Best breed for big game hunting companion.

This was my first thought as well, out here I usually hear them referred to just as cow dogs, or Australian Heelers. But yeah, some of the smartest and most agile dogs I've ever seen, and as working cattle dogs they understand protecting and alerting on predators as much as herding, and they are extremely in-tune with their owners.

Only 2 problems I've ever seen with them. The first is they very much tend to be one-person dogs - if you're not their owner, they're kind of "F you" if you try to command them, quite often. I'm sure it can be trained to be minimal, but they aren't the best family dogs because of that - not like a lab. It's more of a limitation, than a problem, if you're cognizant of it. The other problem is they're high-energy and need to be worked, and are best with a lot of outside time, or they'll get pretty squirrely at home. Especially with kids around and a wife they may be a little inclined to not be as obedient to.

These are generalities, of course, and good training and being a good owner can minimize or leverage any of this. But yeah, first thought I had about what kind of dog I'd want in bear country, watching my back, is an Australian Heeler.

That has been my understanding as well. However, I had (passed tragically) a friend who must have been the Heeler Whisperer, Lol. I don’t know if he was that good, had a great breeder, or was lucky in the order. Guy could get them to do anything and they would for anyone else too.

The ones I grew up around that the cowboys had were generally as you described. Pound for pound the toughest animal I’ve ever seen. Take a kick from a 2000# bull then turn around and put him right through a 5 wire fence.
 
It is for good reason that folks that hunt bears with dogs have a pack of dogs, not just one, and they loose dogs to the bears. A single dog stands little chance against a bear.

I also don't think that protecting your dog would be an adequate excuse for shooting an "endangered species." You would have to wait for the bear to kill your dog and then come after you. I suspect the bear your dog chased was running from you, not the dog.
 
I'd have to disagree with this, yes it makes the training "easier" but when it translates to the real world, it can lead to the dog not listening when he's fresh. I want my dog to listen when he's high strung and potentially easily distracted.

I would say that if you get on a consistent training regiment, you can work through some of the issues you may have with him. I use the Team Dog training program and has been really good for my and my Malinois. Hoping next year he will be going on some hunting trips, although my wife does like the security of having him at home when I am gone, though she doesn't like how high strung he is when I'm not here giving him his exercise and work.
I do that mostly with puppies in the beginning. To keep their attention. I do train them when they are fresh after basic obedience is good. I don't get crazy with commands. I just want them to hunt and not be a pain in the but.

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It is for good reason that folks that hunt bears with dogs have a pack of dogs, not just one, and they loose dogs to the bears. A single dog stands little chance against a bear.

I also don't think that protecting your dog would be an adequate excuse for shooting an "endangered species." You would have to wait for the bear to kill your dog and then come after you. I suspect the bear your dog chased was running from you, not the dog.

We have our share of bears in the backyard. Don’t hunt them with dogs however. I’ve never seen one stand up to a barking dog of any breed, including ankle nippers. Bears don’t like dogs. Now a wolf, it will take Fifi right out off the lawn in its mouth with you watching.
 
It is for good reason that folks that hunt bears with dogs have a pack of dogs, not just one. A single dog stands little chance against a bear.

I also don't think that protecting your dog would be an adequate excuse for shooting an "endangered species." You would have to wait for the bear to kill your dog and then come after you. I suspect the bear your dog chased was running from you, not the dog.

Unless a specific state prohibits it, it's my understanding that if grizzly, cougar, or wolves are attacking livestock (and pets are considered property akin to livestock), it's entirely legal to use lethal force to stop the predator. With people, fear of "imminent attack" is the trigger, in protecting self or others.
 
It is for good reason that folks that hunt bears with dogs have a pack of dogs, not just one, and they loose dogs to the bears. A single dog stands little chance against a bear.

I also don't think that protecting your dog would be an adequate excuse for shooting an "endangered species." You would have to wait for the bear to kill your dog and then come after you. I suspect the bear your dog chased was running from you, not the dog.
Do you run hounds, or just making a blanket statement? The reason you dump a box of dogs on bears, is because a bear will just run and walk away from a single dog all day long, whereas a pack of dogs can get a bear to go up a tree, or bay up. And when a pack of dogs catches one on the ground, thats when a dog can get torn up cause the bear is forced to fight.

The point is not to have my dog attack a grizzly, the point is to get the grizzly to go the other way, which works plenty well with a single 40lb dog, something i know from experience. As for shooting a bear thats attacking my dog, if the bear is close enough to attack my dog, my life is also in danger, no warden is gonna argue otherwise about that. The wardens out here, are just as sick of grizzlies as the rest of us
 
It is for good reason that folks that hunt bears with dogs have a pack of dogs, not just one, and they loose dogs to the bears. A single dog stands little chance against a bear.

I also don't think that protecting your dog would be an adequate excuse for shooting an "endangered species." You would have to wait for the bear to kill your dog and then come after you. I suspect the bear your dog chased was running from you, not the dog.

Im under no delusions that any domestic dog is not going to defeat a grizzly bear. Thats not why hes there. The dog is there to create a barrier of protection between me and the bear. Allowing me to get home to my wife and 4 kids in the event of the worst case scenario.

That bear could have taken 1 swipe of his paw and killed my dog. They were that close. To insinuate the non stop barking in his face didn't deter him from trying something I believe is wrong. Not that the bear is afraid of losing a fight to the dog, they just dont want to deal with the hassle.

If im standing 5 feet from a bear and hes tearing apart my dog, my life is in imminent danger and I am shooting or spraying the shit out of that bear. Im not sure at what point im supposed to shoot a bear if hes within 5 to 10 feet of me attacking my dog.

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Im not sure at what point im supposed to shoot a bear if hes within 5 to 10 feet of me attacking my dog.

I'd probably defer to the Tueller Drill on that one. Five to ten feet is one step/lunge and a swipe to your face. Not to mention that the speed of sudden hurtling violence with a grizzly is just faster that what a human is capable of.
 
I'd probably defer to the Tueller Drill on that one. Five to ten feet is one step/lunge and a swipe to your face. Not to mention that the speed of sudden hurtling violence with a grizzly is just faster that what a human is capable of.
Thats what I was trying to insinuate. Anything passed 20 yards moving in my direction, the shooting starts.

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