# My view on the Caucasian shepherd dog



## Grazer

I am not an expert on this breed, I'm merely a long time enthusiast.
So I'll write a thing or two about _my experience_ with this breed for people interested in the Caucasian Ovcharka (Russian for shepherd dog).

A well written breed standard can be found here:  or here:


*Short history of the breed & their use as LGD's in the modern era:
*
The Caucasian shepherd dogs as a breed have a very long history.
Originally they were a landrace livestock guardian breed from the Caucasus Mountains, where they have been used to guard livestock from large predators for probably 2-3000 years.
The evolution of the breed was not only a result of natural selection but it was also influenced by nations that inhabited the Caucasian Region.
Which basically means that the breed would slightly vary from one country in the Caucasian Region to another.

Around 1920 the Soviets started selecting them for military purposes as guard dogs.
The Soviet military decided that this breed would make the perfect guardians for their military purposes.
So they imported them from Georgia, Armenia, Dagestan etc (back then they were all apart of the Soviet Union) and started selecting them for their guarding abilities.
In the then East Germany, 7000 Caucasian shepherds were at one point used to guard the Berlin Wall.
And even though the Caucasian shepherd dogs were no longer a landrace breed, but instead man-made, the breed non the less kept its phenotypic diversity.

After the fall of the Soviet Union, the Caucasian shepherd dogs remained to be used for guarding of prisons, factories, properties, homes etc but they also became more popular with the dog fanciers.
Which brings me to another point: most modern Caucasian shepherds (meaning they are no longer those aboriginal dogs straight from Caucasus) are used as property guardians nowadays and no longer as LGD's.

Non the less, this breed can still make an excellent livestock guardian, as long as the future owner keeps a few things in mind.
Here in U.S. there is a Russian Caucasian shepherd breeder that raises her dogs with a flock of sheep and they are doing really well.
And I know several other people that have been using them successfully as LGD's. Ours are amazing with horses.
They are very, very protective and a well bred Caucasian shepherd will not allow anything or anyone near whatever they are supposed to guard.

That said, I did notice (and I've heard the same thing from couple of breeders) that this breed bonds firstly and fore mostly to their humans and their territory.
In general the modern Caucasian shepherds don't do great if they say for instance have to guard a flock on an isolated pasture, with limited human interaction.
They seem to do much, much better if they are on a farm guarding animals where they also get to see their humans on a daily basis. Even though they do have the typical LGD aloof and independent temperament.
So in that aspect they are very much like the Tibetan Mastiffs.

And in general they do have a somewhat higher prey drive when compared to most other LGD breeds.
On one hand that does means that it makes it even more difficult to teach them not to chase poultry and rabbits, but on the other hand it also means they make excellent vermin control.
Garter snakes, mice, rats, possums etc will not be allowed on their property.

A Caucasian shepherd needs experienced owners. They should only be owned by knowledgeable people that have a lot of space and are looking for a great property/livestock guardian.
Well fenced property is a must for this breed, I can not stress that one enough.
A well bred Caucasian shepherd is very agile and active. Which is why a minimum of 6ft fence is so important.
They are one of the most protective breeds (with other words: you don't have to train them to protect their property from strangers) out there.
Typically when a well bred Caucasian shepherd sees strangers or other canines near their property, there is just no stopping these dogs.
And that is why this breed needs to be socialized properly from early on, so they can differentiate between real threats and something that is simply new or unusual.
Outside of their property well bred CO's are very aloof with strangers.

*Health concerns:*


I will only write about the most common health issues in this breed.
Although overall a healthy breed, the Caucasian shepherd breed can get several health problems: Hip/Elbow Dysplasia, Hypothyroidism, Heart diseases, Skin issues, Ectropion & Entropion, Bloating etc.
To any potential buyers I will say this: this breed is quite expensive, avoid breeders who breed mainly for looks (unfortunately there are way too many Caucasian shepherd breeders out there who desire massive dogs, which leads to even more health problems).
Avoid breeders that are purposely breeding giant CO's. This breed is not supposed to be giant even though there is no maximum height or weight in their breed standard.
A lot of breeders strive for males to be between 29 and 32 inches tall at withers and for females 27-28 inches.
Their weight should be in proportion to the height, giving a balanced, imposing appearance. This breed is supposed to be agile and long living.

Look for breeders whose main goal is to breed stable, healthy dogs as according to the standard. Ask them if & how they test their dogs.
And ask them to show you the health results of their dogs! This one is very important.


*A note on temperament testing:*

Ethical Caucasian shepherd breeders will test the character of their breeding stock (through a test as approved by Russian Kynological Federation)
They will only breed with stable, protective individuals.
Avoid breeders that don't do that and avoid breeders that claim Caucasian shepherds should be trained to protect.

*What to expect from your Caucasian shepherd puppy & should I get a male or a female question:*

Let's say you have done your homework and found an ethical breeder.
And now you are wondering if you should get a male or a female..
Naturally a good breeder will be able to help you with that decision, and for first time CO owners, I say always get the opposite gender of your current dog (if you have one).
There will be a much bigger chance that the two of them will get along.
Other than a difference in size, females tend to bark more and are usually the more dominant one in multi-dog household.
As the puppy is growing, a female will often remain longer friendly towards strangers than a male. But a well bred CO should guard equally, regardless of their gender.
Both males and females can often be quite dog aggressive towards strange dogs.

