Of course the Shepherd is at the top - though I prefer Shepherd/Malamute with a bit of Wolf mixed in... That’ll get you 125-150 lbs of holy terror... Not recommended unless you can be the alpha, and have a mountain range in the back yard to let them stretch out, but I guarantee you will walk the trails with every confidence, and sleep very well at night... Two is even better. and *nothing* will touch your kids.
“...though I prefer Shepherd/Malamute with a bit of Wolf mixed in... That’ll get you 125-150 lbs of holy terror... Not recommended unless you can be the alpha, and have a mountain range in the back yard to let them stretch out, but I guarantee you will walk the trails with every confidence, and sleep very well at night...”
Yep! I miss mine. Been 4 years and I’m finally thinking of getting another. Her mother was wolf with a bit of Akita, and her father was wolf with a bit of malamute. He was over 150 lbs, my my girl was only 115. Looked exactly like a Timber Wolf, pretty much because that’s what she was. You said it right about the need to be the alpha!!! Incredibly intelligent, and in her younger years, definitely in need of that mountain range you mention, which I have. Once she knew someone was a friend, about the worst she’d do is lick them to death. There were a couple occasions where the wrong uninvited people drove onto my land and they couldn’t get out of their vehicle. I didn’t stop her since they were not welcome. Likewise, when I’d go to town with her in the back of the truck, people would make a wide berth away from the truck when walking by. She used to ride back there with her front legs on top of the cab. She was excellent with children. She knew they were the young of humankind and saw to it that they were safe. Definitely not a ‘dog’ for everyone though. I miss her.