Dogs in a SHTF scenario

My Weimaraner x Am Staff is now nearly 30 kg and is trained as a retriever or gun dog. The Am staff in him will mean that he will fight to the death to protect his pack leader. The Weimaraner in him makes him extremely intelligent and will hardly leave your side while on a walk. It's not overly hard to train a large breed dog properly. He is currently learning how to tear babies faces off.

A dog in a SHTF scenario would be a extremely valuable asset. Baby faces on a fry pan would be like pancakes.

Sorry double post.

anyone who thinks a dog would be a liability is probably putting too much confidence in their own instincts and technology and it might cost them their life. dogs are complete self sufficient they survived for thousands of years without us so if worse comes to worse they will be able to take care of themselves and little to no liability to us.if anything we would be more of a liability to the dog.

Originally posted by Samuelis
My Weimaraner x Am Staff is now nearly 30 kg and is trained as a retriever or gun dog. The Am staff in him will mean that he will fight to the death to protect his pack leader. The Weimaraner in him makes him extremely intelligent and will hardly leave your side while on a walk. It's not overly hard to train a large breed dog properly. He is currently learning how to tear babies faces off.

A dog in a SHTF scenario would be a extremely valuable asset. Baby faces on a fry pan would be like pancakes.

yep, I think mobs of well armed babies are going to be a huge threat in a SHTF situation.

in a really apocalyptic scenario I look at dogs as food... then again I also look that way at some of my neighbors...

Interesting thread. I don't get how it turned out be about eating babies's faces on frying pan or eating ones neighbors but whatever...

Originally posted by AdamLaw
Interesting thread. I don't get how it turned out be about eating babies's faces on frying pan or eating ones neighbors but whatever...

Thats the thing about being an apocalyptic scenario! The thread is getting much more real

Well my dog had already earned his keep.
Four black men came throught the open back doors (home invaded) and threatened me and my 2 teenage girls, whilst their father was asleep upstairs.
My dog; a Norweigan Elkhound, went for the first guy and barked a warning, so we had time to collect our wits. He could hear them coming through the garden, pity we ignored him. The police reckoned our dog hassled them and stopped their 'train of thought' just enough for me to use my "This is not the house you are looking for" routine.

It was actually next door they were after but that still didn't stop them stealing my husband's Apple laptop. GITS.

So my dog is getting his own BOB bag and stock of food.

And my cat kills all those pesky mice that would eat our store of food. And she keeps our blood pressure down when she lets us stroke her. She has a BOB bag too.

And I live in London.

If you're in an urban-suburban environment I see no winning with dogs in the early stages of STHF/WROL. More noise, more resource intensive, .. And if you can't get through those stages, I think you're pretty much over with anyway.

If you've got open expanses and a nice homestead away from the mess, dogs early and often.

If you have ~time~ to shift out of pocket and know you will and can move with your dog. I still might do it.

In none of those cases am I thinking hunting dog though. I'm not convinced in most situations a hunting/retriever/hog dog will be that advantageous. -Mags

reply to post by muse7


I only read your post and no one else's. I would definately want my dog with me in a SHTF scenario! I dont know about anyone else but my dog and I have a close connection, I know she would expect me to take her with me. We would give each other companionship, warmth, and a dog would be my other eyes and ears I dont have.

Depends on the type of dog. If your dog can hunt or guard, it'll be an advantage. If it's a breed with the sole purpose of looking cute in Paris Hilton's purse, not so much.

I have three, a redbone to chase it, a shepard to kill it, and a black lab to bring it back.

Full Size, Long Snouted, Intelligent dogs would be very helpful.


Playful Chihuahuas, Pomeranians, and Pugs will serve at least a good meal or two in a SHTF scenario.

Once domesticated feral dogs are going to be a serious issue in any SHTF scenario. There are no two ways about it. Having once been a family pet they have little fear of man that their always wild cousins (wolves and coyotes) have. They WILL band together in packs, huge packs, and man will be on their menu. He's easier to catch than a deer, will feed more of the pack than a rabbit and even armed can easily be overwhelmed by sheer numbers. Your single dog will not stand a chance against them even with you wielding a rifle. He/She is going to get hurt and probably killed if allowed to "defend his territory" against them. Your best bet is to keep him/her inside and pick them off from somewhere safe.

When I was a kid I remember one summer that we had a few weeks where we couldn't go outside and play or work because a feral pack of dogs moved into the area. They were seriously dangerous, stalking people while they moved around outside (adults and children). They decimated livestock and wildlife alike. The men in the area got together every weekend and hunted them so that we could safely be outside. It took them a couple weeks to clear them all out.

If you can't take care of your dog post SHTF the kindest thing, safest thing you can do is put your dog down.

reply to post by muse7


I think if your dog or dogs, have been trained or are very skilled at Hunting, Tracking, Guarding then YES, but if they are lap dogs, sorry but id consider them food. I love dogs, and will go to great lengths to make sure dogs are treated good. In a SHTF scenario though, Lap dogs would just be more to take care of. I have a Golden Retreiver, that hunts, can track small game ect.. So I will be taking my dog and using him as another tool for my survival.

reply to post by KonquestAbySS


Yeah - some people need to read up or watch some documentaries on wolves for example - their pack is their life. They don't turn on their own.
And you as an owner of the dog represent the "Alpha" in the pack (assuming you've raised them right).

I for one have a 1/4 German Sheppard 1/4 Husky 1/2 Wolf and I would trust him with my life.


He's already proven himself. My wife and I were in bed when we heard the back door slide open. My dog was making the most aggressive bark I've ever heard out of him (ever) and he was down the stairs before I was out of bed. The back door slammed shut, and we didn't even get a look at whoever it was. The fact that there was a large angry sounding dog protecting the place was enough to get the would-be intruder out of Dodge.

Now tell me you don't want that level of alert and protection when the S hits the F.

reply to post by therealdemoboy
An armed intruder would have been alerted to the presence of the dog and just shot him, giving him the upper hand. Please don't think that if the SHitsTF intruders won't be armed. Your dog could have alerted you to the presence of an intruder without alerting the intruder, giving you the upper hand and YOU could have taken care of the problem. That would have been working in concert.

Edit to add: Unless your dog is expendable. Mine are not. They'd best wake me up without barking and let me decide the course of action.

reply to post by SeenMyShare


I love my dog as much as any common sense pet owner (not the crazed animal lovers who make asses of themselves by pampering their pets), however my dog is MUCH more expendable than myself, my wife, or my son.

If the intruder was armed and shot my dog, I would have been immediately alerted to the fact that the perp had a gun, and I would know he's willing to use it. That is INVALUABLE information for someone protecting their home.

A dog is no replacement for a good firearm of your own for home defense - but both are better!

reply to post by muse7


Our ancestors also weren't in anything like a SHTF scenario, at least never for an extended period of time, I dont think.
Honestly, I do not think they will be worth the resources and effort to train. And if they arent trained properly, they will drain your supplies and possibly morale, and most likely get you killed.
I would only even remotely consider this if I had land away from any city/town, and already had a large stockpile of goods. Otherwise get it out of your head, it will get you killed.
Tardacus has a damn good point about the comparison of senses though. It really depends on the scenario. I am in some small city now, with no dog, so I would not even think about trying to find one on the way out. What the hell would I do anyways? Snag someones trained dog, that would probably kill me? A currently very useless and compromising puppy? There is no way I could manage that.

reply to post by therealdemoboy
Sorry, but my dogs are my last line of defense, not my first. I know my surroundings better than an intruder and he/she will make more noise getting in than I will by waiting with a weapon. The dogs are in case there is no option but to turn tail and run. In that case only it's them versus us.