# Best Dog for Preppers



## philjam (Dec 17, 2008)

Have been a life long lab person, so the lab is my choice. My labs have been trained, to flush and retrieve, water and land. They are also good, to very good, protection and alarm dogs. I will qualify that, any lab person would know how to disarm a lab into their "lick you to death" mode. Labs are big enough to keep you warm at night. Which is OK unless it snores or farts a lot. The worst thing about labs is they die too soon.


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## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

philjam said:


> Labs are big enough to keep you warm at night. Which is OK unless it snores or farts a lot.


:lolsmash: that is SO true... :lolsmash:



philjam said:


> The worst thing about labs is they die too soon.


 also too true  my 12-yr-old 'Big Dummy' has cancer, chemo only has < 30% to be effective... I've decided to let him live his life fat & happy until he starts to have pain/symjptoms that affect his quality of life. He's enjoying the extra spoiling, a LOT. I'm not sure if I'm going to get another dog anytime soon after he passes tho...


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## PopPop (Sep 14, 2010)

I have had Labs almost forever and my Jake is a beloved companion. We also have a Yorkie, Joe Joe and he is like a furry tick. God help me, but I do love em both. My belief is that a dog, like a child, are only gonna be as good as you make them.


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## Sonnyjim (Sep 17, 2009)

Labs would be good dogs, but my golden retriver would be a great prepper dog because she will eat ANYTHING. I blanched about 5lbs of carrots from the garden last year and use those as all natural organic free treats instead of spending money on expensive treats. She LOVES them. She'll eat spinach, corn, peas, dried fruits, potatoes, fish, zucchini, pickles, you name it. Unfortunately one of her self-staple diets is fox and coyote poo from behind the house


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## BadgeBunny (Nov 2, 2010)

PopPop said:


> I have had Labs almost forever and my Jake is a beloved companion. We also have *a Yorkie, Joe Joe and he is like a furry tick.* God help me, but I do love em both. My belief is that a dog, like a child, are only gonna be as good as you make them.


My sister had a Yorkie ... The nurse at my doctor's office has one ... based on what they have both told me your description pretty much sums the breed up ... LOL (But danged if they aren't cute!)

I am more of a big dog kinda gal ... I love my German Shepherds!

We had Labs when I was growing up. Have to agree with others comments to the overall usefulness of the breed. Good Lord they are "stinky" though!


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## carolexan (Dec 28, 2010)

I have a female chocolate Lab that is about 8 weeks old. When she grows into her paws she will be a big girl! She is a good swimmer and loves to fetch. I noticed she will eat out of the cats litter box when she is in the house...must be a Lab trait. Yesterday morning she had dragged a small deer carcass up on the porch. A natural born hunter.


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## GoldenBoys (Oct 8, 2010)

philjam said:


> Labs are big enough to keep you warm at night. Which is OK unless it snores or farts a lot.


Very true! I have a pair of goldens - one farts and the other belches, usualy right in your face!


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## BizzyB (Dec 10, 2010)

Australian Cattle Dogs. Fast. Territorial. Smart. Fearless. Fiercely loyal to their people. Our two have managed to scare the :bullit::bullit::bullit::bullit: out of almost everyone who comes over. (They are well-trained, but we let them 'alert' us when someone is at the door.) Not good for retrieving much of anything, though.


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

If your asking from a security aspect, here's an 8 page thread you could look at.

http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f23/best-guard-dog-87/


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## sunny (Dec 26, 2010)

Okay, I read through the 8 page thread, and did alot of remembering. I came to the conclusion that the best dog for YOU is the dog you want the most. 
My very best dog was a mix of Weimeraner and Australian shepherd. She was bright eyed , happy, smart, and wonderful in evey way. I got her when I was 12. She went through the moods and temper of a young girl. She loved children, like me, and chasing seagulls on the beach. As I got older she was OK with meeting boys in the woods but, if anyone started a fight with me she was between us growling. She was truely the only good part of being a bored rural raised teenager. I was devastated when she was killed and yet, that is also part of life. 
I could be wrong, but I don't think of dogs as alarm systems, although they are good ones, and they are definately not the sacrificial animal to test a situation. 
They are a way of life. They must be in your thoughts at all times to make sure they are safe. They have much to teach us about playfulness and delight and they will protect their pack under any circumstanses. Even a muddy beach is their best playground.








