Dogs in Middle Earth

For discussion of Dunedain culture, what it might have looked like and how it worked.

Moderators: caedmon, Greg

Post Reply
User avatar
Beornmann
Silent Watcher over the Peaceful Lands
Posts: 329
Joined: Fri Jun 27, 2008 1:57 pm
Location: NE Ohio

Dogs in Middle Earth

Post by Beornmann »

Since Andy mentioned he’ll be working in a tracking unit including dogs, it spurred some thoughts.

I have read Osprey's American Colonial Ranger, under Plate A, #9. “Dogs were integral to New England hunters, and they accompanied Lovewell’s men into to the central New Hampshire wilderness to sniff out enemy Indians. On one occasion the rangers muzzled them as they approached a sleeping party of Abenakis. After opening fire on the Indians, the men took the muzzles off the dogs, who then brought down fleeing survivors.”

The Thain’s Book cites several references to dogs in ME (link). Seems no particular breed noted, though I picture Beorn’s as an Irish Wolfhound (grey, long-bodied dogs) & Farmer Maggot’s as a wolf-dog hybrid, German Shepherd, or Siberian Husky-like.

It is clear ME contained domesticated dogs across the various cultures. For warfare purpose, Wikipedia cites numerous uses and examples of dogs in warfare.

Any thoughts on particular Dunedain breeds and their uses?
User avatar
Beornmann
Silent Watcher over the Peaceful Lands
Posts: 329
Joined: Fri Jun 27, 2008 1:57 pm
Location: NE Ohio

Post by Beornmann »

I found some of my notes about dog breeds for Anglo-Saxon England:

 Mastiff. From the Alps, the mastiff is thought to have been adopted by the Germanic peoples and then to have traveled to Great Britain with Angles and Saxons. The name Mastiff derives from the Anglo-Saxon word "masty" meaning stout or powerful.

 Beagle. Some canine historians trace its history back to Greece in the pre-Christian era. There is also mention of small hounds in Saxon times and centuries later in Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.

 Deerhound. The Royal Dog of Scotland, the Highland Greyhound and the Scottish Deerhound are the names by which this aristocratic and ancient hound were known in the past. The history of the Deerhound, like many of our oldest breeds, is not easy to define. There is no doubt that the breed resembles the Greyhound, whose ancestors are thought to have been brought to Britain by Phoenician traders in the second century B.C.

 Greyhound. Reference to the Greyhound by Solomon in the Old Testament (Proverbs, Chapter 30, Verse 31.) shows that this ancient pure-bred gazehound has existed for many centuries. Its origin is not known, but illustrations on Egyptian engravings and pottery dating back many thousands of years prove that greyhound type dogs came originally from the Middle East. In Great Britain the Greyhound has been associated with the English monarchy since Anglo-Saxon times. The royal forests, which were vast and well stocked, were the hunting grounds for these hounds and their royal masters.

 Elkhound. The Elkhound or Elghund - which means "Elk Dog" - is a member of the Spitz group of dogs and originates from Norway. The breed's ancestry can be traced back thousands of years and, due to selective breeding, has changed little over the centuries. It was once the hunting dog of the Vikings. An intelligent breed, which down the centuries has been used for its many qualities - speed, stamina, scenting, and tracking. The Elkhound is not a pack hound, which make it invaluable to the lone hunter.

 Irish Wolfhound. The Irish Wolfhound is the national dog of Ireland. The origin of the breed is obscure, although it is believed the precursors of today's hounds, date back to well before the Christian era. The first reference to the breed was in 391 BC when several Irish Wolfhounds - probably large Greyhounds - were taken to Rome and "all Romans viewed them in wonder". Large hounds, probably the ancestors of both the Scottish Deerhound and the Irish Wolfhound, were used by the Irish kings and nobles for the pursuit of wolf, wild boar and Irish elk.

 Welsh Corgi (including Cardigan and Pembroke). There are two separate breeds of Welsh Corgi - the Cardigan and the Pembroke. The origins of these small dogs are not known, but there is evidence that corgi-type dogs probably existed a thousand years ago. In 900 AD the Welsh king Hywel Dda (Howell the Good), known as The Great Law Giver, drew up a code of laws. One of these laws placed a value on every domestic animal and laid down that a cattle dog was worth the value of a steer. As there is no evidence of any other cattle dog in Wales, it must be right to assume that the cattle dogs referred to in this law were the early ancestors of today's Welsh Corgis.

