Hello Everyone, this is my first time posting on here, wanting to say
hi to you all. This has to be my favorite site and thus so far probably ony of my favourite topics.

Well, not sure if its been mentioned, though probably not as its been forgotten over here in England. I would have to go with the Airedale Terrier - reasons being Great loyal companion, very strong will, powerful dog and great friend, also ability to think and hunt independantly.
Was often used as our Army/Police dog over here during wartime.

I've even got one, he's 3 years old and built like a tank - Goes by the name of Morgan the Mighty )

lol

happy new year to you all

)

Ahh A topic very close to both my hearth and heart.
I currently share my life with 5 full blood wolves ( a breeding pair and 3 of thier offspring)
While i would not have originaly figured a dog/wolf into my life or survival plans, after having this bunch in my life for awhile, I couldn't imagine getting along without them.
I inherited this family of wolves when a freind of mine was killed in Afganistan. He aquired the parent male as a foundling while doing field work as a paleoanthropologist. The male was half timberwolf, and half arctic. After reading up on wolves, he felt it would be unfair to an animal that mates for life to condemn him to a life of bachlorhood, so he found a breeder and was able to procurea female that was also half timber and half arctic.
I was " Introduced " to the paira couple of years before my friend died, but even though they accepted me as a friend of thier alpha, I still had to make the male submit when they came to live with me. The pups have never been a problem since they were born knowing i was thier alpha.
The advantage to the wolves, aside form thier obvious physical atributes is thier loyalty to the pack and the den, so consequently they are loyal to me. They hunt as a unit, but will only attack or kill based on a sign from me.
While wolves are very vocal they rarely if ever bark, and when in hunt or defend mode, they are silent stalkers.
While they were raised some what civilized, my friend also raised them to be able to survive if they should ever have to in the wild.
They will hunt and kill in the field, but will not devour the kill until the alpha is present.
With thier heightened senses, thier courage and loyalty, I would have a hard time imagining a better squad to have by my side if/when things got dicey.
As an aside, I have talked to many breeders about wolf/dog hybred, and they all agree that hybreds are inherently dangerous. They have the nervousness of a dog, combined with the strength and instinct to kill of a wolf.


[edit on 5-1-2008 by 1ShotDeal]

i believe the chinese have used chow chow's for at least 3000 years

man, I think dogs are great!! they let you know if someone is around , they let you know if your sick they are smarter than we think!! I myself like the herding dogs heres mine



you just have to "learn about your dog. Like Ceasar Millan the dog whisperer.

Plus!!! If you get a dog like mine ...you have to play with them and keep them thinking!!

Though a border collie will get the game very fast and you have to keep uping the the game!!

and buy lots of frisbies!!

I have two cats also, but its hard to get them to play ball

one thing cool about dogs is that , they can get by even in the hot south (where I'm from) just go buy a kiddie pool





see...cheaper than you can imagine.

And, yes it does get cold here and I have a fire place.



They understand where the heat is ...

but, its still nothing like a good watch cat!!

and my dog



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post yours!


[edit on 16-3-2008 by RUFFREADY]

Well now that the pics are comming out here are my 2 dogs. Nikki is a 3y/o German Shepherd and Mason is a 1 1/2 y/o Pitbull. This is my front door entrance, dont try nothin' funny...

I think just about any dog is a good dog to have in a survival situation. It all depends on what kind of training you give them. I do have a preferance for mixed breeds though, they seem to have less of the health problems associated with the overbreeding of purebreds, and in my experience are more calm. As far as pure breds go i have a preferance for labs, great hunting dogs, loyal beyond belief, one of the most intelligent dogs around. Last two reasons are why they are rutinely used for helping the disabled. My lab taught herself how to turn the doorknob and open the door by herself, also to unlatch the gate, needless to say i now keep them locked at all times for her safety. They are also great family dogs and are extremely protective of the children in the family. But then again any dog is only as good as it is trained to be and the more love it recieves the better it will be.

Originally posted by Anonymous ATS
[Hi
I am interested in this topic of wolf/dog hybrids....I am trying to educate myself about them. Not from the standpoint of wanting one as a pet, but rather as a neighbor of someone who owns about 15 or so of them. He states they are Timber Wolf (98%) and I think 2% white shepherd (?).
He does not have fenced land but keeps them chained at all times except when he lets a couple "very tamed ones" off to run around once in a while (like the other day) and one of them came over for a "visit". It came to get a bone from our yard (I have 2 dogs whom I give bones to quite often.)
I have told him I don't want them around because I have a 4 year old daughter who plays in our yard and I don't want to have to think about his wolf/dog threatening or harming her.
My biggest concern is that we don't know the dogs and he assures me that my daughter is completely safe if it ever comes over in to our yard. He bets his life on the "fact" that his dog would NEVER harm a flea.
He says the horror stories that are heard about wolf/dog hybrids are from Grey Wolf not Timber Wolf and that his wolves are not at all unpredictable....
For any of you experienced with wolf hybrids, can you help educate me about this?
Thank you!
JF]



I have no experience with wolf hybrid dogs, but i have experience with dogs. The problem with your nieghbor saying that he bets his life on it is that he's not, he's betting your daughters life on it. You may want to check and see if they have any ordinances in your area concerning these hybrids. They may have an ordinance stating that they must be fenced in, or kept in a pen. I would think that just because of the amount of dogs that he owns he should have a fenced in yard, is he breeding them?



If i was you i'd fence in my yard simply for the safety of your daughter and your dogs also. Dogs are pack animals, as are wolves. They have a hierarchy in thier pack. Your dogs may see your daughter as being above them in the pack order, but your nieghbors dogs won't regardless of wether they have wolf in them or not. If she wanders to close to thier territory they may attack her. If they come into your yard they may still attack her or your dogs,especially if they come over a couple at a time as they will be with their pack.


There is always a risk that a dog will attack, especially with young children who tend to run & scream in a high pitch while playing. The wolf part of your nieghbors dogs may see this behaviour of a child as the behaviour of prey, or as aggression and attack. A plain old dog may have the same reaction, depending on the dog.


I also don't believe that it's very a very good idea to keep a dog chained up at all times ( personally i would never chain a dog up,rather put up a fence, or pen where the can run), i seriously doubt that it's a good idea to do to a wolf.


It doesn't seem like your nieghbor is very responsible concerning his dogs, simply because you have asked him to keep his dogs out of your yard and he seems to be ignoring your wishes. While you are right to believe that it is his responsibilty to keep his dogs out of your yard, since he has no respect for your wishes it seems that you may have to be the responsible one and fence in your yard. Better for you to put up the fence than for your daughter to be harmed, or worse.

Originally posted by RUFFREADY
but, its still nothing like a good watch cat!!

Off Topic.
Agreed on that one, they might be a pain to take with you on the move (although some breeds could rough it) but some have and are still used for guarding temples in Asia.
Obviously not able to do much against an adult intruder, their meow can alert the defenders to an approaching threat.
Siamese and the egyptian cats are considered pretty decent for this type of thing.

If you can keep a dog with ease then a german shepard / timber wolf is one
which I would have as a companion.

[edit on 20-5-2008 by WatchRider]