We created dogs, in the image that we wanted. Whatever image you choose, they are the best acomplishment of the human race.


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## Ezmerelda (Oct 17, 2010)

I totally agree with Sunny - the best dog to have is the dog YOU want. I love my Pit-Lab mix. He's big and scary looking, but as sweet as can be. 

He's a deterrent to anyone who doesn't know that he's really a big softy. His Pit side makes him aggressive to other dogs. When he was a puppy, we trained him to submit to our adult German Shepherd, but a new male dog introduced to the mix resulted in Dog Fight Central. 

We had to give away the other dog. After the Shepherd died, we decided we'd have to be a one-dog family (or...don't tell my hubby...start with a younger puppy (famale this time)).:sssh:


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## sunny (Dec 26, 2010)

> We had to give away the other dog. After the Shepherd died, we decided we'd have to be a one-dog family (or...don't tell my hubby...start with a younger puppy (famale this time)).:sssh:


 please don't start with a very young pup unless you are home to keep her off the floor until she can protect herself. Pitbulls are dog agressive, not sex agressive, but, are mostly food agressive, we learned this one the hard way.


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## 41south (Dec 4, 2010)

I have several different kinds of dogs, we have seven and only two are the same breed. My favorite is a Jack Russel mixed with something and I have two BIG Plott hounds outside. 

I agree the choice is what suits you best, but I have found that if you pick up a dog that some scumbag has thrown out to starve, that dog will be YOURS for his life and it doesn't matter what breed they are, it seems you can feel the love when they look at you.


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## HardenedPrepper (Dec 15, 2010)

I'm finally going to be picking up my new family member next Wenesday. Here's a very very short video of her, she a Chesapeake Bay Retriever... my last chessie ddied about 6 yrs ago, I miss him alot, sorry didn't recognize the video file it was taken from an Iphone"damn things".. heres a pic 6 weeks old


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## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

I have had many dogs of different breeds from Chihuahua to English Mastiff, I have never had a 'bad' (mean or overly aggressive) dog... of course my threshhold might be higher than most & I do allow them a lot of freedom in & out of the house.


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## rflood (Aug 19, 2010)

Another Rottie is on my calendar to start looking for. My ole buddy died a while ago and I am finally up for getting another one but NO PUPPIES! I would like to get a young one either from a breeder or a rescue group. Other posters are hitting the nail on the head, it is the dog that suits you best, I've had Retrievers, Shepherd, Beagles,Lab-mix and oddly enough a Corgi (wife's dog) but I keep coming back to another Rottie


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## Ezmerelda (Oct 17, 2010)

sunny said:


> please don't start with a very young pup unless you are home to keep her off the floor until she can protect herself. Pitbulls are dog agressive, not sex agressive, but, are mostly food agressive, we learned this one the hard way.


We aren't likely to get another dog, unless we can afford a Labradoodle. Just found out the youngest is allergic.


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## tsrwivey (Dec 31, 2010)

rflood said:


> I've had Retrievers, Shepherd, Beagles,Lab-mix and oddly enough a Corgi (wife's dog) but I keep coming back to another Rottie


Ahhh, a woman after my own heart! We have two cardigan corgis & a golden. They'll let you know someone's here, however they'll likely bring their ball to greet them.  Our previous corgi was slow to warm up to new people & kept our property free of animals that didn't live here, including 3 pit/rottie mixes, some goats & a bull. That dog was serious about her turf. Our male may end up being like her, he's still a pup so we'll have to wait & see.


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## sunny (Dec 26, 2010)

Ezmerelda said:


> We aren't likely to get another dog, unless we can afford a Labradoodle. Just found out the youngest is allergic.


 Oh darn, that's way too bad. I'm not sure how well I could function with out my hiking buddies.
On my post, I was just warning you because my when pit was a pup he took a playful snap at one of my smaller dogs (we have 5 altogether) and caused $300 dollars worth of vet bills. He is too strong for his own good sometimes. Over a year old now and much more mature he is a wonderful addition to the group and is actually the freindliest dog on the place.


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## lotsoflead (Jul 25, 2010)

Labs, I have one that will lick you to death and one that will chew your pants off.


