guard dogs

I don't know what's up with the brow on that dog skull above? LOL.

Here are few better pictures of the canine skull.

German Shepherd...



Rottweiler...



Great Dane...



Another canine, the hyena... It is said the hyena has one of the hardest bites of any canine or other mammal. Notice the LARGE flat area of the jaw. This is where muscle attaches. The skull is neither short nor long, but also notice the head shape is somewhat different in that the "stop" on top of the skull is also much less pronounced...basically non-existent in the skull despite it being somewhat visible in a living "fleshed" hyena.



The hyena shows a perfect biting skull as a result of years of natural selection as a scavener as a result of surviving by consuming the bones of the dead left when lions were done eating.

The german shepherd is probably most like the hyena.

I didn't show the APBT because that would depend on the type/line of APBT one was looking at since the APBT wasn't bred to "look" a certain way.

 

3 more interesting skulls...all taken from the Bull Terrier.

Here is a study of bull terrier skulls, and the changes that have occurred since the 1930's (1st pic) 1950's (2nd pic) and the 1980's (3rd pic). Also somewhat similar to the hyena.

 

IMO, this is a very interesting photo.

Breed A is the purebred St. Bernard skulls from 1850 [Top], 1921 [Middle], and 1967 [Bottom]. Breed B is the purebred bull terrier skulls from 1931 [Top], 1950 [Middle], and 1976 [Bottom]. Breed C is the purebred Newfoundland skulls from 1926 [Top], 1964 [Middle], and 1971 [Bottom].

Before these breeds became ruined by show breeding, notice how similiar their skull were in the top photos despite being very different breeds. Notice how show breeding has distorted the skull...notice the etreme drop of muzzle in the Bull Terrier. This is NOT just a change in tilt of the skull...as you can compare the top like of the skull and the zygomatic process to see the skull is positioned the same and it IS indeed muzzle drop.

 

I've owned Akita, Dobberman and Rotties best guard dog Dobberman. I have seen them Belgian dogs go to work...haven't owned them but would say they are pretty up there witht he Dobbies. Dobbies are just faster to catch intrudors. But they are harder to train I think then a GS. So top guard dogs Dobbies, and GS.

 

Interesting pics Lee!

 

I was watching a show about the african bush and I was amazed that the hyena is actually related to cats, not dogs. Nice pics though, thanks.

 

IMHO, the hyena should be seperated from both dogs and cats, and they do have their own genous, Hyaenidae. I honestly shouldn't have stated canine in referrence to the hyena. I did that without really thinking simply because so many classify them as canids in "casual" conversation. Taxonomists technically classify them as "Feliformia," which is scientifically "cat-like."

However, hyenas don't have retractable claws or some of the other "cat-like" features that are seen in most Feliformia, although neither does a cheetah either for that matter.

IMO, one of the best ways to properly classify an animal is by examining its reproductive tract rather than looking at the skeletal structure. If an animal is "related" to another, then it must have a similiar method of reproducing...for if they reproduce by an entirely different means, they can't be too closely related. While the hyena doesn't have a "tie" like a dog, I don't know it is an induced ovulator either, as is the case with cats.

All that said, I don't know if it is correctly classified scientifically or not. I say this because supposedly the hyena is more closely related to the "mongoose" like animals more so than dogs or cats. LOL. Who would have thought? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herpestidae Although I do NOT study hyenas or mongoose, I will say I have my doubts about the accuracy of some of this stuff.

Again, I think they need to look into the reproductive system in order to classify it "most" correctly. Although I used the term "canid" above, it certainly isn't a "dog" by anymeans.

All that said...head shape is still adapted to function.

Back to skulls...check this comparison out. Another hard biter. Can you IMAGINE a dog with a head like the Tasmanian Devil? Can you say "Devil dog?" LOL

 

Lee, Hyenas aren't canines, they're in their own Genus and Species. They cannot interbreed with any canine, and are more closely related to the Vivveridae family and it's cousins.
Edit; Oh lol, didn't see someone else had corrected you, sorry.

 

Ya, I knew that...but had my head up my @$$ for a momment. LOL. I knew they couldn't breed with any canines...but figured they were related at a higher level...which they are, but you have to go all the way up to the order "Carnivora" to connect them.

