Man’s best friend can play an important and perhaps life-saving role in your preparedness plan. Dogs have been both versatile and helpful animals since they left the wild and became domesticated companions to millions of folks around the world.
For centuries dogs have been used for hunting, herding livestock, pulling sleds, for search and rescue missions, and to ward off unwanted visitors of both the two and four-legged variety.
In our modern world many dogs have become beloved members of the family, but just like the rest of our kin, they will be expected to pull their own weight during a SHTF disaster.
Choosing the dog that is a right fit for your household can always be a topic of much debate, especially if you have little ones who each fell in love with a different fur ball at the local shelter or pet store.
While all dogs have value and can bring love to their humans, some breeds are far better suited for prepping purposes. Your grandmother’s yappy little lap dog with matching bows in its hair surely brightens her day and is a loyal companion, but such a pooch will not be useful at all when the marauding hordes emerge on your property in search of food.
Specific dog breeds are better suited for the rugged lifestyle which will quickly emerge after the power grid fails or an economic collapse occurs. There are of course exceptions to every rule, our daughter’s pitbull mix is uglier than homemade sin, but doesn’t have a mean bone in her body.
The top 5 dogs for preppers list should serve as an education guide, if you are fortunate enough to stumble across a mixed breed dog or other breed not on the list that appears to the most amazing and intelligent canine in the world, go with your gut instinct and start training Fido to become a prepper too!
Top 5 Dogs for Preppers
- Blue heelers are often touted as the an exceptionally smart and easy to train breed of dog. The blue heelers are also heralded for their agility and overall athletic ability. There appears to be only one downside to the high-energy heeler, they need nearly constant stimulation of they get bored and act out in a destructive manner – you’re likely to lose a few shoes to a bored border collie. These are not “town dogs” and need plenty of room to run. A 15 minute walk around a city park will no suit this type of dog at all. We lovingly (most of the time) refer to our blue heelers as the wild dingoes. The vet warned us that if we can be patient and firm (he emphasized the firm part) during the training of the puppies, once they hit six months old they will be the best dogs we have ever had. Well, it took eight months, and believe me, it was as very long eight months. But, the vet could not have been more right. I don’t think I have ever known more loyal and protective dogs. I was concerned about my ability to teach them to herd animals, but it was a natural instinct and really required very little coaching at all.
- Australian border collies area cousin to blue heelers and feature nearly all the same positives and negatives. Collies are also easy to train and extremely loving dogs. Although blue heelers appear to be better at herding livestock, border collies can accomplish this task quite readily as well. Cross breeding between the collies and the heelers is very common.
- No great dogs for self-defense list would be complete without the German shepherd. The dogs are loyal to a fault, sturdy, and willing to rush an intruder and hold on until the owner gives the order to release – no matter how much abuse the bad guy is dishing out until the release order comes. Both the intelligence and the strength of the German shepherd has made it a favorite among the police, military, and search and rescue teams. All dogs have a great sense of smell and hearing (the wild dingoes can hear a chip bag open from five rooms away) but the shepherd appears to have been blessed with an over abundance of listening and sniffing talents. The German shepherd is curious and fearless at the same time, making them something of a stealthy canine detective. Most of the dogs of this breed are easily trained only to bark when experiencing a credible threat – another big plus for prepping families.
- Pit bulls often cause fear, and in some cases that concern is warranted. Approximately a dozen times a year pit bull attacks make national headlines. Some of the dog attacks are fatal. Sadly, some individuals train this breed of dog to be a fighter and then one day, the animal strikes out and dire harm is causes. In other cases, news stories have featured quotes form owners that the pit bull had never once showed any sign of aggression before maiming or killing a young child. This breed of dog will undoubtedly make an excellent watchdog, but the mixing of young children (who dart quickly, pull ears, and topple over when learning to walk) with pit bulls might not be a good idea. The dogs feature a lean yet muscular build and are very strong for their size. The dogs are extremely loyal and will place themselves between harm and their loved ones without hesitation. During the early years of the past century, pit bulls were often referred to as the “poor man’s horse” due to their ability to pull heavy loads. They eat a lot – a whole lot. Dog food preps will need to be increased if pit bulls are your self-defense breed of choice.
- Husky’s are as durable and loyal as they are cute. This breed of dog has been pulling sleds weighted down with heavy supplies in Alaska and other cold areas with rugged terrain, for centuries. Husky dogs will run themselves into the ground for their beloved owners. Like blue heelers, owners must be firm and strict during training or the dogs will assume you are merely playing and not attempting to establish a role of dominance. The intelligent Husky is also a light eater, a plus for the prepping budget. Once again, one of the top dog breeds for preppers is not suited for an urban, or really even a suburban area. They need room to run and to fine tune the skills learned during training.
Are you prepping with a dog to enhance your chances of survival? What other dog breeds do you think will be helpful during a TEOTWAWKI scenario?
1 comments
Chow-chows are great as well. Originally bred for temple and palace guard duties, they were and are instinctively noiseless until you hear their toe nails clacking on the floor, then its too late. Mr. Badguy is the snack de jour until the release command is given. Their long hair can (and is) used as a wool substitue in the Orient. Chows are loyal and gentle unless their owner(s) are being intimidated, then… Down side to them is their mane hair which limits their vision to a narrow frontal field. That’s where a lot of accidental ‘attacks’ originate.
As I was losing my ability to walk, the chows we had would actually place themselves between me and objects that would have resulted in injury from me hitting it. The ones we had instinctively became Service Animals as well, assisting in bringing dropped items, getting items etc. An addditional thing they would do was to give me advance warning of excerbations by how close they stayed by me 24/7.
On the downside, Chows are quite intelligent, curious, creative escape artists and get bored somewhat easily.They escape artist is easily dealt with, just walk ’em around the neighborhood a few times a month and that’s pretty much it. The rest of their boredom can be address by having another K9 around for them to play with.
Just a few thoughts.