruit trees or picking crops to eat. Plus pooping on what they don’t eat so that it isn’t marketable.
Do not let anyone tell you carbon monoxide is quick or painless! The animal will fight to survive for up to 15 min. Carbon monoxide has to accumulate in the body to kill. Please talk to a friendly vet who might understand your plight. There are SOME human medications that may do the job but please talk to a vet some of our meds act opposite on different animals.
Prepped with pets: The original premise was that veterinarian care was not available and how to euthanize the animal.
Based on the popularity of carbon monoxide poisoning as the preferred method of suicide in Japan, I hardly think that death by CO poisoning is filled with pain. I think that the CO method is chosen especially for its non-painful exit.
When I was stationed in the Far East, charcoal braziers were still used to warm the homes of the poorer folks. Only the rich had kerosene heaters for their homes. Japanese homes did not have central heating.
The Star and Stripes during the winter time was constantly warning armed forces personnel about the dangers of the “silent killer” and in spite of the constant warnings, each year we had some deaths where GIs remaining overnight with their girl friends succumbed to CO poisoning. I would suspect that if it were painful, the pain would awaken them from their sleep. They weren’t all dead drunk.
For every cat you kill, a hundred mice spring up and eat your rice.
Che: raw hamburger with radiator fluid. It tastes sweet and is highly toxic. Cyanide and heroin have also been used. Peace. niio
Hamburger with “ green gravy” will definitely do the job but when in a survival situation I would not waste the meat. It would be very difficult to put down a family member but a .22 at the base of the skull may be how I would do it.
Please refer to the American Veterinary Medical Association humane euthanasia guidelines by species. Specifically, FIELD EUTHANASIA (emergency euthanasia). Cervical dislocation, overdose with barbiturates, decapitation are options
My bigger question is WHY you feel a need to kill an animal that could be set free. Most cats are capable of a reasonable degree of self care and can independently hunt/forage without human assistance. Dogs tend to be much more human dependent, except for breeds with high natural prey drive (tend to be the larger breeds that can catch and kill rabbits and squirrels, etc—like my Siberians)
Sorry, but letting dogs run free leads to feral dog packs and danger. Feral dogs tend to revert to wolf/coyote behavior. If you can’t deal with them (no feed/aged/sick) then you and everyone around you are better of euthanizing them. Not what you want to do, no doubt, but what you HAVE to do.
MissMacinTX: I beg to disagree. Stray and feral pets are going to be a major survival problem. In areas like mine, strays tend to feed coyotes and a mountain lion that circles our way. Even pit bulls are no match for coyotes when they can tease the dog into cactus and mesquite brush. The Catalina fires chased a lot of predators out of the mountains, and for a year now, it’s hard to find a stray cat in town. Since it rained in April, coyotes are staying away from town–bird baths are a source of water and food. No, I don’t think your husky would make it. If predators didn’t take her, then thirst or starvation would. Keep your friend close and keep her safe. niio
Coyotes and Bob cats dine on small pets in my part of the world. Coyotes will lure the pet one on one back to pack where the pet, regardless of type or size, gets outnumbered and eaten.
Stockpile oxy for this and other medical emergencies. Administer enough to lay intended out, scalpel to jugular or femoral. Outdoors where bloodlet is ok; painless,, to the intended at least.
As far as a watch dog,my female miniature Australian shepherd mix is ever vigilant! YEA,Smitty!
I have chihuahuas and the saying goes . The man who invented the door bell did not own a Chihuahua ! They seem to know good people . you can tell by their bark also stranger vs family/friends
I’ve had several of these dogs over the years. The smartest one I ever had was the Transylvanian hound. Also the best dog we’ve ever had. Toping in at 90- to 100 lbs, but looks very lean, like a greyhound. The only dog that could catch a Jack Rabbit on a dead sprint. Once, when my kids were young, a stranger cut through our back yard, our dog was there at the top of the 5ft. fence bearing his teeth. Never had a stranger ever come near our property again.
We had a dobie/shepherd who sounded and looked fierce but probably would have licked them to death. Twice when I was alone, I had a man come to the door. He would have attacked if he could have gotten out. He sensed a problem. Now we have a very effective watch dog. Woke us up once when someone tried our door handle.