 Great Dane. The Great Dane is German in origin (not Danish) and is known in its home country as "Deutsche Dogge" (German Hound) or German Mastiff. It is thought by experts that the precursors of the present day dogs were brought to Germany by the Roman legions. During the Middle Ages, royalty and aristocracy from Germany and other European countries used these fine muscular and athletic animals for hunting stag and wild boar. Consequently the breed was also called the German Boarhound. Today's Great Danes are more refined and graceful than their ancestors. This is due to German breeders having developed the breed in the latter part of the nineteenth century.

 From: http://www.gardening-uk.com/dogs/breeds/all_index.html
User avatar
Panday
Wanderer
Posts: 30
Joined: Sat Feb 23, 2008 9:46 pm
Location: Detroit (New Utumno)

Post by Panday »

No love for the Terrier breeds?

I've always thought a good Tolkien dog would have been an Airedale Terrier- the smartest and most wonderful of God's canines. (Sorry, I won't entertain opinions to the contrary regarding the Airedale's considerable merits. :D )
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airedale_terrier

There's a larger, 10-120 pound version of the Airedale called the Oorang. It's debatable whether or not this is an actual breed or strain, but a 100 lb Airedale is quite a formidable bit of muscle, teeth, and fur.http://pjshomeandheartkennel.com/Airedales.php
"The world is grown so bad, that wrens make prey where eagles dare not perch."
-Shakespeare, Richard III
User avatar
Greg
Urush bithî 'nKi ya-nam bawâb
Posts: 4496
Joined: Tue Dec 02, 2008 8:50 pm
Location: Eriador; Central Indiana

Post by Greg »

I can't say much for the historical breeds in either Europe nor Middle earth, but I CAN vouch for the potential usefulness of a canine to a Ranger.
I don't take him with me often, but my black Labrador-Pointer Levi is the most friendly dog on the planet, and has a habit of chasing after squirrels, Bobcats, other dogs, and Humans when we're out hiking. But for some reason, when I'm either hunting or in my ranger gear, when things are quiet, he calms down, and gets into a sort-of hunting mode himself. When he would normally bolt to convince a couple walking through a trail near our camp that he is deprived of petting, for some reason, he stays and watches silently and intently. Can't tell you how many times his hearing and instincts have tipped me off to approaching people. After awhile, you learn to read your dog and understand that when he perks up in such a way, someone or something is approaching, etc., and he's always given that warning with enough time for me to quietly remove myself from the thoroughfare and get into a hidden position. Love that dog. Might not be an accurate breed for re-creation, but he's the best mutt I've ever seen.
Now the sword shall come from under the cloak.
User avatar
jbook
Silent Watcher over the Peaceful Lands
Posts: 153
Joined: Wed Feb 24, 2010 2:58 pm
Location: The Shire/Rohan
Contact:

Re: Dogs in Middle Earth

Post by jbook »

I have a Beagle. She is a great dog for a man of Dale and my friend Sayer (Jake) just got a Redbone who will be great for hunting down orcs in Mirkwood.
User avatar
Eledhwen
Thangailhir
Posts: 1346
Joined: Mon Jul 21, 2008 10:09 pm
Location: Nandaromar, Rhovanion
Contact:

Re: Dogs in Middle Earth

Post by Eledhwen »

I'd say if you have a dog that's excellent along with you in the forest when rangering or hunting, then there you go; you have your dog. I don't think the historicity of the breed is as important here as in say, period coursing or what have you. What matters is that the dog is capable and good at the work I should think.

For Rangers in the Norther regions during Winter, huskies and malamutes can work although more as sled dogs or pack dogs. I never did hunt with my husky...but I have gone a wandering in the woods and she was never a problem; she always seemed to understand quiet and stealth were the order of the day when wandering the woodland paths.

I had a border collie who was excellent as well.

Dogs for Rangers works fine.

Siani
Nandalad!
User avatar
Peter Remling
Athel Dunedain
Posts: 3735
Joined: Sat Feb 16, 2008 4:20 am

Re: Dogs in Middle Earth

Post by Peter Remling »

The last dog I had worked well as a guard dog but you couldn't take her off a leash. The one prior to her, a male, shephard/collie mix was excellent as a guard dog and you could left him run off a leash and he'd be fine on trails with/without other people. He had an even temperment as a pup and training went well and early with him. He was trained to both verbal and silent commands.

The last one, we had was very skitish as a pup. The current dog in the house is my wife's Shiba, a Japanese lap dog with similar looks to an Akita although much smaller and reddish in color. She is highly skitish and not very trainable. She is only 3 so she may grow out of it. The last one didn't calm down till she was 5-6 years old, and she turned out ok.
Post Reply