*First, sorry if this is already an existing thread, I searched the topic first and didn't turn anything up*

We all have our favorite breeds. Mine is the doberman. My husband likes german shepherds. Some like a good ole mutt.

Scenario:

Some disaster, you have to leave your home for whatever reason. You live in a smallish town, not near any major cities. The disaster is likely to end up being long term. You have children, minimal survival skills, no hunting or trapping skills. The environment is pretty average, you have four seasons temperatures don't get too extreme one way or the other.

What's your dog breed of choice?

*Please consider factors like: kid friendly, travels well, protective (this can be intimidation factor but actual protective nature is important), a breed that would be useful, and not just another mouth to feed- example*

My Samoyed is the next best thing to a sleeping bag. Putting your hands into her double-coated fur is better than mittens.

She can pull me for several miles on a bike or scooter and carry her own pack. She's big enough to offer some protection. Nobody and nothing will sneak past her, night or day. And she knows her way around hotel lobbies.

But she's not a hunter or retriever so she's not going to pull her own weight food-wise.

Whatever breed the pup will need training to be useful. I suppose a dog that can catch a rabbit would be nice.

Then I'll have to train them to skin it, gut it and saute it. And share it.

Welcome to ETS, Krista!

People who study these sorts of things have noted that dogs that do well without direct human intervention and survive long term on their own tend to be short-haired, mid-sized and mixed breed. The mid-sized, all-American, mutts have a lot going for them in terms of biological fitness and adaptability.

I think the breed is less important than the integration with your pack.

And, when it comes characteristics, I think integration with your lifestyle and situation is probably most important.

For example, not everyone's lifestyle is conducive to providing the exercise level and mental stimulation of some breeds.

The gotcha is this can be a mixed bag. For example, we have a rescued Rottweiler, who is really mellow which makes her easy to live with. But... When we go hiking, she seems to feel we are on a death march, where our Chesapeake Bay Retriever, who is a high energy (and needs a lot of exercise and stimulation) is all perky and ready for any adventure.

All of our dogs have been good watch dogs and IMO this is one of the most beneficial characteristics. Personally, I think it is ultimately the human's role to provide for the defense of the pack, but the dog provides a huge advantage in terms deterrence, of threat detection and distraction to allow for humans to get up to speed.

Some dogs can provide a role in actual defense, but I think it takes either some very specific personality traits, or training, or both. I think many dogs, despite issuing serious verbal warnings, ultimately defer to humans as superior and are unlikely to *fully commit* to defense against a human.

Defense against other animals is a lot more common.

Of course, typically guarding behavior is pretty much the opposite of getting along well with others (outside of your pack) if you are traveling.

In regard to traveling well, I think this all comes down to practice. If you take your dog everywhere and let it experience lots of different things and places from the time it was a pup, it will probably travel well. If it stays at home almost all the time, probably not.

In the end, I'm pretty open to most working breeds, and I think dogs are most happy when they have a job -- even if it is retrieving the ball and working dogs even more so.

I don't really mean to dodge your question, but I think both of the breeds you have are pretty good candidates given proper socialization and training and exposure.

The reality is there are always trade offs, and each dog is an individual, but most dogs will provide you the invaluable service of making sure you know something is going on in your house or camp, and most dogs, well socialized and trained and integrated with your pack, will enrich your lives.

-john

The smartest dogs I ever saw were the ones on the Navajo Reservation, decidedly mixed breeds who were smart and healthy.

I have had 3 German Shepherds and cannot say enough superlatives about them. They are the best all around companion and protective, loyal family dog that I have experienced. There was never a worry about someone coming onto our property without the dog letting us know well in advance. When confronted, the GSD will stand their ground and are not easily intimidated or tricked.

They have a great all weather coat that allows them to be outside in the cold weather for extended periods of time. When we lived up north, One of the GSD we had, loved the cold and snow. We were always reluctant to let him outside in -30F weather for any length of time but he did not mind and his fav spot was laying in the snow covered driveway and watching the world go by.

During the spring/summer/fall the GSD's were very good at keeping the bears out of the yard and also herding the occasional cows or moose off the property any time of the year.

Like any dog, buying A GSD from a reputable breeder who breeds working lines is a must. Vigorous daily exercise is required to keep these dogs in peak condition both physically and mentally.

Love my standard poodle.

Smarter than anyone can imagine, hair can be for winter or summer, hunting dog, will point out game and alert upon suspicious intruder or sound. He loves to run, and be outside or curl up next to you (or on you) as close as he can be.

Not to mention it's great for someone allergic to dogs like me

I'd want the biggest dog I could find - get 2 or 3 meals out of him.

Dagny- Your dogs are so gorgeous! My dog looks like a miniature more dirty version of those, lol. He’s a mix… Kind of looks like Falcor from “the neverending story” too. I suspect in an emergency my dog would essentially be another kid to look after!

Art- I agree for sure… mutts have to be tough to make it out there! I love my old mutt-dog, he's been with me since he was a pup, about 8 or 9 years!

JohnN- Thank you for pointing out the differences in a dog’s personality. That’s something I hadn’t really thought of (as I only have one dog for the last 8 years).

Todd- I think standard poodles are also at the very top of the intelligence list too, aren’t they?

Fasteer- While googling information about dogs that are well equipped for survival, I came across a dog called the Caucasian shepherd. It looks like the size of a small bear, and I’m sure it would feed you for a week in addition to providing a nice warm fur coat!!

I've raised a two Samoyeds from pups and rescued two more (one 13 year old and another youngster who is now not so young) through the northern Illinois Sammie rescue group.

From what I understand, they are one of the oldest breeds (unchanged) known.

I can't say enough good things about them IF you don't mind some white haze on your carpeting.

From what I gather talking with my buddy who has labs, the Sammie hair is actually easier to deal with than the lab hair. Since it is mostly the soft fluffy undercoat it is easier to pick up with a vacuum.

Smart, kind, and clean are the first thoughts that come to mind.

The other thing is that they have very little odor when wet - when they get wet they actually tend to smell like the shampoo you last used.