A Jack Russell might be the dog to have in an EOTW situation. With civic services non-existent, garbage will gather because, let’s face it, people are basically lazy and won’t be bothered to burn garbage or compost it, but will merely throw it in the street. That will draw rats. Rats continue to carry fleas with bubonic plague. Jack Russells are rat terriers. You probably can depend on the Jack Russell to provide his own sustenance and help keep the rat population down.
I have had pure breed jack russells and they are a great dog. A deceptively big bark and a hunting drive second to none. Muscles, my Jack, would grab a possum bigger than himself and shake it until it was a bean bag. I now own 2 Smooth Fox terriers, a bigger dog than the JR. They were used as flushing dogs in hunting, but are also a great, loyal family dog. I love my foxies but for tenacity the Jack Russell is king.
Now we just need a dog that will eat human remains because in the EOTW scenario there will be more bodies than trash lying around.
In Germany in the medieval era, people kept mastiffs (Rottweilers and similar) and any bodies in the household the mastiffs disposed of. The cities kept kennels of mastiffs as a public health service to dispose of bodies of those too poor to own their own.
I have to also suggest Boston Terriers for watch dogs. They are great dogs, and their farts are an added chemical deterrent.
Mesquite: Perfect dog for the desert is the Mountain Xolo. These are the standard for the Chihuahua but not airheads, 18″ to 24″ from ground to shoulders. These are not hairless Xolo, which the wealthy liked, but working dogs. They’re people friendly but standoffish around strangers and make good guard dogs, and are all-around good on a ranch for herding and guarding livestock and keep an eye on the kids, as well. Indians used to use them for packing in rough country. niio
Red, were they also used as a food source?
How do you keep keep a dog from being so friendly. We’ve had either Border Collies or Australian Shepard’s. None of them would ever bark when somebody drove on the place. Just run up to get petted.
I have a Australian shepherd / Red heeler mix, a full Blue heeler. Pitt/GS mix. yea, mine are very loyal and protective of not only me, the property, BUT to each other as well. U are socializing ur dogs with to many PPL. Try sad times, locking them in a different room when company comes. Bye letting them around any1 and every1 ,They are learning EVERY1, is OUR friend.
9 week old blue heeler pup, 2 days on the homestead, suddenly stuck his nose in the air, growled, and came in really close.. I couldn’t see or hear anything.. next day about the same time he did the same and when I followed his gaze, there was a black bear trying to get into my closed shed..
He knew whenever a vehicle came onto the property.. barked and came to me.. stopped barking as soon as I said. ‘Got it, thanks’.. he still stood at ‘protection’ growling until I introduced him.. once he knew a vehicle, he would bark when it came up to the turn off from the main road a half mile away.. one or two barks and a cocked head told me someone was coming.. he also listened carefully to the ‘neighborhood’ dogs barking then either ignored them or, if he kept listening, I paid attention.. he never barked just because they were barking.
he also never went out the door, day or night, without stopping and scoping it out.. smelling and listening before he went down the steps.. and many a time he would pull back inside and refuse to go out.. half an hour later, when he indicated he needed to go out, he’d do the same routine until he was satisfied.. then he’d go out and do his biz..and usually check out a few angles that gave a longer view of things.. whenever he was out and about, he had a few high spots where he liked to hang and keep an eye on things..
Turkish Kangal or Bulgarian Karakachan are my choices, both great livestock guardian dogs and even better loyal protectors but not dogs for the inexperienced or feint hearted dog owner, they require work and patience but the reward is worth it all.
Tibetan Terriers are great dogs. Very loyal, but also protective. Capable of taking long hikes without tiring but also willing to be a couch potato. Very trainable for anything you’d want it to help with. Big enough dog to be a threat, small enough that feeding isn’t a problem. They are overall a very healthy breed.
We have a Cheagle, which is a Chihuahua-Beagle mix. She is by far the smartest dog I’ve ever had. She’s a great watchdog but also points, which is handy when we go dove hunting. We also have a little Norwich Terrier that we call our Hybrid Cheagle as she tries to imitate everything her older sister does…;)
Boerboel and Presa Canario : You don’t want to mess with either of these two monsters. Sign on the entrance to your property : Guarded by an animal that will not stop till it kills you.
TruthB Told…
I had a sign similar to yours at the entrance of my driveway, and one day my lawyer came over to my home to go over a few things about expanding my construction company.