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## Halfway (Nov 26, 2009)

I would avoid single coat dogs for a couple reasons; they will get cuts easier, they get cold.

Always having labs and Shepherds, having a single coat dog now has been interesting. I have to protect her chest with a vest when hunting because she will push right through barb-wire fences, corn stubble etc. and end up all cut up. She also gets very cold when wet and it is 40 degrees or less.

I would think these attributes would be a hindrance in survival situation.
s
Anyone mention barking or controlling barking? Noise discipline can mean life or death.


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## Woody (Nov 11, 2008)

Good point. My 11 year old B. lab, Wendy, is very obedient. (I spent a LOT of time beating it into her when she was a pup ya know). Typical of any hunting breed she will listen and respond to whistles, grunts and hand signs. I can get her to stop on a dime (well.. a few dimes now she is an older gal) even if she is chasing something. I know her barks well and can tell just what the issue is. There is the I hear something bark, the I THINK I heard something bark, the other dogs are barking at something bark, someone is in the yard bark… This is all when she is outside, not having direct eye contact with me. Inside she has a kind of soft ‘woof’ where it isn’t a loud bark but it is enough of a noise to get my attention. She will look in the direction of the noise and then at me while woofing occasionally, waiting for a command. With one or two questions to her you can tell if it is anything to worry about or she just thought she might have heard something.

If you spend enough time with your canine companion it is amazing the communication there can be between a human and a dog. Some verbal like different kinds of woofs or growls and some visual like how their ears are positioned, how they are standing or by carrying the dinner bowl around in their mouth.


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## BillM (Dec 29, 2010)

*Jack Russell Terrior*

My Jack Russell was the smartest dog I ever owned.

He was on the alert 24/7. He missed nothing and was fearclly loyal.

He wasn't large but was easy to feed.

I think I would want a Jack Russell.


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

The_Blob said:


> :lolsmash: that is SO true... :lolsmash:
> 
> also too true  my 12-yr-old 'Big Dummy' has cancer, chemo only has < 30% to be effective... I've decided to let him live his life fat & happy until he starts to have pain/symjptoms that affect his quality of life. He's enjoying the extra spoiling, a LOT. I'm not sure if I'm going to get another dog anytime soon after he passes tho...


 I'm sorry about your dog,our part lab died of cancer when she was 14.her lifestiem friend died shortly after,he was 14 too,both were big dogs.We had him put to sleep,he loved to ride,so he jumped right in the van to go to vet ,I did'nt realize what it would do to me,I almost had a heart attack,my chest closed up.I will never do that again.I'll just give them pain meds and let them die naturally.
We have 3 good watch dogs now the old hound is a genius,she taught the other two part Ausie shepards,part whatever jumped over the fence.


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

Halfway said:


> I would avoid single coat dogs for a couple reasons; they will get cuts easier, they get cold.
> 
> Always having labs and Shepherds, having a single coat dog now has been interesting. I have to protect her chest with a vest when hunting because she will push right through barb-wire fences, corn stubble etc. and end up all cut up. She also gets very cold when wet and it is 40 degrees or less.
> 
> ...


 Our dogs know when to bark,it took time but it worked.I can't stand to hear dogs bark at the moon or other dogs.That will get a potatoe throwed at them and I'm a ex ball player with a good arm,with a loud NO!


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## 101airborne (Jan 29, 2010)

Our two with my wife one is a greyhoung shepard mix the dark one is a wolf/ mal mix.


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## horseman09 (Mar 2, 2010)

I agree with the others: the breed you like is the one for you, with a caveat:
don't let emotion outweigh your skills, abilities and resources. Purge your emotions. Be brutally honest with yourself when selecting a dog.

For example, I've always been partial to border collies because they are exceptionally smart, loyal, and they are pleasers -- in other words, they really want to please you. I like to think I'm a pretty good horse/dog trainer, we have lots of room for a dog to run, and we can take the dog to the office with us. That's a pretty good match.

However, they are a very high energy dog, that requires lots of interaction with you, and they will try to dominate you and your kids and your visitors if you don't establish a very definite pecking order.

So. If you go to the pound and you pick this cute little border collie pup -- because he's *so* cute, but you live in a small house with a small yard, you and your spouse are gone all day and you have no experience in dog training, chances are overwhelming that you and your dog are gonna be badly mismatched. You are begging for trouble.

