Best breed for big game hunting companion.

[ohlongarm]

After owning/training three working line German Shepherds (Czech and East DDR) kept as family protection dogs in remote Alaska, there is my vote. Absolutely fearless against anything I've met, man or beast, including 1,000 lb Brown bears. Whatever you do, do NOT tie one outside for even short duration in bear country. They seem to take pleasure in killing dogs on cable runs. Not mine thankfully, but I've seen several. My pregnant female import from the Czech Border Patrol kennel was especially impressive on Brown bears even solo. Breeder Yiri Novotny stated the dog had never seen a bear but surmised that bears and dogs have been mortal enemies for centuries. Makes sense, having seen wolves kill youngish Brown Bears on multiple occasions.

These all represent the lines you've mentioned,we also have some Slovakian dogs.Many more not shown.

 

[Bluumoon]

These all represent the lines you've mentioned,we also have some Slovakian dogs.Many more not shown.

Love my Czech line GSD, put my time in on training w her. But the nervous energy/gsd whine can be a bit much… I haven’t run into anything I can’t call her off of. Unfortunately the altitude (7k) here has been hard on her, developed pannus at 3yo and this year has gone totally blind.

 

[AKAV8R]

Love my Czech line GSD, put my time in on training w her. But the nervous energy/gsd whine can be a bit much… I haven’t run into anything I can’t call her off of. Unfortunately the altitude (7k) here has been hard on her, developed pannus at 3yo and this year has gone totally blind.

Pretty common to see that ultra high drive/whine in working lines. A lot of the K-9 units I worked with exhibited those traits with their dogs. I bought our GSD's from 2 fantastic breeders who selected the perfect drive dogs for us. My target dog was a house stable, calmer dog that was trainable for family protection and Schutzhund training. They were notably lower drive dogs, and not particularly hard temperaments but highly athletic and excelled in everything I asked of them. From my limited knowledge, these dogs could not be competitive in the higher levels of Schutzhund but can perform any Schutzhund tasks at a novice to intermediate level. kb

 

[AKAV8R]

These all represent the lines you've mentioned,we also have some Slovakian dogs.Many more not shown.

Good looking dogs! Are you currently breeding? What state? I currently do not have a GSD, after having them for 20 plus yrs. My last dog just passed 3 yrs back and I went with a Chessie pup because I always wanted one, and I retired and moved into a great location for waterfowl hunting. Had working Labs for 25 plus, then went to GSD's due to the need for family protection as a LEO in a rough community.

 

[AKAV8R]

These all represent the lines you've mentioned,we also have some Slovakian dogs.Many more not shown.

Current hound Goos and past GSD’s.

 

[ohlongarm]

Good looking dogs! Are you currently breeding? What state? I currently do not have a GSD, after having them for 20 plus yrs. My last dog just passed 3 yrs back and I went with a Chessie pup because I always wanted one, and I retired and moved into a great location for waterfowl hunting. Had working Labs for 25 plus, then went to GSD's due to the need for family protection as a LEO in a rough community.

I can give you a contact if you're truly interested, however the waiting list for adults, and pups is endless. Your call.

 

[AKAV8R]

I can give you a contact if you're truly interested, however the waiting list for adults, and pups is endless. Your call.

I'm not looking for right now, thanks.

 

[Lionhound1975]

Well if one of you all find the perfect bear defense dog you could probably make it rich selling them to the Japanese, I read bears in Japan have killed 13 people and injured over 100 since April.

Maybe I can buy used clothing from some of you Alaska bear hunters that you used to skin a grizzly, then use them to aptitude test a bunch of Black Mouth Cur puppies and show up in Tokyo in 6 months with my retirement assured!

 

[johnnycake]

Well if one of you all find the perfect bear defense dog you could probably make it rich selling them to the Japanese, I read bears in Japan have killed 13 people and injured over 100 since April.

Maybe I can buy used clothing from some of you Alaska bear hunters that you used to skin a grizzly, then use them to aptitude test a bunch of Black Mouth Cur puppies and show up in Tokyo in 6 months with my retirement assured!

If only I'd have been thinking clearly I would've bagged and frozen my bear spoiled clothing last month instead of tossing it! Smelly gold!