He asked me if I REALLY had a dog that would attack and possible kill someone, I said yes, I do….he said get that and every damn sign like it down TODAY and burn them, and don’t you dare put anything like that up again.
He said if you don’t have a mean dog, put up the signs, but if you do, NEVER WILLFULLY ADMIT YOU HAVE A DANGEROUS ANIMAL THAT WILL INJURY OR KILL SOMEONE.
He said if your dog attacks someone, the first thing I would do if I was representing the injured family, I would I would show that sign in court, and sue you for everything you have and more, and possibly put you in prison if a serious injury or death.
No sign means you can say I HAVE NO IDEA WHY HE ATTACKED, HE NEVER ACTED LIKE THAT BEFORE AND BLAH BLAH BLAH. You now the drill, just listen to a democRAT when they open their mouth.
Your dog is gone no matter what, but now it’s all about trying to save you and your families future.
Just look at what happened to the McCloskey’s in St. Louis when that mob was going to attack them, who got into the legal battle????
Just thought I’d point that out.
Excellent advice. The same goes with those signs that say, “Protected by Smith & Wesson” or “No Trespassing. Violators Will Be Shot. Survivors Will Be Shot Twice.”
Yes, I enjoy the humor behind them, but read the paragraph about showing those signs to the jury. Think of all the points the deputy district attorney will make with the jury when using the signs to point out that you intended to kill the young man who knocked on your door trying to sell candy bars to raise money for his church group to go on a trip.
The fact that he used the same ruse to gain entry into several homes for a home invasion will not come into evidence. I guarantee you that. Even if he were convicted of home invasion is not relevant to your case. Don’t take my word, the next time you are having a beer with a criminal defense attorney, ask him about it.
Chuck,
I don’t want to get off track here from the topic of this article, but we never talk about this sort of thing. Here’s some thing else about no trespassing signs that few do not fully understand…..
TrespassING is plural, meaning you can not do it MORE THAN ONCE, and if you do it once, it’s kinda like a freebie if you will.
What you really want is a NO TRESPASS sign meaning you can not do it even once. I was told that the trespassing signs are so certain people can legally come onto your property who otherwise might need some sort of warrant to do so, and they can use whatever evidence they find, in court, and of course use what they find to get a real search warrant to rip your place apart.
Just like searching your car, you need to give permission to search your car once during that stop, and trespassING is giving permission to come on your property ONCE….as far as the law is concerned.
Also, you must MUST sign each sign with your full signature for it to be valid, and posted according to the law as far as distances between signs, and that varies between states and what not.
Ever see people who have security systems on their homes, and have signs saying so in their yard, that’s because you have to warn people they are being videoed and if you do not have that sign, you can not submit that evidence in a court of law.
I know….why give a criminal a heads up but that’s the law. You see those signs everywhere saying this place is under video surveillance and that’s why they have them up.
Red: Be careful. Get me started on California’s incredibly stupid energy policies and I will go on for pages and pages. It seems to me that the legislators in Schitzomento have taken, “How stupid can you be?” as a challenge when it comes to electricity policy. At a minimum the state has forced the closure of four and possibly 5 generating plants that I know of and I haven’t made a study of all the plants that have closed. And they wonder, with so much more running on electricity than when I first moved to this location over 50 years ago, why electricity shortages develop in the later afternoon of a hot day when everyone turns up the a/c full bore. Gotta quit right now. Once I get the bit in my mouth you won’t be able to turn me off.
LCC: You speak, we listen. AZ exports electric to Kali. We also help when they’re overpowering the grid by taking it here, then returning it after the sun goes down.
I favor geothermal if only because the neonazi libs shriek against it. If they’re against something, it has to have some good about it 🙂 niio
Bill and Red: The laws pertaining to trespass and videotaping in public vary from state to state. The only really accurate statement you can make about such laws is that such laws vary from state to state and possibly no two states in the 50 states have the exact same wordage in such laws.
In the PDRK trespass laws have very specific provisions regarding size of the sign, size of the lettering on the sign, exact wording of the sign, how far apart such signs must be placed around the property in order to be enforceable and how high off the ground they must be and what height they must not exceed above the ground in order to be enforceable.