Instead, get a dog that's more likely to sleep most of the day away.

As for the prepper dog, another reason I like BCs is they readily learn hand commands. In other words, with positive reinforcement training, you can hand signal a BC to go a certain direction, such as around the blind side of a building, to "clear" it. They easily learn whistle commands, and they alert well as a house dog. Downside: they are shedders.


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## mrghostwalker (Sep 17, 2009)

I agree that Labs make great survival dogs. We had a black Lab on the farm. He would eat any kind of food, was a great family dog and an excellent watch dog. He also killed every woodchuck that tried to move in and even kept other dogs away. He was never trained to hunt but was always catching birds.


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## tsrwivey (Dec 31, 2010)

horseman09 said:


> Downside: they are shedders.


Downside?  Depends on how you look at it. Some folks are apparently offended by fur on their clothes so the fur is actually a benefical organic repellant against stuffy folks. They don't stay long because they don't want to sit on the FURniture.  Our two cardigan welch corgis & a golden retriever, all house dogs, keep us in an ample supply.


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## OnTheTrail (Jun 23, 2011)

I've known some great pure bred dogs in my time, but nothing beats hybrid vigor.

If I had the room, I'd like a cross between a black lab and a doberman, or a lab / shepperd mix.


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## ReconCraftTheta (Jun 30, 2010)

If my opinion is valid, here: I think that a Heeler would be a great survival dog. They are loyal and extremely brave dogs for their size. And of course, vicious when they need to be. They're athelitic and at the same time of a suitable intellegence. Of course don't get that confused with they have frequent mood swings or anything like that. We own 2, and both of them are cuddly and love-filled towards our family, and very cautious and protective to those that they don't know. The most helpful peice of info I can offer is that if you're gonna get one, get it as a puppy. 

The largest con I can think of is their size. They're not exactly the largest or scariest looking dog on the market.


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## Jarhead0311 (Sep 17, 2010)

This thread should have been titled "What's your favorite dog ?"


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## horseman09 (Mar 2, 2010)

Jarhead0311 said:


> This thread should have been titled "What's your favorite dog ?"


Well, since we're all preppers, is there really a difference?


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## kejmack (May 17, 2011)

I have a German Shepherd, a Catahoula, and a lab. So far, they only protect the homestead from squirrels. All three are big goof balls.


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## goshengirl (Dec 18, 2010)

Our new shepherd/husky and shepherd/hound will protect the home by licking intruders to death.


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## Turtle (Dec 10, 2009)

We have a border collie (75%) /newfoundland (25%) mix and she is awesome! Smartest dog I have ever seen, very loyal and protective, natural instinct to do perimeter checks and to protect from threats. Perfect dog for me.


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## Hooch (Jul 22, 2011)

I have a pit bull crossed with what i suspect african borabol...80 pounds of the best dog I've ever had. he is very protective of the home but has been very well socialized and friendly with other dogs, kids, people and even cats...that dont run. However if they run he loves to chase but so far doesnt grab and kill like my last dog...uggh...but he also is a great hunter...moles, gofers, squirels, pheasent and any other bird he looses his mind over...
he is a pound rescue and such a great dog...I've even just had him place second place in our first local doggie obiedance show (novice) as I've never shown before n didnt know what to do cept for basic stuff and he really did good. 
Dogs are great to own...specially smart ones. with his protective behavior towards my home I can only hope he will be as protective of me if I need some back up. More than anything he is a great companion in this messy time.


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## Dove150 (Jun 5, 2011)

Don't discount the Black Mouth Curs, I've had two of them. They are the dog that the story Ole Yeller was based on. Tough, intelligent and loyal. You can train them for just about anything.


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## rflood (Aug 19, 2010)

Wasn't really my choice of a dog to get but my wife and kids got us a beagle with ADD. All I said when they came home with her is there isn't enough meat on her to feed all of us, funny they didn't appreciate the humor


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

ReconCraftTheta said:


> I think that a Heeler would be a great survival dog. ..... They're not exactly the largest or scariest looking dog on the market.


Mad Max thinks so :2thumb: He is THE authority on survivalism...

And when it comes to "survivalist dogs", I think we can ALL agree that Max has proven Heelers to be "the Duck's Guts". LOL!