 

[AKAV8R]

Well if one of you all find the perfect bear defense dog you could probably make it rich selling them to the Japanese, I read bears in Japan have killed 13 people and injured over 100 since April.

Maybe I can buy used clothing from some of you Alaska bear hunters that you used to skin a grizzly, then use them to aptitude test a bunch of Black Mouth Cur puppies and show up in Tokyo in 6 months with my retirement assured!

I’d wager that most Japanese people getting attacked by bears are extremely poor, working outside with no cash to spare for dogs or firearms.

 

[johnnycake]

I’d wager that most Japanese people getting attacked by bears are extremely poor, working outside with no cash to spare for dogs or firearms.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/08/asia/japan-bear-supermarket-attac-intl-hnk

 

[ThunderJack49]

I hate to start a new thread as there is one similar,m going on right now, but I dont have a Weight limit and the dog can be as big as it needs to be.

Back story. I live and hunt in serious grizzly country. We have a rule that we dont hunt alone, (yes its that bad). Even when hunting in pairs, we dont separate with the exception of putting a stalk on something. I have stuck to that rule until this year, my long-time hunting partner is guiding, and there were weekends I had no one to hunt with.

So I took the larger of our 2 family dogs with me a few weeks ago. Buck is a 95lb mountain Cur. I walked into a creek bottom being very cautious of course, when all of the sudden Buck went absolutely ballistic barking behind me. I look back and there is a 500lb (yes, I know bear size is often exaggerated, this is not) grizzly boar standing at 20 yards looking at me and looking back to Buck who is literally 5 feet from that bears face giving him the business. An intense stand off lasted for about 10 seconds where that bear was deciding what he wanted to do and he finally turned and ran, and Buck followed behind him, chasing him up the mountain until he was about 100 yards away, then Buck turned around and re joined me at my side.

That dog was fearless. Ive never taken him hunting and to be honest he did exactly what I hoped he would do. He stays close to my side, not on a leash, when we get into dense brush, he goes a little ahead of me and bird dogs around ( which is how he found that bear that I walked right past). When I sit down to glass I tie him next to me to sage brush or a tree and he just lays down.

The only problem I have with him is I cant tie him up and walk away from him or he will bark. Sometimes he gets too far ahead and doesnt listen immediately when I call him. So we have some training to do, maybe an E Collar.

So this got me thinking that going forward I would like to get another dog after Buck or sooner that will suite my needs as a hunting companion. I dont need the dog to spot game, blood trail, point or any of that. I need it to be fearless, easily trained to sit, stay, not bark at game, stay by my side and most importantly not back down from enormous grizzly bears.

Maybe with my experience with Buck I know the answer already, but to be honest up until that weekend, me and Buck havent had the best relationship, I am not sure if its the breed, but him in his sister have been pains in the asses. They have way too much energy, very needy, run away when we are at home every chance they get, destroy crates, destroyed a chain link kennel. All this has gone on regardless of how much attention and time is spent with them, they just can't chill.

Buck is 6 so he still has plenty life left in him and we are going to start training the bad habits out.

Im thinking having a well trained dog will enable me to hunt at times I would otherwise have to stay home. I wont be getting another dog for a few years, but am curious what breeds to focus around when that time comes.

Thanks.

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Where are you that the griz are that bad?
I go hunting with my heeler, especially spring bear. He will bark and protect me if he feels the need but is honestly pretty afraid of large animals after getting ran over by a horse one time and losing a few teeth. Stays by my side but trembles when we come across anything bigger than a deer.

 

[grfox92]

Where are you that the griz are that bad?
I go hunting with my heeler, especially spring bear. He will bark and protect me if he feels the need but is honestly pretty afraid of large animals after getting ran over by a horse one time and losing a few teeth. Stays by my side but trembles when we come across anything bigger than a deer.

NW Wyoming. Right on the border of the Park.

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[ThreeOhSeven]

First breed that comes to mind is a Karelian Bear Dog. Literally bred for bear hunting and alerting. My buddy had one and it was well mannered.

 

[ThunderJack49]

NW Wyoming. Right on the border of the Park.