The PDRK also has rather detailed laws about photography in general in public due to the untoward influence various wealthy entertainment folk have in Schitzomento. I am sure other states without the large population of such useless bottom feeders have no need for such detailed laws.
What may be perfectly enforceable in one state may give free rein to anyone who wants to traipse across your property for whatever reason, including hunting in another.
I would urge anyone who wants to post their property to consult the rules governing such property for your state. A good place to start would be with the local law enforcement’s headquarters. Get the exact wording of the statutes or municipal code. Do not take the desk sergeant’s word for what the law says. He may be mistaken. If you make a mistake you want to make sure it is yours and not somebody who works the desk at the local law enforcement agency. It may have been twenty years since he or she was forced to go over the rules and they have changed in the interim and the person hasn’t kept up with the changes.
In rural areas I feel confident there are folks who do property posting for a living. That would be a good source for determining what is necessary. There is nothing like getting a phone call from an unhappy customer whose property you have incorrectly posted to get one on one’s toes with regard to recent changes in the laws.
It might behove one who has large dogs that are trained to be guard dogs to check to see if there are requirements for posting property where guard dogs are employed.
One of my businesses had trouble with repeat break-ins. In law enforcement circles and insurance circles it is a known statistic that if you are burglarized once, the odds are that you will be burglarized again within three months by the same thief unless, happily, he is taken out of circulation.
In three months, he knows what you have that is new. Your five year old computer that he took and got $10 for is now a much newer computer. Your big screen TV is now the newer model. The handgun he stole has been replaced with a newer model. He doesn’t have to take a chance with getting 20 year old junk. He knows he is going to score stuff that is only a month or two old. Unfortunately, law enforcement and your insurance adjuster won’t tell you that. I don’t know why not. Maybe it is job insurance.
Anyway, we had repeated break-ins and the insurance company doesn’t compensate the owner for time spent ordering replacement equipment or the interviewing tradesmen to perform the replacement work. So, while we were engaged in hardening the building we hired a guard dog company to place guard dogs in the building at night. I noticed that they also placed signs in the windows that there were guard dogs in place. So I would assume, although I could be wrong, that state law or municipal code in the PDRK requires that one place such signage if such dogs are employed.
As two asides, I got down there one morning as the trainer was picking the dogs up. They were scary beasts. The trainer had them on choke collars and a stout rope and I was very happy that they were so secured. As it was, I was concerned that they might get away and I would be in huge trouble.
One day he called us and said that there had been an attempted break-in the night before although he had inspected the building and couldn’t find any signs of entry. He could tell because he said the dogs were very excited when he picked them up that morning and that only happened if someone had tried to enter the building by trying the door or a window.
Moral of the story: If you have guard dogs, it just might behove you to see if there are laws regarding required signage and what the liabilities are if you don’t have such signage. Again, such laws would vary from state to state, so what might be the law in Georgia isn’t the law in Florida, even though they are contiguous states. There may even be city ordinances that vary from city to city regarding such dogs and signage.
Even if you decide not to comply with the law, it has always been my practice to know what the law is and the downside for not complying. I would rather know what the potential liability is than proceed in ignorance only to be blind-sided by a really punitive law that I knew nothing about.
Stammering, “But, but I didn’t know . . .” really isn’t a good defense when being cuffed. That’s not the cop’s problem. It’s not even a defense when the judge asks you how you plead. It might possibly come into play when the judge asks you if you are ready to be sentenced.
Ask General Flynn about obscure laws and ignorance thereof.
LCC: It always pays to investigate the local graft and learn what goes and what’s in the shadows. niio
LCC: A cousin up in the Pocono Mtns had a problem with trespassers. Hunting season and so on. His wife draw up a poster of a deer raping a man with the warning TRESPASSERS WILL BE VIOLATED. They put copies of it along every farm lane and the county road. No more problems with city hunters 🙂
Here’s something from Arizona you might like.
https://wryheat.wordpress.com/2020/08/25/why-wind-and-solar-generation-of-electricity-fail-california-learns-the-hard-way/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=email_subscription
niio
Treating your dog as a member of the team makes it feel valued and loyal. It doesn’t have to be a large dog to do big jobs. A Basenji fits the bill for survival. It comes naturally for a Basenji to defend it’s territory. A silent killer ready to take on anything.