And you can train them to hold the "shotgun trigger handle" in their mouth and not be distracted by rabbits (watch the "Road Warrior")

Oh c'mon.... It made you laugh!


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## Jarhead0311 (Sep 17, 2010)

This thread proves that any breed of dog can be the "best" given the proper care, training, and love.:2thumb:


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## SnakeDoc (Nov 10, 2009)

Jarhead0311 said:


> This thread proves that any breed of dog can be the "best" given the proper care, training, and love.:2thumb:


I noted the same thing. I have Roxie the wonder boxer. She is single coated and hates cold. But she is alert, smart and loyal as can be. She is also a wonderful friend and provides and provides something vital to survival, love.

She also provides great peace of mind as I know that I can sleep (with my diminished sense of hearing) knowing that she can hear a mouse pee on a cottonball.

She isn't the best possible dog in many ways, but she is my friend and an important part of my family.


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## MonsterMalak (Aug 24, 2011)

*Boz Shepherd*

I can fully understand a persons desire to want the breed of dog that they are familiar with. Also, ones idea of what they will need is different for their situation. 
The type of dog I wanted was a tough capable protector with the intelligence to be able to determine a real threat. A dog that had the Size, Strength and skill to take out almost any risk. Be it from a Mountain Lion or Several men,,, without guns anyway. A dog that could function in climate extremes, eat anything, travel many miles if needed, have the drive to chase and engage threats. A dog that has few health issues, and lives a long time. But most importantly, a dog that is safe with the family, farm animals, and anyone considered Friend.
Although there are many breeds out there with many great qualities, my search found one breed with the most desireable concentration of qualities. The BOZ SHEPHERD is an Ancient Guardian breed from the remote Urfa Mountains in Turkey. Bred for thousands of years in a harsh environment, ruthless culling, poor nutrition, hard work and traveling many hundreds of miles a year created a Supreme and Capable guardian.
The kind of dog I want protecting me if things get real ugly, or just every day right now.


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## Jarhead0311 (Sep 17, 2010)

MonsterMalak said:


> I can fully understand a persons desire to want the breed of dog that they are familiar with. Also, ones idea of what they will need is different for their situation.
> The type of dog I wanted was a tough capable protector with the intelligence to be able to determine a real threat. A dog that had the Size, Strength and skill to take out almost any risk. Be it from a Mountain Lion or Several men,,, without guns anyway. A dog that could function in climate extremes, eat anything, travel many miles if needed, have the drive to chase and engage threats. A dog that has few health issues, and lives a long time. But most importantly, a dog that is safe with the family, farm animals, and anyone considered Friend.
> Although there are many breeds out there with many great qualities, my search found one breed with the most desireable concentration of qualities. The BOZ SHEPHERD is an Ancient Guardian breed from the remote Urfa Mountains in Turkey. Bred for thousands of years in a harsh environment, ruthless culling, poor nutrition, hard work and traveling many hundreds of miles a year created a Supreme and Capable guardian.
> The kind of dog I want protecting me if things get real ugly, or just every day right now.


Great dogs....but where do you find one?


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## IndigoLight (Apr 15, 2010)

Caucasian Shepherd was the best guard/protection dog I've ever had.

Caucasian Shepherd Dog - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Can be found in the US, but pups are expensive. 
If you are not an experienced dog owner/trainer (and I don't mean toy poodle experienced ), do not buy this dog. They will not respect you as a "master" if they sense a fear in you. I've seen a case when an owner was not able to come close to his own dog to feed it.
They are also very large dogs, mine was about 100 lbs, and are not easy to handle unless you have experience.

That said, if you can handle a dog like this, he/she will pay you with fierce loyalty and fearless protection. They are very loyal and protective of their family, but usually pick one family member as their "master". They don't bark much, but may attack an intruder or anyone they view as a threat to you, silently. But they know who their "family" is. My cat was hanging out at the dog pin on regular basis 

Now that I read about BOZ Shepherd, these breeds probably had the same ancestors.


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## MonsterMalak (Aug 24, 2011)

I would have to agree with the assessment of the Caucasion, CAO, CO, Alibi. Bet I wouldnt go anywhere someone has one. Heard many stories of people being attacked even though introduced by the owner.

