Dogs are great pets for a family, but when trained right, they can be great survival partners too. There are plenty of articles on the Internet about how to train your dog, and even more forums with people who can help.

And if you happen to look on a survival forum, you will see that there’s quite a lot of talk about survival dogs. You can find pros and cons list for why they are useful. However, you won’t find a lot of dog owners. It’s a pity, because there are so many dogs out there that need a shelter, and in exchange, they can become your survival buddy.

I think survival dogs make a great idea. I myself am a dog owner and it’s not that difficult to teach them tricks. There are so many videos of dogs guarding the children in the family or doing other amazing stuff – it is possible!

Dogs are not easy to raise, but you will soon realize that it’s all worth it for what they can bring to your home.

Here are 5 reasons why dogs are essential for survivalists:

          1. Dogs Sense Danger

Dogs are simply better at it than we are. No matter how much you try, you will never beat a dog at sensing danger miles away. Danger doesn’t mean only persons who break into your house – which, by the way, they can warn you about. This is about natural disasters such as tornadoes or earthquakes.

Animals have a deeper connection with nature, and there’s that 6^th sense they have that will tell them when a danger is approaching. Remember the massive tsunami that devastated Japan in 2011; there are videos where dogs are alarming people before the thing started. They also knew what kind of danger was approaching, because they were climbing the tallest surface in their reach. This is what they do, it’s in their instinct. Moreover, they have a strong sense of protecting their owners; you just have to pay attention to them to read the signs. These signs include compulsive barking, acting unusually agitated, crazy big eyes and communication with other dogs.

          2. Dogs Seek Help

If you or the members of your family are in danger or hurt, you can send the dog to get help. I know, it sounds like Lassie, but actually there are a lot of cases when dogs saved lives like this. It depends on their training – but they can do it. They are fast, efficient and they don’t rest until the mission is accomplished.

Yes, they can’t really say what the problem is but they can make others understand that there is a problem. They drag you, push you, show you the direction and bark.

Stay tuned for the second part on why are dogs the best survival partners!