The most dedicated dog breeds

Dogs were tamed by humans at the dawn of civilization. Representatives of some species are so loyal to the owner that without hesitation they will give their lives in the name of his salvation. Many cases of canine fidelity and sacrifice have been described. In the article we will talk about the breeds that are considered the most loyal.

The devotion of the animal depends on several factors: genetics, biochemical processes in the body, the relationship between the dog and the owner. You may notice that even puppies are affectionate and loyal. These properties passed to them at the genetic level. When the dogs were wild, they formed packs and implicitly obeyed the leader. For domestic dogs, such a leader is a man.

With regard to biochemical processes, it has been found that dogs produce a large amount of oxytocin (the “hormone of love”). For example, in women, this hormone is activated during the birth of a child; it helps to form maternal instinct. Strong trusting relationships between a person and a pet contribute to the production of oxytocin. When the owner strokes the dog with tenderness, she experiences a surge of love, because at this moment her brain activates the production of oxytocin.

Also, the pet easily feels the owner’s mood. People and dogs know a sense of empathy. When a person is ill, the dog does not leave him, he tries to distract, help with his love.

There is another feature that brings people and animals closer together - this is similarity. The owner intuitively selects a breed similar to himself.Over time, the similarity becomes even more noticeable. A man and a dog over the years of living together begin to adopt character qualities from each other. The good owner and the dog are good-natured, the evil - aggressive.

Dog devotion is multifaceted, it manifests itself not only in love for one owner. Service dogs rescued those falling under snow avalanches or under rubble of buildings during earthquakes. Many tetrapods served for the benefit of medicine and thereby saved the lives of millions of people. Academician Pavlov chose dogs as experimental animals for his research, since their DNA is 97% identical to human. People owe a lot to their pets.

Many wonderful stories remained in people's memory related to the love and loyalty of our four-legged friends. During the years of World War II, service animals were pulled out from under the shelling of the wounded, helped to clear buildings, and carried security service. An example is the world's only large-scale hand-to-hand fight with dogs.

This happened at the very beginning of the war, in 1941, near the village of Legedzeno in Ukraine. The Germans stubbornly rushed to Kiev. 500 frontier guards and 150 service dogs came to the defense of the borders. The hardest hand-to-hand fight ensued, in which all border guards perished. Dogs did not even think of running, they desperately defended their owners. 150 faithful dogs died on the battlefield, leaving a grateful memory of people about themselves.

Until now, people have not forgotten another amazing dog - Dzhulbarsa, which during the years of World War II found 7000 mines and shells. At the very end of the war, the dog was wounded, but deservedly participated in the victory parade in Moscow. Stalin took off and handed over his tunic to a dog-hero so that they could carry Dzhulbars in Red Square on his hands.

Documented cases of rescue of people by dogs belong to a different period of time. For example, the story of St. Bernard is described. Barry, who at the beginning of the 19th century worked together with rescuers and found snow-covered Alps under the snowdrifts of injured travelers. On his account 40 saved lives.

At the beginning of the last century, a dog named Balto At that time, diphtheria raged in Alaska. The situation was complicated by a severe snowstorm, which made it impossible to deliver the vaccine to the affected areas. All hope remained in the Balto. The owner of the dog himself did not believe in a positive outcome of the venture, but there was nowhere to go, since people died in the outbreak of the epidemic. The dog coped with the task, although it came to the finish line barely alive, but delivered the vaccine intact.

The stories described relate to the service of dogs to many people, and they are completely unfamiliar to them. But even more cases of pet loyalty are noted in relations with their owners. Everyone knows the famous dog Hachiko Akita Inu breed. In memory of his loyalty, people in 1934 erected a monument in his homeland. Over time, the dogs filmed the story of selfless devotion, and the whole world cried, recognizing the fate of Hachiko.

A simple but very sad story happened to him. The dog daily accompanied the owner to the railway station, and in the evening went to meet him. But once the man did not return, he died. The loyal pet continued every day for 9 years, until his death he went to the station in the hope of seeing the owner. People tried to take him to their house, but the dog chose to stay on the street and wait for the return of the man whom he loved more than life.

A similar story happened in Italy. An elderly, kind woman named Maria Lochi has been feeding a homeless German shepherd for many years Tommy. The dog always accompanied her to church when a woman went to service. After the death of Mary, the dog continued to come to the temple in the hope of seeing a good woman. He behaved quietly, did not bother anyone, so he was allowed to be among the parishioners.This continued until 2013, until Tommy ended his earthly life.

In 2012, another amazing story happened. In the forest of the Australian state of Victoria, 4 km from the house, a three-year-old boy Dante Berry was lost. The kid spent the night in the forest more often, and when rescuers found him, they saw a German shepherd Desher. She took care of the baby all night. The boy was completely healthy and had no damage. There are a lot of such stories, each breed has its own exploits.

Having considered the well-known stories about the loyalty of dogs and the reviews of the owners, you understand that it is impossible to precisely distribute places among breeds.

For example, the first place in the ranking is unconditionally given to the shepherd, but in terms of importance, 3 breeds immediately fall into it: German, Caucasian and East European.

We will consider one of them.

