My good friend lives in Tx. Her property is fenced, but somehow last night a wild hog or two got in and hurt her dog pretty bad. They had to put the dog to sleep. A large lab cross, and a good guard dog.
I am wondering what breed might be best for her situation. If wild pigs happen to get into her property again, what breed of dog can hold it’s own? Are there any?
Rhodesian ridgeback?
Lacy dog? They originated in Texas and were bred to hunt pigs. That said, I wouldn’t leave a dog alone where wild pigs are prevalent.
There simply isn’t a breed that will be able to hold its own alone. If you have ever seen the size of the packs that are usually used for hog hunting it shows that anything less than a pair doesn’t stand a chance. Not to mention most hunters keep Kevlar vests and collars on their dogs and even with that they are constantly sewing holes up in their dogs. That tells you how dangerous the wild hogs are. Many hog dogs are Dogo Argentino, Catahoula, or some kind of purpose bred pit type mix. So sad for your friend but I don’t think leaving another dog outside would be prudent. They should get the breed they really want and keep it at least in the garage during times they aren’t going to be around.
I don’t think there is a breed that single-handledly can ward off feral pigs. A pack, maybe, but not one. Sounds like the property needs better fencing and/or the dog needs to be protected better in a kennel, or inside.
Thanks everyone. That is discouraging. Maybe I can convince her to bring her dog in at night if she gets another. She is old school farmer, and she likes the dog outside to protect the property. but in this case, it seems like a bad idea. Damn pigs.
Good grief what a thing to have to deal with.
Plott Hound could certainly take a wild hog down. There is always a chance for them to get hurt though because no matter how capable it only takes one wrong move there and they have tusks for a reason. It’s not like every dog will have the drive to do it either. I agree that you should try to talk her into bringing them in at night.
Correct me if I am wrong, but I do not believe that any breed is a match for wild hogs. The various molosser breeds of South America who are sometimes used for hunting them are used to pursue and perhaps even corner them, but not fight to death. The hunters are supposed to move in and make the kill. Same with Boerbols, Plotts and others I have read about. Keep your dogs close and protected; hogs are ferocious.
I doubt it - a normal Plott might weigh only half of a feral pig. A couple/pack of Plotts might be able to take a wild pig down, but one on one? I wouldn’t put money on the dog.
catahoula leopard hounds. Used by our friends in Louisiana to keep the wild hogs away from their livestock. You would need at least 2 of them to ward off wild hogs.
People down south here use pit bulls to hunt wild hogs. The pit bulls are bred to kill. They often kill cattle and people down here.
Labs are not bred to fight or to kill. They are retrievers, not killers.
There are breeds that are bred to defend against African Lions - Boerbel Mastiff (sp) and the Tibetian Mastiff against Tigers. These are serious dogs. Rotties too but its going to take more than one for all of these as far as Ive read.
I know Labs are not bred to hunt or kill them. That is not what i was asking. I wanted to know if ANY breed could stand up to them. She did not get the dog she had to deal with the pigs, but now that they have proven to be a problem, she might want another dog. And that new dog would need to be able to handle itself.
Feral hogs are an invasive species that doesn’t has a real predator that will slow them down.
Most everything gives feral hogs a wide berth.
They are mean, shortsighted, fast and powerful.
They even fight and kill and eat each other if one looks cross at another.
They have a very bad disposition and are fast to anger.
If you come on a group and shoot a couple before the rest runs off, in a bit they will come back and jump those you hit and start eating them, even if they are still alive.
They can give you nightmares.
There are some recent studies about rattlers where hogs have taken over in South TX not rattling any more.
The ones that did rattle were eaten, all that is left is those that are silent.
I don’t think anyone would want to put their dogs in harms way by leaving them outside to fend for themselves where feral hogs wander around.
I think part of the problem in dog versus wild hog is the hog not only outweighs the dog, but wild hogs come equipped with really nasty tusks and teeth. I personally would not want my dog vunerable to a hog attack.
This. Feral hogs often travel in herds. I’ve personally seen a group of at least 15. Gave my normally unflappable horse the fantods. My daughter’s biological father has a pack of pit mixes. Saturday night they all took off after a herd of hogs and came back badly cut up. This was a pack of 6-7 dogs. My little acreage is surrounded by a large ranch and hunting properties. I was walking to the end of the road with my bloodhound and lab/pit mix. Heard squealing and grunting in the swampy woods near the road. The bloodhound came out of the woods immediately, the pit mix went to investigate but came out shortly. Scared the life out of me. I was glad both dogs had the sense not to engage the hogs. Needless to say, I don’t walk that way anymore.
Last spring some guys were hunting hogs from a helicopter over this area. Supposedly they killed 400 in a weekend. Didn’t make a dent in the population.
The Jagdterrier is bred to hunt boar, bear etc but it is understood that they are hunted in packs and you will lose one now and then. They are only 25lb dogs.
What I have seen with them (and mine) is that they latch onto the throat and do not let go. They are small so hard to get at when they are attached. No other breed of dog has zero self preservation like they do.
All that said I would never get one or a couple for the reason you state. I spend my time trying to keep mine out of that kind of trouble. I love her and that is not her purpose with me. We don’t have boar but we do have moose, bears and timber wolf so that is worry enough.
I’ve been riding with friends when 2 or 3 wild hogs ran right past our horses, but I’ve never seen a lot of adult hogs together, just the occasional sow with the piglets.
The catahoulas and pits usually work in pairs or packs for hunters using them to hunt wild hogs.
You would need at least 3-4 bigger dogs to even stand a remote chance of keeping the hogs out. My Dad used to run foxhound in groups of 20 or more and every once in a while they would get tangled up with hogs and come back all scraped up, he lost 2 from hogs. Once hogs started over populating he quit running the dogs anywhere but controlled fenced in areas.
Suckers are mean and always looking for a fight. A Dogo Argentino is the only one I know of that was bred to take wild hogs down, but they are tough dogs and usually in pairs or larger groups.
Good grief this just gets worse. I hope it’s a long time before these creatures reach my area.
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