YES, the Boz and Caucasion shared anscestors between 1,000-2,000 years ago. But much can change in that many generations. 

Compared to the Caucasions types, the Boz are bigger, more athletic, and More Even Temperament. I would also say that the Boz has more capability to stop intruders, Their physical ability is Unreal.

Un-socialized, the Boz would be a dog that would prevent anyone on your place. But socialized, can be (depending on the individual) a dog that can follow you all day in town around hundreds of people. My dogs are safe at a ball game off the leash, but WILL keep you in your car at my home. 

The reason for the difference is that the PREY DRIVE has been bred down in the Boz, as in most Livestock Guardians. With this the Rank Drive is reduced. Or the need for the owner to maintain Dominance is not even an issue. The Boz will remain submissive to all in the Family, even the children. My kids can pull a porkchop out of their mouth. 

It was this element of SAFTEY, while maintaining the Drive and Ability to defend, that brought me to them. A dog 32-39 inch (at the shoulder), 150-260 pound dog that is naturally muscled up, can run 30+ mph, and not scared to defend,,,, but safe with your children and all their friends.

The Boz are only recently exposed to the world, as it has and is illegal to take them out of Turkey. A conduit was found, and there are 8 over here so far, and plans to bring over 6-8 bred females are in the works. I imported a male Boz for an Airforce man last month. Importation is possible, but expensive. Litters are planned in the near future.


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## Calebra (Nov 8, 2010)

gOing to disagree with you . Caucasians and related breeds such as alabai and tibetans don't have much of a prey drive in my experience. MOst caucasians have a great temperament--same as with most any other breed as long as you understand what they are .
Also from what I am seeing boz are not really an old breed--it's a kangal crossed with a british type mastiff. 
Malak--this is not a commercial. Everyone has a breed they're into--no point belittling someone else's preference just to make your dog sound better and sell some puppies. Especially if you're going to be making up stuff.

Seems like every second day there is a new designer breed pops up offering a perfect dog that needs no training ,food or care and will do your dishes while fixing your car and blasting his mp5 at the intruders.


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## MonsterMalak (Aug 24, 2011)

Sorry calebra. Did not mean to belittle your breed, or offend you.

I have never owned a Caucasion, just saying what I had heard and researched.

Don't know what the harm is in telling people about something. Also don't know why or how you could then bash the legitimacy of the breed.

Sorry again


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## BayouShaman (Aug 17, 2011)

My biggest concern is coyotes at my BOL. I plan to evetually fence in the farm proper, however coyotes are a pestilence up there, I won't be keeping a single chicken or cat or pet dog alive without sitting up 24/7 with a rifle and NVGs.

I would want a dog that would be able to handle a coyote who got in anyway, and not just end up playing chase back to the coyote pack and getting killed, which has happened to many a wonderful dog of neighbors. Not mine, as I have little yappers these days and keep them under owl, hawk and coyote watch if they go out .

I have read this topic with interest, and have experience with schutzund dogs, to a small degree, and a lot of training done short of it with dobes, sheps and rotts. But, a breed with the ability, will and smarts I am not sure of, if I was away or asleep and he was out in the yard to guard the chickens and grounds. Any thoughts on that specific worry? I read about the hog dogs and that was interesting, but I don't know how they would be with livestock or if their drive to chase wouldn't get them hurt by the coyote pack tactics.

Thanks for your thoughts about this


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## sailaway (Mar 12, 2009)

My black lab does a good job of scaring the minorities away in my rough neighborhood.


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## Tribal Warlord Thug (Jan 27, 2009)

i sleep well at night......


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## MonsterMalak (Aug 24, 2011)

*Coyote Protection*

As far as the smarts when it comes to repelling the coyotes,, who knows what they do in the woods at night.
But can say after running great Pyrenees fir 16 years, the Turkish breeds are a whole different type of dog. The GP work to ward off the coyote. Otherwise stand and bark all night. Keeping the coyotes just back so far. Problem is they are not scared to keep coming back to test the security.
The Turkish breeds go out to chase off for miles, or kill if they can catch them. Havn't heard them howl in years. 
Plus they make good family and guard dogs. 
But then again,,, I am partial....ha ha


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## Graebarde (Aug 30, 2011)

ReconCraftTheta said:


> If my opinion is valid, here: I think that a Heeler would be a great survival dog. They are loyal and extremely brave dogs for their size. And of course, vicious when they need to be. They're athelitic and at the same time of a suitable intellegence. Of course don't get that confused with they have frequent mood swings or anything like that. We own 2, and both of them are cuddly and love-filled towards our family, and very cautious and protective to those that they don't know. The most helpful peice of info I can offer is that if you're gonna get one, get it as a puppy.
> 
> The largest con I can think of is their size. They're not exactly the largest or scariest looking dog on the market.


