Dweste,

I'm not sure any particular expectation is unreasonable but the full set of expectations is pretty daunting. Finding a dog with the temperament, instincts and intelligence to meet those expectations would be like finding a preschooler with the potential to be an olympic or professional athlete. It can happen but the odds are against the dog you select having all those required attributes and then what are you going to do - return it, euthanize it, keep it and be disappointed?

The other part of the equation is you. The dog is a pack animal and you need to be the pack leader. That means you will need to invest a lot of time training and socializing with your dog. To even have a chance of meeting your expectations your dog will need to be fully integrated into your life. Since most jobs don't allow pets while working that means you will need to "make up for lost time" with a lot of your "free" time. Similarly your expectations mean you won't be able to "outsource" most of the training. You and your dog will essentially be on a training program equivalent to preparing for the Olympics to develop the skills an rapport needed. That is a tremendous time and energy commitment and like all skills these will require constant practice to keep in tune.

I grew up with dogs all around, my folks had them, my grandfather raised and trained german shepherd dogs and I have been blessed with four great dogs since getting a place of my own. I think, maybe, two or three out of all of these dogs would have been able to truly help, beyond providing companionship and a canine early warning system, in a survival situation. Not due to training (two were barely obedience trained) but due to their intelligence and loyalty to our pack (my family).

-Eric