I have had catahoula dogs for many years and they have always done what I wanted them to do herding, protection, hunting, and house dog.
I too have a catahoula. Best dog I have had yet, smart, watchful and very protective of family but seems to know who we trust and accepts our judgement. If he continues to dislike someone after that it is time to pay attention. I noticed his strange behavior of some of my daughters friends. He was fine with them for some time and then he seemed to dislike them more and more. Come to find that he was watching them interact in the yard. I did not know this until I watched him become agitated looking out side. I saw a couple of her friends bullying her while playing. I broke it up and sent them on their way. Even though they made up He still to this day does not like them and won’t let them out of his sight if they are around
I really miss the malinois in this list. I have 2 of them. One ipo trained. One I am training towards ipo. Both police work line dogs. Best dog ever. I ambtsjaren with rotweilers Saint Bernards and bloodhound. But malinois is the breed for me.
Any dog can be taken out with a bullet. Didn’t get my Jack Russell for protection purposes, but nobody’s going to come near my house without him alerting me. I’ll do the rest.
A bullet, poisoned meat if the dog is not trained properly, a crossbow bolt, an arrow. A trained dog is fine as long as the owner is trained himself in how to handle a trained dog. Too many get trained dogs and never learn how to handle the dog which soon loses its training and reverts to what is bred into it without the finesse that training provides.
A quality trainer of hunting dogs will insist that the owner also receive training in how to handle his expensive trained hunter. A dog’s training is a continuous thing. It needs to be exercised in its training on a regular basis. Just like shooting. If you take an eight hours course in how to handle a firearm, including putting fifty rounds down range, that doesn’t make you a shootist. Shooting is a skill that requires constant practice. Talk to any professional shootist and you will soon learn that they all shoot close to 50,000 rounds a year. While you don’t need that to be proficient, it give you some idea of what you should be be doing. If you are not shooting at least an average of 100 rounds a month — well, ’nuff said. Same with a trained dog. If you don’t exercise him in his training once a week, he is going to lose that training. Oh, it will still be with him. It’s just like shooting. Yeah, you remember how to operate the firearm, but all the fine points are hazy at best.
Dean:
I am thinking more and more like you: having a dog known for aggressive behavior is possibly only going to get YOU in legal trouble.
Having a dog known for noise and hearing intruders, good or bad, is only going to have you prepared for what is approaching …
Here in Oregon, those who do have aggressive dog breeds have issues getting homeowners insurance.
I’ve never heard of some of the breeds mentioned in the comments, I’m going to have to look into them, for sure.
Catahoula Leopard Dogs! I have 4. Smart, trainable, love to have a job. Will work as a team to accomplish their job.
I have the best of two in one. A catahoula leopard shepherd mix. Very protective yet sweet as can be. No one gets in the driveway without me knowing. He knows this is his farm to protect. His running partner is a bull mastiff. Who also is very protective.
Anyone feeding a Rottie 6 cups a day is feeding nearly twice what they need. Feeding raw will curtail your dogs needs dramatically.
If you want a dog to read your mind and be one with partner, any of the Belgians will have you back and front. There a reason the Navy Seals use Mals exclusivity. Remember Cairo?
Rock: I was always told they’re great breeds, but tend to be independent and it takes a pro to get the best from one. niio
Have had many different dogs over many years. In arural location, my favorites have been, in order a malemute/ husky cross breed. a malemute/ german shepard lab cross breed and a saint bernard/ german shepard. All large dogs, all very loyal and protective opf their family, and all pretty much able to catch a lot of their own food if needed. As you may see I am not much on purebreds, though I have had a few. A gorgeous Samoyad for one, but crossbreeds seem more low maintainence animals in general and I like large dogs.
Just my thoughts frm 75 years experience.
We have a team of Sibes/mixes and several Chows. All loyal, several could eat your lunch if we were threatened. The Chows do not easily disengage if provoked. The thing I love about the Chows is their intuitive nature. They judge all they meet with skepticism…and they KNOW if a person is “bad” or intends to do something sneaky. If my Chow doesn’t like you, you don’t belong in my home/near me.
