13 Dogs That Fight And Kill Lions

At first, you would think dogs can’t fight against lions. However, believe it or not, some dogs can attack lions and even kill a Lion if the dogs work as a group.

What are the 13 dogs that fight and kill lions? Ten dog breeds are noted for their ability to catch and kill wild ones: Rottweiler, Wolf dogs, Neopolitan and Tibetan mastiff, Boerboel dogs, Rhodesian Ridgeback, and Bloodhounds, Fila Brasileiro, Dogo Argentino, Kangals, Irish Wolfhound, Caucasian Shepherd Dogs, and English Mastiff .

These dogs are usually developed to hunt and protect against wild animals that can fight lions. They have robust characteristics that are ideal for fending off predators. 

This article will show you in detail the different dog breeds that can fight against lions. The following will help you get to know more about it.

What Dog Can Fight and Kill A Lion?

Ten types of dogs are noted to possess abilities in fighting prey. These dogs have individual personalities and endurance levels in withstanding large wild animals such as lions. These Dog Breeds Can not only attack Lions, but may kill a lion as well.

Here is the list of those dogs.

• Rottweiler
• Wolf Dogs
• Neopolitan Mastiff
• Boerboel Dogs
• Rhodesian Ridgeback
• Bloodhounds
• Fila Brasileiro
• Dogo Argentino
• Kangals
• Tibetan Mastiff
• Irish Wolfhound
• Caucasian Shepherd Dogs
• English Mastiff

Rottweiler

This dog breed is born to be a natural guard dog that can be successful in police, military, do custom work, and as a family and protector. They have a high urge to protect their owners, for they are aloof or hate strangers.

They seemed to be alert, highly intelligent, and display a fearless expression. It has strong, powerful jaws. This large breed endowed with great endurance can hold its own against other big animals like lions.

Also, they are active dogs that need regular socializing because of their aggressive tendencies. These dogs bred for security purposes can become stronger and more courageous in defeating a lion. Their tendency to be quick and full of energy is what can kill a lion.

Wolf Dogs

Wolf dogs are not an easy-going breed. They are quite aggressive and difficult to handle, especially in a home setting.

Compared to other dogs, this one is more intelligent and more assertive. They are well equipped with sharp canine teeth for attacking.

They usually work best in packs to protect their food and guard their territory. This can be traced to its original roots, which are the wolf. They are known to be pack hunters that regularly prey on large animals.

Thus, wolf dogs could attack and kill a lion once they are in the group.

Neapolitan Mastiff

During Roman gladiatorial contests, this Neapolitan mastiff breed is used to fight lions. 

It has a massive size, great strength, and beast-like appearance that work as guardians for centuries. These dogs are also confident and have a more robust sight of their target. 

They are bred as devoted companions and powerful heavyweight guard dogs. It has a strong fighting ability, with its wide mouth may scare other animals and terrible when provoked.

Although they are not the most powerful breed of the Mastiff family, they still acquire the characteristics of their descendants, who are competitive and dueling.

Boerboel Dogs

Boerboel dogs are a breed of Mastiff family that has a docked tail. Among the Mastiff family, they are the most agile. 

They are known to be farmer’s dogs. They are used for protection against wild and dangerous animals.

In South Africa, Boerboel dogs defend their homesteads from hyenas, lions, and other wild animals.

They are even as one of the fighting dogs. When fighting, they are prone to pull and chew.

This large, muscular dog’s primary hunting function is to fight predators such as lions. There is a report that one Boerboel dog can even kill a leopard.

Their personality is quiet, confident, courageous, and extremely protective. This type of dog is not for a novice owner because it tends to be overbearing and headstrong. They are aggressive to other dogs and suspicious of strangers.

Rhodesian Ridgeback

It is also called the African Lion Hound. It has a mixture of European hunting dogs and African dogs shown by its distinctive ridge.

Rhodesian ridgeback is a breed of confident and strong-willed hunting dog. Their skills are far better than that of a simple guard dog. These dogs can be as fast as an athlete and intelligent.

Moreover, they are an aggressive type of dog with a strong personality. 

Typically, these dogs are aloof to strangers. However, they can still be loyal to their owner, depending on the situation.

What makes this dog breed fight against a lion is its courage, strength, and agility. They usually work as a pack in cornering a lion in hunting expeditions of some farmers.

In addition to that, this strong muscular body with high prey drive has an excellent scent tracking ability. They don’t leave their prey and can track it for long distances.

Bloodhounds

This dog breed is part of a group that hunts together by scent. They are considered to be the largest scent hound. Bloodhounds are bred to track deer, wild boar, and even people.

It can hunt down its prey using its sense of smell. They can sniff out even the slightest hint of a trail. They do not directly kill lions, but these dogs partake in finding the animal’s cold scent.

However, they seem to be low when functioning as a watchdog or guard.

Nowadays, they are used to assist law-enforcers in search and rescue missions. It has an extraordinary sense of smell coupled with a strong tracking instinct.

Fila Brasileiro

This dog is believed to be a crossbreed of English Mastiffs, Bulldogs, and Bloodhounds. Thus, this large-sized dog is used to fend off massive predators such as Jaguars.

It is known for being tough, intelligent, and very active. Fila Brasileiro displays excellent skills of courage and determination. It is not recommended for inexperienced owners, for it tends to be harmful.

They usually hunt in groups. Thus, to fight and kill a lion, it would take a group of four to five Fila Brasileiro. These guard dogs are very active, and in fact, they can chase their prey up to 35 miles per hour.

Also, they can firmly control large breed animals. This breed of dog can be a great companion and, at the same time, a watchdog.

