I had a friend that owned one, it HATED anything w/ 4 legs..... Literaly ate little doggy's at the ferry term. (2 that I know of, d e a d ).
No kidding...
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The truth is, you [ or most ] probably don't require a dog that's going to chew bear fur. A "yappy" dog that makes lots of noise, along with a loud bell attached to it's collar is going to alert / encourage 99% of the black bears to move along.
Exactly *how much* bear protection do you need? and for what sorts of activities?
Buddie of mine had an Akita/lab cross, He never attacked dogs. But he was very protective. When we were 16-17 drinkin and smokin down at the beach you could see the cops flashlights comming and busting people at their fires. Well they would get to about 100yds and Max would sit up and growell and at 50 they cops would just turn around and leave. All the while Max never left the sitting position and never barked. Just growelled a 175lb dog growell to say " go away now"
Me i got a lab and a maverick
Absolutely Mr. Dean! :mrgreen:
A great many breeds can and will address the role being sought here, some a tad better than others. The key VERY much is all in their training!!
Not for everyone by any means, but my vote goes to Wolf Hybrids. Been raising and training them for near 30 years now. They DO require a LOT of time, a LOT of patience, a LOT of room, a LOT of exercise, a LOT of love and support, and a considerable dedication to the all important training aspect. Most folks simply don't have what it takes to address all of these on a constant basis. For those that do, you end up with a VERY loyal Companion! Super intelligent, blessed with the best nose in the biz, and of course protective when required.
Our current female Asuilu ("Probably" in Inuvialuktun) has absolutely no fear of bears, cats or any other living thing. Took a spell to keep her under control when she gets wound up. But now that has been successfully addressed, I'd rather have her along my side than another with a gun in the vast majority of confrontational encounters.
Here's a pix:
http://gallery.fishbc.com/albums/Ironnoggin/Asuilu.jpg
She is a mix of 1/2 Arctic Wolf, 1/4 German Shepherd, and 1/4 Lab. Very well disciplined, and absolute HELL on anything that decides to eff with her "pack". Not at all difficult to understand once you see her with her "Game Face" on!
http://gallery.fishbc.com/albums/Iro...lu_Warning.jpg
Eventual plan is to breed her with our new male Amaruq (Wolf). Although he's a tad too young at 4 months (4 months, milk teeth, 45 plus POUNDS!) she has been actively encouraging him this past week - suffering from the "heat" it seems... :wink:
He's 1/2 Timber Wolf 1/2 Alaskan Husky. Methinks they will eventually produce some damn fine looking pups. Those of the kind that, again with proper and rigorous training - will more than meet the demands of the most intensive back country hunter in terms of both Companion and Protection Animal.
Just this ol' Redneck's 2 pesos. As always, your mileage may vary...
Cheers,
Nog
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Just curious and not at all trying to be facetious - but how exactly do you know that either dog was parented - on one side or the other - by a timber/arctic wolf??
No Worries Billy. I get asked that all the time. I have been involved in this matter for 3 decades. In Western Canada (Including the Arctic) it's a pretty small circle of Folks who do likewise, and many know the others players involved. For many years I simply raised my own, selecting "Breeders" from Folks I knew well to supply the required ingredients from time to time. Unfortunately when we lost Munuqsii (Camp Watcher) last fall, he signaled the end of 5 generations descending from the same lineage.
When it came time for the eventual replacements, we were careful to deal with breeders we knew. The first outside our own lineage was Asuilu. I knew of her father's relocation as a pup to where is today. By good fortune I ran into the folks that ended up with him, and collected Asuilu as a pup. DNA analysis (I have an excellent working relationship with a vet research lab) conclusively confirmed her heredity within a few weeks of arriving home.
Amaruq was simply blind luck. When Munuqsii passed, The Missuz and I were heartbroken - he was with us over 16 years and it very much stung. I was in Alberta at the time (guiding whitetails), and although I wanted to come home, duty calls the loudest. A few days of moping later my Buddies took me out to a ranch for what I assumed was simply another meet and greet with a landowner. BUT, they had a litter of pups (3 weeks at that time) which they claimed were 1/2 Timber Wolf. When I questioned where they got the "wolf" from, they informed me it had come from a fellow I know well in the Western Arctic. A quick call (right in front of them) confirmed what they were saying. The mother also came from the Western Arctic, a fellow I know that breeds them (Alaskan Huskies) for racing purposes. Not only had he provided the female, but had taken a couple of the pups she produced and was very happy with them. Not often I will openly question people like that, but I've heard far too many "wolf" stories to believe most. Once I decided to bring Amaruq home, a simple drawing of a little blood, and off to the lab again. Not only could they be positive about the heritage, they could actually tell me what part of Canada the wolf had originated in (better data base with Timbers over Arctic Wolves).
DNA typing has become more common over the past decade. Now, with some institutions carrying large data bases, it is possible to identify EXACTLY what your pup is made up of. Of course here the key is the data base - the larger the better. Most vet clinics will only have those related to domestics, which is why I work with a Research Facility that has a much broader spectrum of information to compare test results against.
A couple of sites that help explain the process:
- http://www.ehow.com/facts_5291568_ge...ting-dogs.html
- http://dogs.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Dog_DNA_Test
You surely can't always tell by "looks". Asuilu does look her part, but Amaruq "appears" to be damn near anything but. Strange how the world of genetics works, one can rarely be certain of any given output when mixing stocks!
A pix of Amaruq at 11 weeks:
http://gallery.fishbc.com/albums/Iro...gs_11wks_4.jpg
Not overly "wolf" like in appearance. Might change, but methinks he is now wearing his "colors" and won't differ from that overly much with age.
Cheers,
Nog
Very cool! Thanks for the reply.
OK.......... Seeing pic's, I can no longer resist. :wink:
Old Joe;
http://api.photoshop.com/home_93c183...2f47bb7ba33775
they are somewhat uncommon, and kind of tough to get a hold of, but have you heard of a rhodesian ridgeback? I've got an 8 month pup and he's awesome! haven't really had him out hunting yet, but they were originally bred to bay lions in africa, s you know they have the balls for it. the lady who owns his father has 3 and says hers have treed bears on the property several times and chased them away when ot for walks. sounds like they do the job to me. they are super friendly and loyal to. and they look super cool. comes with a built in mohawk!
surprised no mention of karelians yet.
http://static.gotpetsonline.com/pict...r-dog-0005.jpg