MissMacinTX: Chows were also bred for the hair. My sister had a female. Her kids used to make yarn and finger weave it. It was nice, soft, and didn’t smell when wet. niio
We have two mountain feist’s. They are great natural hunter’s, can be directed to go after any kind of game and are highly possessive of their territory, and deeply loyal to their family. They will also go until they drop. They will let you know if anything is going on, even across the valley. Being a smaller sized dog, they don’t eat a lot of food. They can even be used to hunt bears and several people I know use them for that purpose. A bear will back down from 2 Feist’s. Overall, the best dog to have.
We had a wonderful Golden! At night once he knew we were all tucked in, he would take up position at the foot of the stairs on guard to cover all entrances to our home. Also, my son could never sneak home late! The Golden would always be sure to wake me up to let me know he was coming down the driveway. We had a family pledge that we would never leave our house in the event of any emergency without him.
Dachshunds are fast, like lightning. Get them aggravated, like my stepson found out, it’s like putting your hand thru a sewing machine. Very territorial, but all right in the day time. Larger breeds of dogs and coyotes do not stand a chance. Have two, they tag team. Small ones and great rabbit hounds and almost too brave for their own good. We never had one that wasn’t a hunting Jones (fanatic). Females are easy to train but males, if you don’t have a female, are very independent. If a female is present and he doesn’t obey, very often she’ll teach him to obey.
Mountain Xolo (show-low) are the original Xolo, short coat, adaptable, good all around farm dog but when fighting, they will kill anything messing with what they’re trained to guard. These are good pack dogs, expectantly for rough terrain and the desert. Oldest pictures of them in the Americas are cave drawings about 12K old. Good at surviving; you can see packs of them in Most of the Americas running free. Very family oriented. Legend has it, they wait for the Great Cleansing when they retake their place as partners of humans.
As an old man who has been quite an avid outdoors man there has been a myriad of breeds in my life. Several different breeds of coon/bear hounds, beagles,harriers, pinchers, rotts, somoyads, Bernese, English Mastiffs and of course terriers. Jacks, West Highlands, and Rat Terriers. The West Highland was by far the most intelligent of the entire group. The Mastiff with a 4 year old girl was the most tenaciously protective. I eventually settled on terriers for in the house because I didn’t need a defender, just an alarmist. Ya cant beat a jack Russell and a Rat Terrier chorus at 3 AM. As my health has declined a little bit over the last 3 years I have cause for “a little more” dog. I lucked into the weirdest looking dog I have ever seen. He’s a !/4 Black and Tan Hound, 1/4 Rottweiler, 1/2 cane cursor. Chugs has the nose of the Black and Tan,brains of the Rottie and the additional size and fearlessness of the Cane. We play ‘where’s the baby? ‘ after the grand daughter hides and I personally think it is invaluable training. My daughter plays the same game with her English Mastiff and had the occasion to find a missing 3 year old in a Shopping Mall before the police even showed up. A word of caution to those of you who might think bigger is better. Generally speaking, the bigger the dog, the shorter the life span.The “all in” monthly cost for an English Mastiff is over $120 per month. Chug’s all in is about $80 a month and the 2 terriers combined is about $50 per month for the pair.
you folks including the author have no idea about the perfect dog for SHTF and I am so glad.
yall: Depends on the area and so on. I live in southern Arizona. Mountain Xolo are the best. they can survive on their own but want to be with humans. As livestock guard dogs, they kill coyotes and will tag-team a grizzly into running. In the home, they’re gentle with family but will attack someone if they think the family is in danger. They’re as energetic as Chihuahuas but a whole lot bigger. These are the only dogs I never saw a dachshund run off. What is the perfect dog? The one you’re used to working with and know the breed.
I had never heard of the mountain xolo, so had to look it up. A very interesting breed. I always wondered how Show Low AZ got its name. I thought it was from the card game. I now suspect that it is the anglicized version of the Aztec word.
Thanks for teaching me something new today, Red. You are a constant source of interesting information.
Well, that is certainly a helpful comment. I am sure yallarestupid is proud of his cogent, intelligent comment and that so many readers are enlightened as to the perfect dog for the EOTW. I have my doubts that such an animal exists except in the minds of people with limited capability.
Just as there is no perfect plan for anything we do, there are too many situations that arise where one will say to himself, “Dang, I wish I hadn’t brought an xxx dog because yyy has occurred and a www dog would have been much better in this situation. Even if one tries to meet every contingency by having a pack of different breeds, then the problem becomes trying to provide feed for them other than you and your family. One should not presume as part of the plan that some kind of game will always be present and capturable in sufficient quantities to feed a pack of dogs.