I agree with the Heeler, since I have one. She's a red and blue cross, and too smart for her own good sometimes. And protective she is. She's also very friendly. She rides with me alot, and will lay her ears back to meet people... however the other day we stopped at the store. She was looking at a woman and did that, then a man walked out of the door. For the first time ever her ears cocked forward, hackles came up and a gutteral growel ensuded.. I paid attention to the guy for sure. Don't know what it was about him, but she sure didn't like him. And she is very protective of kids.. I got on my grandson and had to get on her cuz she was going to eat me for gettin on him... she knows who the Alpha is though, and it surprised me. All in all, I wouldn't trade her. And I got her by default from my third son who had her as a pup and worked 16 hour days, so I puppy sat.. yep she's a good watch dog, and doesn't get fussy unless there is something to get fussy about.

FB


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## Graebarde (Aug 30, 2011)

Great Pyrenees. I've never owned one, but I have a friend that has a pair. Those dogs are his goat guards, and NOTHING goes unnoticed by them. They are great protectors and pretty self sufficient too. He had some coyotes come in. Those dogs worked as a team and chased the pack off (about 8:2 odds) and then disappeared for a day and half. He thought the coyotes got them, but they came home none the worse for wear except bloody muzzles and coats.. it wasn't their blood either. Apparently they hunted down the preditors.. good stock dogs.

FB


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## BayouShaman (Aug 17, 2011)

Graebarde said:


> Great Pyrenees. I've never owned one, but I have a friend that has a pair. Those dogs are his goat guards, and NOTHING goes unnoticed by them. They are great protectors and pretty self sufficient too. He had some coyotes come in. Those dogs worked as a team and chased the pack off (about 8:2 odds) and then disappeared for a day and half. He thought the coyotes got them, but they came home none the worse for wear except bloody muzzles and coats.. it wasn't their blood either. Apparently they hunted down the preditors.. good stock dogs.
> 
> FB


Wow. See, I just do not want to lose a dog to something it just doesn't comprehend, and a breed with this instinct combined with enough mass and smarts to handle it is a good thing, imo, when I know how severe this threat is up at the BOL. I mean the coyotes have wiped out all small game and have in the past had the nerve to come right up to the porch to try to snatch a cat. Brassy and desperate as the wild game fades away and a lot of them who get a kick out of maiming dogs and leaving them to die if they cannot crawl back to help soon enough. I hate coyotes. My efforts to start anything there will be useless if I do not deal with it. Just fact.


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## BayouShaman (Aug 17, 2011)

Graebarde said:


> however the other day we stopped at the store. She was looking at a woman and did that, then a man walked out of the door. For the first time ever her ears cocked forward, hackles came up and a gutteral growel ensuded.. I paid attention to the guy for sure. Don't know what it was about him, but she sure didn't like him.
> 
> FB


I had a rescued mutt/shepard mix like this and really miss him. What a brilliant dog when it came to just knowing. One young neighbor he always got tense about ended up in jail on sexual assault charges. He also stopped a burglary. We got home and only proof was the open kitchen window and blood all over the room .

Good boy, Bear! Heaven is full of great dogs.


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## MonsterMalak (Aug 24, 2011)

*coyotes*

Sadly, coyotes will eventually evade or overcome all efforts to stop them. Believe me, I have tried them all. Legal and ethical to not.

The only thing I have found that is near 100% effective is the Livestock Guardian Dogs. To me this alone is worth their upkeep. So to have a breed that will also protect your home and family makes them that much more valuable.

Got to love a dog willing to protect your food and family. All for love.


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## stayingthegame (Mar 22, 2011)

donkeys are good protection for field animals. they are territorial and will protect what is theirs. peolpe here have them in with their cows and horses. friends have had donkeys go after coyotes and bob cats.


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