However, they were banned in several countries because of their aggressive personality. It perceives every small animal as its prey in which they will keep chasing down.

Dogo Argentino

It is a big, muscular type of dog breed to pursue big games such as wild boar, puma, and the like.

Dogo Argentino are known to be pack-hunting dogs. Therefore, they hunt their prey together with other members of their species.

This dog breeds displays strength, intelligence and can respond quickly.

Since they are developed to hunt, chase, and catch dangerous animals, it has a powerful and excellent lung capacity. They are also a highly active, muscular, and sharp sense of smell for tracking a scent.

It has the ideal characteristics to endure long trips in any weather condition. Thus, they fight fiercely with the pursued prey.

Kangals

Kangal is known to have the strongest bite among dogs listed as having strong bites. It has an outstanding bite strength that is triple times stronger than a Doberman dog breed.

This dog has a bite force of 743 pounds per square inch that could outstand a wolf having only an average bite force of 400 per square inch.

You can see already what animal its bite force can match with.

This is a Turkish dog breed known to be very protective and defensive. This dog’s big muscular size often scares away wild animals.

Also, they are proven to be tough dog breeds.

Tibetan Mastiff

They bred to catch and protect livestock against wolves, leopards, and other predators. They also tend to be flock guardian dogs that use their guardian tactics such as barking and scent-marking perimeters to warn away predators.

Tibetan Mastiff is alert and active at night. They are also an intelligent breed of dogs that may be stubborn.

Its powerful jaw strength and massive size can fight against other wild animals.

Irish Wolfhound

The Irish Wolfhound is a large breed of dog that was once used for hunting wolves in Ireland. Though they are no longer used for that purpose, they are still powerful enough to attack and kill Lions. Here are some facts about Irish Wolfhounds:

• They are one of the fastest dog breeds, able to reach speeds of up to 40 miles per hour.
• They are also one of the heaviest breeds, with males weighing up to 180 pounds and females weighing up to 140 pounds.
• They have a strong bite force, which is estimated to be around 225 pounds per square inch. This makes them good guard dogs and powerful enough to fight Lions.
• Despite their size, these dogs are relatively easy to train so they can be trained to fight large animals such as lions in a group where they have a better chance of attacking and killing the lion.

If you’re looking for a fast, and strong dog that can attack lions, Irish Wolfhound can be a good choice.

Caucasian Shepherd Dog

The Caucasian Shepherd Dog is a large, powerful breed that originates from the Caucasus Mountains.

Bred as a working dog, they are still used today for guarding and protection. They are also known as the Russian Bear Dog, due to their size and strength.

Standing anywhere from 24 to 30 inches tall at the shoulder, they are one of the largest breeds of dog. They can weigh anywhere from 100 to 200 pounds, making them one of the heaviest breeds as well.

Despite their size, Caucasian Shepherd Dog are surprisingly agile and can reach speeds of up to 30 miles per hour.

They have a strong bite force, capable of exerting up to 500 psi. This makes them an effective guard dog, able to defend against predators and intruders.

Despite their intimidating appearance, they are gentle and loving with their family and make loyal companions.

English Mastiff

The English Mastiff is also know as Mastiff. It is one of largest British dog breed of very large size. These dogs have the power, speed and bite force to fight a lion and kill them (as a group).

English Mastiffs are one of the biggest breeds of dogs in the world. They typically weigh between 140 and 180 pounds, and stand between 24 and 30 inches tall at the shoulder.

Despite their large size, they are relatively fast and agile, able to reach very fast speeds. Due to their speed and strength they can definitely attack a lion either alone or as a group.

They are also known for their powerful jaws and bite force, which can reach up to 500 PSI. These impressive physical attributes make English Mastiffs excellent guard dogs.

They are loyal and protective of their family, but are also gentle and good natured. With proper training, they can be excellent pets for families with children.

English Mastiff only comes in very limited ranges of colors but you can always count on huge size, big head and very short coat.

Can a Single Dog Fight a Lion? How Many Dogs are Needed to Kill A Lion?

Each of the 13 Dog Breeds we mentioned above have a great chance of attacking and fighting a lion.

Even tough these dogs can attack and fight lions, It will be very hard for them to win or kill a lion alone.

Typically 4 to 8 dogs can definitely successfully attack and kill a Lion.

Are Lions Scared of Dogs?

No Lions are Not Scared of Dogs but if Dogs attack the Lion in a Pack, then dogs may try to avoid them or even run away from them.

Dogs in a large pack of 6 to 10, can definitely fight and kill a Lion. Working in a pack allows them to attack from many directions instead of just facing the lion from the front. Hence they have better chance of succeeding in killing a lion.

Summary

In summary, these breeds of dogs are mostly developed to hunt, catch, and guard livestock and humans. They generally have high prey drive and tendencies of aggression.

In fact, most of them have great strength and force in terms of biting, agility, and a sense of smell. Most of them are known to be intelligent and loyal to their owner.

When hunting, most of them work well in a pack. Thus, they might be able to fight or even kill wild animals such as lions once they have outnumbered them.

These dogs are not suited for novice owners or those who lack command. There are tendencies where these types of dogs tend to be aggressive and stubborn. They have that independent thinking that may disobey their owners if no proper control is imposed on them.

On the contrary, if given proper training, these dogs can obey and even live with humans. Sometimes, being aggressive, which is connotes them, can get people the wrong idea of them.

They can still be lovely and affectionate to people. Although, their protective instincts may still prevail depending on the situation.

Continue to Learn More by reading additional articles about Dogs & Dog Breeders. Please note that these dogs are also good at fighting mountain lions, bears, wild animals.

Resources

Image credits – Canva

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