Chesapeake Bay Retrievers are good dogs, intelligent, independent, but loyal, great companions. They don’t look at you with big loving puppy dog eyes but treat you like an equal and just want to have fun. Need water for swimming and lots of room to run, top notch retriever especially in marsh and lake. The males get up to 90 pounds and can be intimidating, the females smaller but very territorial.
My Uncle always had 4-5 dogs on the farm, usually a blue tick and a speckled bird dog, plus a couple of good size mutts. That’s the way to go for security if you live in the country, they form a pack, arriving at my Uncle’s farm you parked in the driveway and stayed in the car until he came out and called off the dogs.
You forgot Bouvier Des Flanders. They are great watchdogs, big and intimidating, Used as police dogs in Europe, Herding dogs, Broad chested and strong to pull wagons/carts and are great with kids.
Grew up with many different breeds of dog, however the most protective was a medium Poodle who was my constant companion. He have a vicious bark for the untrusted stranger and was otherwise the best companion dog I’ve ever had. Training was the difference! The biggest dog I had turned out to be to friendly and would’ve probably given the house away if he would’ve had the opportunity.
While almost any dog is better than no dog, what type of dog to have depends on if you live in an apartment or on a farm, and what you want from the dog. For my situation the dog needs to protect property, livestock, and family, and be large enough to stop predators. No sense having something that can be carried off by a coyote. There are several dog breeds originating on American farmsteads that will not only protect but hunt and herd. Catahoulas, Plotts, etc. are breeds worth looking into, I just prefer my Black Mouth Cur.
The best breed is akin to the best firearm! The one you have on you is the best! The one that you have chosen or that chose you as a loving faithful companion and protector is the best, Few of Gods creatures will gladly lay do there lives for you willing without hesitation. That being said I have two Airedale Terrorists. They are Intelligent Tenacious Loving Adaptable etc.etc. I have had many breeds of furkids and I could say the same of any of them. Be the best owner you can be and reap the rewards.
Chow cannot be beat It’s not the size of the dog in the fight , it the size of the fight in the dog. Breeder for 40 years
I didn’t hear anyone say Newfoundland. Great dog if you live in cooler weather. Exsteamly strong and protective. Love all the other family pets. If you are hurt they assist even when untrained to do so. Ours took on two Dobies that came on to our property and tried to attack us and killed both. Now I have queensland, dingo mix with a little border collie thrown in. Good dogs both but my fav is the Newfoundland.
Every articles on dogs focuses on purebreds. What’s wrong with mutts. I have 2 big 90 lb brothers in the house and a 75lb rescue doodle. They are known as the 12 legged 250 pound defense system. Come through my door and your lunch. Very protective of the grandkids. I sleep very well
Mine is a mutt, according to AKC. But, she’s recognized as a breed by other registrations. She’s NAID (Native American Indian Dog). She’s a mix of wolf, Malinois, and Husky. Strong, obedient, lots of energy, and not overly aggressive. But, if she doesn’t know you, she’ll scare the hell out of you until I tell her it’s ok….
I won’t say the dog I have lest everyone want one and they become as popular as labs. He is 80lbs of muscle and bone with just eneough brain to understand our relationship. As for quick dispatch, a knife between the ribs works on deer. I imagine it would work on others!
Though they aren’t common in the US other than in military or LEO circles and show rings, the Belgians are GREAT all around dogs. The Malinois is the super dog of watch, guard, herd, etc. They are lighter than the German Shepard and easier to train. They DO have boundless energy and you talk about acrobatic skills..there’s NONE better.
We have a Belgian Sheepdog (Groenendael.) All the Belgian have the same body and skill sets just different hair. Ours has long hair and is a bit tough to handle the shedding. The Tervuren is the same way. While the Groenendael is black, the Terv is black and tan like the Malinois. Check out some of the videos on the Belgians.
I have a Pitbull and she is naturally aggressive towards strangers which is exactly why I got her. I find her to be loveable towards people she knows as well as to the new dogs I introduced to my family.
All in all, I would say that pitbulss are the super dog of dog breeds and I will always have a pitbull in my family. I am totally in love with this breed.