What would be the best dog breed in nature?

1. A Czechoslovakian Wolfdog.
An aware breed with Nature’s backing. :)

Then a Rottweiler, or am Alaskan Husky.

These two.
Male
Female

I’m not really sure what you’re asking, but the worldwide “generic” dog that results from nature taking it’s course is typically mid sized (30–40lbs), brown, with an upturned tail. That would seem to indicate to me that that is the best “breed” to survive.

@Spinel The only thing about Rottweilers is that they have terrible hips, and the ones I know have the worst eyesight. Wolfdog gets my vote though :).

@ShiningToast True. I was thinking more the the Rottweiler’s ability to hold it’s own. :) I guess it depends on the pack.

@AstroChuck Whoa!,how muscular!. But that kind of dog can’t even catch a deer.

I prefer the English Mastiff. I had one and although they do not have a long life span (typically 6 years) they are loyal, loveable, and wil defend you to the death. They are also considered “work horses” as they are able to things that other dogs are completely incapable of. My English Mastiff protected my home and my family, and was a center of play for all of us. Of course, you must understand that they are larger then most humans, eat more than any dog I have ever encountered, and sling slobber on everything at every turn! But the benefits outweigh the challenges. As for nature, they are survivors. They were used in the time of the Romans to also fight battles with humans and they were also used as workers to perform many tasks. It is said that the Army Corp of Engineers needed to build a manmade lake and considered using English Mastiffs to dig it out… but the concern was rasised that even if successful, how would they remove all the poop?!?

The primitive dog.

The mutt

Ever time people try to breed a dog for a specific purpose they also breed out other natural attributes.

Natural selection will give the best dog for survival.

Grey hound or Saluki. They have the close DNA relation with wolf. That will ensure they produce healthy offspring to survive in nature.

Elkhounds and Corgis

Afgan hound,but who will groom them in nature?

@SophiscatedLady since when are humans not part of nature? I noticed the question never adressed these animals living or hunting in the wild… so in theory nature could be any patch of green in any city in the world. And yet mutts would still be the most suited to survive…

the grey wolf

@Dr_C I think the original question meant that ‘nature’ is the part of wildlife. I can’t believe you consider any patch of green in any city as nature. As I know they’re all artificial.
And in the ‘real’ nature human won’t live along side with this wild animal. The question also said that these creature must survive in nature on its own. (he/she won’t ask whether or not this female dog and its couple will survive if it’s really involving human in whatever you call as nature,of course these creature’s life would be sustained by human out of nature).

Mutts?,never heard of that.

@Dr_C I’m afraid @SophiscatedLady is right. I meant nature in the context of wildlife.

@Mamradpivo I meant dog breed. Seems like you didn’t read my question.

Are Dingo’s ferrel dogs or a true wild species?

@majorrich No, actually. The Dingo is seen as a feral breed and a pest. It’s descendant of domestic dogs and therefore not a true “natural species.”

@ShiningToast- Properly bred Rottweilers shouldn’t have hip maladies. The problem with many breeders in the US is that they breed them to be too large. Those dogs typically suffer from hip dysplasia. European breeders don’t breed them to be so large, nor do they crop the tail (which is illegal in many European countries).

The Cane Corso (Italian Mastiff) would in my opinion be the best alpha. They are intellegent, muscular, and cunning. Also much quicker than their mastiff cousins. But @DrBill is right, it need to be a mutt, not a imbred purebred

“The dingo’s origin is uncertain, though scientists now believe that it is related to Asian and Middle Eastern wolves that probably arrived in Australia between 3,500 and 4,000 years ago, transported by Asian seafarers. The scientific name of the dingo was recently changed from canis familiaris (domestic dog) dingo to canis lupus (wolf) dingo, to show its relationship to the white-footed wolf of South-East Asia. Whereas barking is typical of domestic dogs, dingos generally communicate over long distances with howls – like other wild dogs and wolves.”

@Spinel – the Town Dog takes exception to your remarks regarding her ancestors!

@AstroChuck ~ that bitch is pretty scary lookin’

@mcbealer- You should see my first wife.

I think if a Dingo were to mate with a Wolf the result would be a hardy animal but perhaps less tolerant to extremes in temperature.

@majorrich- That dog would eat babies!

Probably. It would be one <ahem> tough son-of-a-bitch. lol

Speaking of eating babies, the Town Dog, who truly has a large amount of dingo in her, was raised to the age of about 6–8 months with the Aboriginal people. Consequently she loves the little Aboriginal kids but is really not sure what little white kids are. Because she has extremely high prey drive, I keep a close eye on her when she is around them.

Regarding the temperature tolerances, wolves can live in cold habitats, and I think they do alright in heat as well. Here they are found almost everywhere in the country including the snow fields. They call them alpine dingos. So dingo/wolfe would be a formidable creature I would think.

@AstroChuck – I knew a couple (he was a cop and a police dog trainer) who imported a rott from German working lines, bred him to a bitch was was OFA’d and whose pedigree was hd free for many generations. That litter and a subsequent one to a different bitch produced pups with very bad HD. It is a recessive gene and apparently can crop up at any time in almost any breeding. No line is completely safe.

For a dog to be able to integrate successfully into a wolf pack it would have to smell right to the other wolves, and for that to happen it would have to be a wolf hybrid. A dog that doesn’t smell right would be ostracised from the pack, or even killed, and would not survive alone.

Survival depends on a lot more than just breed. Location is critical. Rottweilers (as someone mentioned) wouldn’t last long in cold climates, just as a Malamute wouldn’t last a week in warmer climates.

My guess is that one of the ‘ancient breeds’ (DNA from dogs of 85 (mostly) AKC-registered breeds (5 individuals per breed in most cases) were tested. This study had some surprises, especially the suggestion that three breeds – the Norwegian Elkhound, Pharaoh Hound and Ibizan Hound – are not as old as typically stated, but rather are more recent recreations of old types. Also, five pairs of breeds are closely related: Alaskan Malamute and Siberian Husky, Collie and Shetland Sheepdog, Greyhound and Whippet, Bernese Mountain Dog and Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, and finally the Bull Mastiff and English Mastiff.) Ancient breeds have skills for survival and adaptation that many other, more modern breeds may lack.

The tropics of North Queensland is full of huskies and malamutes. They actually acclimate very nicely. I had an akita. I acquired him when I lived in Sydney and he moved to the NT with me when he was about 6. He loved the sun, would lie in it until his choke chain would get hot to the touch, then move to the shade for a bit to cool off but back to the sun again. I never clipped him just kept him brushed out. His undercoat was not as dense there as it was when we lived in colder climes but he still had a fair bit of it. It acted as insulation and kept him cool when he was in direct sun.