Re: Good Dog Breed for Hikers

I have had dogs for over 50 years and we used several breeds here in B.C. with varying degrees of success; my youngest brother, an extremely experienced and competent bushman, still prefers Labs, the black ones, over anything.

About 21 years ago, I got my first Rottweiler and that is IT for me. These are NOT dogs for novices and they COST a LOT of $$$$$ to buy, feed, train, "vet" and so forth, but, I am "hooked" on them and usually have two at once....if, I had more space I would have a dozen!

I just got a superb little bitch, she is tough and ignored last night's snowstorm here in Vancouver, B.C.; she is VERY smart, brave and quite agressive. It will take me 2.5 years to bring her to where she will be a top pack dog in B.C. wilderness and a lot of work as obedience and bear training take a lot of time and work. But, I am looking forward to having another bush dog as my pair of massive male litter mates whelped in Sept. 1999, are now only one, due to an early death and that one is my wife's baby, will not leave her side and pines every day that she is at the office.

If, you are the right kind of person for this breed, they WILL be fabulous bush dogs and will backdown any other animal that you might encounter. The problem is that they are not an easy breed to train as a G-Shep. or Lab is.