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I’ve heard it’s bad down there, but I’ve never been there. I hunt the northern border of the park, we have our fair share of them too.

 

[ohlongarm]

Where are you that the griz are that bad?
I go hunting with my heeler, especially spring bear. He will bark and protect me if he feels the need but is honestly pretty afraid of large animals after getting ran over by a horse one time and losing a few teeth. Stays by my side but trembles when we come across anything bigger than a deer.

Polebridge at base of Glacier,this young bear about 500 lbs attempted an intimidation tactic but the dog temporarily deterred him. This was on a doctor's friend's 40 acres, he bought it 30 years ago for 5K an acre, worth a few million now.two cabins built with all amenities.

 

[Taray787]

I don’t hunt grizzly bear country. But I do hunt with a companion dog. We breed and train working German shepherds. Mine hunts with me frequently in whitetail woods. She has never spooked an animal and will sit perfectly still as long as I do. I would think a well trained high drive dog would work for your intended purposes with the main thing being properly trained

 

[kbaerg]

I like my Catahoula. There are days he's a bonehead, but when i take him hunting he has been awesome.

 

[RockAndSage]

Grok says.

Dogs in bear country (whether black bears or grizzlies) are a bad idea for several interconnected reasons. Wildlife biologists, park rangers, and search-and-rescue teams consistently advise against bringing dogs into areas with high bear activity. Here’s why:

1. Dogs trigger a predator/prey chase response in bears
Bears (especially grizzlies) see a running, barking dog as either prey or a threat. Dogs often harass or chase bears, then run back to their owner with an angry bear in tow. This is the #1 way people get mauled when they have a dog with them.

2. Most dogs cannot actually fight or deter a bear
Despite what some owners think, even large, “protective” breeds are usually killed or severely injured in seconds by a bear. The dog almost always flees back to the owner, bringing the bear with it.

3. Bear spray and firearms are less effective when a dog is involved
When a dog is escalating the situation, you often don’t have time to deploy bear spray properly or aim a firearm safely. Many documented maulings happened because the owner was trying to control or protect the dog instead of focusing on the bear.

4. Dogs attract bears to campsites
Bears are drawn to dog food, dog feces, and even the smell of the dog itself. There are multiple cases of bears entering camps at night specifically because a dog was tied up or sleeping in the tent.

5. Leashed dogs can still cause problems
A leashed dog can lunge and bark, provoking a defensive bear from 50–100 yards away. Off-leash dogs are even worse because they range far ahead and encounter bears before you know anything is wrong.

6. Real-world data backs this up
- In Yellowstone National Park, dogs have been involved in a disproportionate number of bear–human conflicts when they’re allowed (they’re now banned on virtually all trails).
- Glacier National Park explicitly states: “Dogs often initiate a negative encounter with a bear that leads to human injury.”
- A 2018 study of grizzly attacks in Alaska found that having a dog present increased the likelihood of injury, not decreased it.

7. The few exceptions (trained Karelian bear dogs, etc.) don’t apply to pets
Professional bear-aversion dogs used by wildlife agencies are specially bred, rigorously trained from puppyhood, and handled by experts. Your Labrador or German shepherd is not in that category.

Bottom line: If you’re hiking or camping in grizzly or heavy black-bear country (Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Alaska, parts of Colorado, California, British Columbia, Alberta, etc.), leave the dog at home or board it. It’s safer for you, safer for the dog, and safer for the bears. Many national parks and wilderness areas outright ban dogs on trails for this exact reason.

Garbage in, garbage out.

 

[RockAndSage]

What part do you disagree with? I'm pretty sure Yellowstone/Teton/Glacier rangers have more experience than you, but enlighten us.

It's the same rhetorical $h*t that academics and "experts" craft to try to convince people that having a gun in the home is a bad idea - badguy might take it, kill you with it, domestic violence, suicide, etc, etc, etc.

They find grains of debatable truth, and craft whole philosophies of disarmament around it.

If you want to disarm yourself of an excellent alarm system and protective asset in the form of an animal that has literally protected us from bears from the time we were in caves, go right ahead. But that set of Grok answers was f'ing moronic.