What dog breeds are the keenest pack dogs?

Dogs as a species are very social animals that would naturally seek out the company of their own kind. In the wild, dogs form and maintain pack structures not just for company and reassurance, but to increase their chances of survival – a cooperative pack is stronger, less vulnerable, and better able to defend itself and find food than individual dogs alone, and this gives the pack as a whole the best chance of thriving.

For today’s domestic dogs, the company of other dogs and plenty of opportunities to socialise with other dogs outside of the home are vital to ensure that your dog is happy and well adjusted, and this is something that most dogs very much enjoy. This applies across the board to dogs of all breeds and types, but some dog breeds are much more social and pack-oriented than others.

Historically, breeds that tend to maintain pack structures and work in cooperatives with others fulfilled a wide range of different working roles, from sledding to hunting to search roles and much more. If you already own two or more dogs and are looking to add another or if you want to buy a dog that has a natural affinity for pack life, some dog breeds work together better than others and enjoy pack life and having lots of other dogs around. In this article we will share some of the best pack dog breeds and explain what makes them so social.

Read on to learn more about some of the best pack dog breeds.

The Siberian husky

The Siberian husky is a very high energy dog breed with plenty of endurance that needs lots of exercise and mental stimulation to keep them occupied and happy. Siberian huskies are perhaps one of the best-known pack dog breeds, and in their traditional working roles as sled dogs, they would live together in pack groupings and work together to haul sleds across the snow and ice.

Siberian huskies are highly social and very outgoing dogs that need plenty of entertainment and that thrive in the company of other dogs.

The Beagle

The beagle breed is one that has only really begun to gain traction as a domestic pet over the last couple of decades, as many of their traditional working roles have been eroded. Beagles are a type of hound that was historically used as a hunting dog, often as part of fox and stag hunting and for other applications too.

Within such working roles, beagles would generally live in large cooperative packs kept together in specially designed kennels, and worked and managed as a group to fulfil their jobs.

As domestic pets, beagles are social, entertaining and full of beans, and thrive within a multi-dog home or with a good pal for company. They also like to play and socialise with others, and are a great choice of pet if you spend a lot of time around other dogs and want your dog to do the same.

The Foxhound

The foxhound is another hound dog breed that was traditionally used for working hunting roles, and as the name implies, this generally meant foxhunting. Like the beagle, now that hunting foxes with hounds is illegal in the UK, the foxhound breed too has had to adapt in order to continue to thrive, and this is another breed that historically was almost always kept only for a working role but that today, can also be found within domestic homes as household pets.

Foxhounds retain strong hunting and working instincts, which can make them challenging to manage within the domestic home if you are not experienced with handling a dog of this type. However, if you are looking for a highly social, very active and fun-loving dog to add to your family and are prepared to do your research to ensure that you get things right, the foxhound might be a good pick.

The Border collie

The Border collie is the most intelligent dog breed of them all, and this, coupled with high energy levels, is what makes the Border collie such an excellent working dog breed. Border collies are very popular pets today too that can thrive within all sorts of homes, as well as still being used for working roles and also being generally excellent at canine sports too.

Border collies are very versatile dogs that can and do work happily alone, but that are also excellent for group work, such as herding roles within which several dogs of the breed may work together to herd and control a flock.

The Alaskan malamute

The Alaskan malamute dog breed is another cold weather favourite that is used to living and working in some of the most inhospitable environments on earth. Like the Siberian husky, Alaskan malamutes have a long working history as sled dogs, although they are better suited to hauling heavy loads at a steady speed than the often much more rapid sledding undertaken by their husky cousins.

Alaskan malamutes are another breed that was traditionally kept in pack groups, and this remains the case for most working malamutes today.

Within a domestic environment, Alaskan malamutes are very social and outgoing with others and keen to make new friends, and will usually live happily in a multi-dog household. They also actively enjoy playing and interacting with new dogs that they meet out and about, and generally fit very quickly into an established pack structure.