 

ALSO, it's a common misconception that Hyenas are mainly scavengers; they DO hunt, fairly often. They just take a free meal wherever they can get it, but those jaws aren't JUST made for crushing bones of lion kills, they're made for killing.

Sorry hah, I research African fauna a lot.

 

I have seen some of their hunting in video. The really seem to use a "pack mentality," but it is obviously they do at least look into those bones left by lions more so than many other animals typically do...and they can be successful working on some of those bones as well. They certainly have a strong bite either way.

Anyway...I apologize for getting so far off the original topic.

 

being an aussie the tasmainian tiger allways pricks my ears up they were a very athletic looking hunter and would have been very efficient at dispatching their prey, and Tasmainia itself is a very unforgiving place so to be top of the food chain there takes some talent.

a bit of useless info for you, the first bsl introduced into Australia, was long before the pitbull was banned anywhere, we used to have bsl laws stopping people owning GSD,s in all rural areas and whichever councils or shires who decided they didnt want them there.why? Apparently someone came up with the notion that the GSD would interbreed with out native dog the Dingo and creat an iron jawed killing machine that would take over the country.

 

Lee since you seem to be very well versed in this are i know you mentioned you liked great danes and you use english mastiffs? in your program? what are your thoughts on the presa? or even a hermes bulldogge? as a guard dog? any thoughts?

 

Sorry Lee, but I had to say something. A hyena is in no way related to the canid family. He is actually more related to bear and weasel, than a dog or wolf. I say this because I am an avid Spotted Hyena fan/future conservationist and the animal means more to me than most others. Also, the hyena is mostly not a scavanger, it is a hunter with over a 30% success rate. This is much better than the wolves' 12% and a tiger's 15%. They are fully capable of taking Cape Buffalo, gazelle, and other smaller predators as they can also run at a steady speed of 30 mph over several miles. Eat that AD test! Also, yes the muscle attaches to the large and flat jawbone, however, most of the muscle (like an APBT) attaches to the protruding ridge above the stop on the actual skull of the animal. The hyena is the second most powerful bite related to body size of any animal in the world, the Nile Crocodile is the first. Great white sharks, the third. And so on and so forth.

Sorry this was my time to shine at my research! Also, to denote any viciousness, the S. Hyena is one of the most affectionate and loyal of the wild animals, some that own them as pets in Africa actually claim that they are just as dogs in behavior, trainability, and affection. Not a claim that a pet hyena has "mauled" a handler/trainer/owner. However, it is legal to own monkeys and chimps...does that make sense to you?

Ok my schpiel is over now.

 

Sorry, got passionate and didn't read the replies, oh well, there is more information pertaining to the Hyena in my post anyway.

 

Both the Dane or the EM could be a candidate for sentry work around other dogs, but you have to pick the right ones or you could end up with some serious wounds to deal with. As far as the bulldog goes...I would never use any type of Bulldog or Presa as a guardian for other dogs. The potential for DA is too high. As far as a home protector, all 3 can do well if you get the right one

 

No problem Silience. It is always a pleasure.

Here is a Dobermann Pinscher skull for you.



I didn't get into the crocodilians because their jaw design is significantly different than that of mammals. I thought the hyena ranked first among land mammals (I don't know if the study I saw discussed water mammals like killer whales, etc, or not), but today when looking at these skulls I saw that under some simulation tests the tasmanian devil ranked the highest.

In the end though, it doesn't really matter which is first and such. What matters is breeders need to consider what matters...performance or cosmetic "standards." I know which I would personally choose.

 

Hands down for me its the Fila brasileiro. They are very social with other dogs and imo the best guard dog a man can wish for.

Yis
Quasi

 

Thanks Lee! That's my little long-nose! I only brought those up because I couldn't stop! Lol! That is the statistic for in the world as it stands. But, for many reasons trying to replicate the skull structure of the Tasmanian Devil or the Spotted Hyena in dogs through breeding. Of course, it would be a huge shock on the non-dogmen and women to see a domestic dog with the reconstruction of a hyena or devil-like skull. Just an interesting thought...

 

Difference between Guard dog and Protection dog but all purpose working dog that you can shape into either sport or protection and has the highest % of succeeding, hands down lol, either
Dutch Shepherd
Belgian Malinois
German Shepherd
American Bulldogs

Nothing there after. A good site to find out this information is Working Dog Forum -- Discussion of Working Dogs, Training & Breeding