• German Shepherd. This is not only the most faithful breed, but also one of the five smartest. The dog is easy to train, teach all kinds of teams. The dog feels great about its owner and in extreme situations can make decisions independently. Shepherd dogs are service dogs, they are kept at the police, customs, at the border, where the owners may change periodically. This complicates the life of pets, but they perform their duties perfectly. Dogs are brave and courageous, they are ready to give their lives both for their master and for people whom they save by duty.

• Akita Inu. Here opinions are divided. A part of specialists is nominated by the Labrador Retriever in second place, but the cynical popularity of Akita Inu allowed this breed to confidently take second place. These dogs are very intelligent and loyal. At a young age they are curious, active, cheerful. As they grow older, the dog becomes calm, responsible and caring. He always monitors his master, not allowing anyone to offend him.

• Labrador Retriever. The owners of the Labradors believe that there is nobody in the world smarter and more faithful than their dog. The breed was bred for hunting, but despite this, the dogs are good-natured and cheerful, they are always on the move, they love to play with young children. Labradors can be guide dogs, companions and nannies. Sometimes dogs are taken to work in the customs service, since the sharpness of their scent is 25% higher than the smell of German shepherds. But they, by virtue of their kindness, can never be guards. Due to the restless activity of the Labrador, it is easier to keep in a private house than in an apartment.

• Rottweiler. Outwardly, the dog looks formidable and, if you have to protect the owner, it will be so. But in the family this is a completely different dog, he is gentle, affectionate, loving attention. The pet is bored if someone from the family is not at home and is happy to come, like a child. The dog is very faithful and obedient, but in games it may not calculate strength and inadvertently injure a person.

• Dachshund. It is difficult to choose who actually should have been in fourth place, a rottweiler or a dachshund. This small dog is so affectionate and devoted to its owner that it is not ready to let it go from itself for even a minute. A long-eared pet with a long body runs after the owner everywhere, participates in all his affairs. But at the same time he doesn’t like it, if he is addressed at elevated tones or scolded, he may be offended and become isolated. Dachshunds are smart, they grab new teams on the fly. But it’s hard to get them to do anything, you can only carry away the game.

• Doberman. Dogs of this breed have been serving as guards for a century and a half. Initially, the author of the breed brought out evil and aggressive dogs. But subsequently, the breeders worked hard on this line, reducing the degree of aggression. Today, Dobermans are stable and balanced. They are very smart, perfectly execute the host's commands. With a good attitude towards them, dogs will become the most devoted friends of their family.They can babysit with the master's children, even a bird will not be offended if it lives in a family.

• West Siberian Laika. Friendly and very dedicated dog. This breed was bred for the service of man. Its representatives wholeheartedly serve their master. They enjoy playing with young children, obedient and hardy. Huskies are unobtrusive, will not require attention if the owner is busy.

• Collie. Endlessly kind family dog. She is not a burden to worry from young children, she will look after them and cheer. Collie gets along well with pets, but is suspicious of strangers. For someone he loves, he can give his life without regret.

• Saint bernard. These huge phlegmatic dogs won't even offend flies. They, like collies, babysit children and are very devoted to their family.

• Poodle. All kinds of poodles are immensely fond of the hosts. Dogs are smart and understand not only teams, but also human speech. Poodles are not fighting dogs, they are kind and will not be able to protect the owner, but they have enough courage not to leave him at the moment of danger.

The listed 10 breeds constitute a conditional list.

Choosing a pet of any breed, you can not doubt his love and fidelity. It is difficult to meet a faithful dog even among people. Therefore, it is better to organize your choice according to other criteria. You need to understand for yourself what tasks the pet will have to solve - to protect the housing, to help on the hunt, to be a guide, companion or delight with their appearance, as decorative dogs do.

Consider which animals are suitable for certain requirements.

• If nothing is required from dogs except love, you can opt for small pets: Yorkshire Terrier, Dwarf Poodle, Bichon, Pomeranian, Leuchen, Toy Terrier, Chihuahua. It should be remembered that small dogs are very affectionate, they can not be left alone. For busy people, these breeds are not suitable.
• To protect the apartments, you should choose small but desperate dogs that let the thief into the housing, but do not let them go back: like, pit bull terrier, sharpei, akita-inu, mittelschnauzer.
• To protect the houses, you can choose a large dog that easily transfers life in the aviary: American Akita, German or Caucasian Shepherd, Malamute, Doberman.
• For families with children, St. Bernard, Collie poodle, Labrador, French Bulldog are suitable.
• For active people, moving dogs are suitable as companions: Yorkshire Terrier, Husky, Jack Russell Terrier, Biyi, English Setter.
• Elderly people need calm pets: English Bulldog, Beaver, Golden Retriever.
• Hunters to help themselves can acquire the Russian hound, Biyi, Basenji, Kurtshaar, English Foxhound.
• Whoever takes a dog to a house for the first time is best to start with breeds that are easy to train: a schnauzer, cocker spaniel, sheltie, toy terrier.
• Those who suffer from allergies to animal hair, it is better to choose a poodle, American hairless terrier, beaver, Tibetan mastiff.

About the most devoted dogs in the world, see the next video.