Your CO puppy will require adequate socialization from early on, so it can develop into a mature dog with a good judgment.
And your CO puppy will challenge you several times as it's growing.
Like all LGD breeds they are stubborn and independent. Some CO's will try and push their boundary more than others.
But they are trainable.
The more firm you are as an owner, the less they will challenge you. And if you raised them right, at around 18 months they will settle down.
You have to be a firm, stable, consistent owner to avoid any issues with your CO. And you need to work on creating a bond of trust and love with your CO.

They are very, very affectionate dogs with their own people. And normally they are good with their own children, but young dogs can be quite clumsy and accidentally run them over.
With the children they don't know, always use caution. And never, ever live them alone with small kids. But the last can be said about all dogs.



*Several random CO pictures to demonstrate the great variation within this breed (I wrote the name of the dogs right in front of the picture): *


Atlant: 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





Sanroz Lajers Zhanybek: 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Charujushaja Noc 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Glavar iz Russkogo Riska 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Sherpskij Vlastelin 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Russkiy Risk ALMAZ 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Dzherom 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Zagorskie Dali Edmon 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Hranitel gor Leshiy 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Hranitel gor Dato


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## Straw Hat Kikos

That's great! Now you MUST put that into a page and contact elevan and use that as the breed page.


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## terrilhb

Oh I want one. They are so beautiful. Oh I want one so bad. While I would love to have one. I should say not a breed for me. I am not experienced enough. But I can dream


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## Southern by choice

Well done Grazer! you sure you haven't done this before???

    


I believe this dog would be a real handful, it's probably good that very few people know about them.
Beautiful dogs.

I like how you have pointed out that so many are just trying to breed larger and larger. Over the past 30 years I've seen so many breeds ruined by "lets make them bigger". So many are doing this in the LG dogs too. Bigger is not always better.


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## boothcreek

Very nice write up on the breed, we use to have the South Russian Ovtscharka which are very similar.

We were very tempted to replace our female we brought with us from germany when she passed(at 14 yrs of age) with another from the same breeder in Russia but do to their high protective instinct and it being impossible to Ovtscharka proof fence the whole property we decided not to. We rather not have our neighbours and their dogs eaten when they go for a jog down the road along our property, that just wouldnt go over well. 

Absolutly awesome dogs to have, would do anything for you(once mature and you have a good relationship, if they dont like you a bolder is easier to work with) and have endless patience with Kids(if it was under 5 yo no matter if family or not it was an innocent and loved upon by our SROs and protected with their lives).

Yes, They have a higher prey drive but if taught early enough they know to distinguish between "family" small animals and wild small animals, our one female loved the chickens and come running to their aid if she heard one cry in distress. When she was a pup she accidentally killed a young chick by running it over, never seen a dog so depressed for several weeks over the event, we werent even mad at her. But ever since she made it her mission to protect anything with feathers, even broody hens approved of her and let their chicks walk all over her. Some clutches even came to find the dog if they couldnt find their mom.


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## bonbean01

Wow..they are beautiful !!!!


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## CocoNUT

Oh Grazer what a wonderful post! They are VERY imposing looking too! 
LOVE the photos...I think my 'favorite' one is the one labled Gurhan! 
Question - are their ears cropped or naturally shaped like that? They're almost like a la mancha (goat) gopher-type ear. 
They're SOOOO beautiful....but I'm still partial to my Gus! She shares a lot of the same personality traits...

Hey bon...are you getting TEMPTED now?.....


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## bonbean01

hahahahaha...yes I am...you enabler you...and me with dog allergies


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## CocoNUT

what about a poodle? aren't they hypoallergenic? or a labradoodle....


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## Grazer

Thank you very much everyone, I'm glad you all liked my description of this breed. 

Straw Hat Kikos, you are too kind. I don't know if I should contact elevan because I don't want people to think I'm bragging with my knowledge somehow.
Plus there is a lot of bad blood between CO breeders in U.S. 
I mean I don't have a problem with any of them, but just hearing about their arguments makes me want to stay off the radar as much as I can lol

@ Southern, you make me blush. I've never done anything like this before  , but observing this breed for years, talking to breeders, reading magazines about the breed really helps.
Luckily there are still honest and forthcoming breeders out there that will tell you the truth when you talk to them.
And I agree, bigger is not always better. It often only introduces more health problems and makes the dogs less agile 

@ Terrilhb Yes they can be quite handful and I hope they will remain relatively unknown to the general public. 
But I would say for people already experienced with other LGD breeds that have adequate fencing, have met the breed in person and are looking for a dog that will guard both them and their animals, they might be just the right breed.

@ boothcreek, what a funny and interesting story! Everything that you wrote sounds so familiar to me.
I've never owned a SRO and I don't know just how closely SRO and CO are related (some say CO's and Komondor's were used to "perfect" the breed). 
But I've met a couple and from what I hear CO's and SRO's share many similarities. 
Maybe if you still have pictures of your old SRO's you can post it on here 

CocoNUT, yes their ears are cropped. Ear cropping and tail docking is now banned in E.U. (which is why our male has normal ears).
Traditionally they have been cropping the ears of Caucasian and Central Asian shepherds for probably hundreds if not thousands of years.
They used to do that because the shepherds believed it would help them in the battle against large predators. 
In some European countries (like say Russia) and in the U.S. for instance cropping is still legal. So the breeders will still do it. 

I agree they are just stunning.  There are two labeled Gurhan (it's the name of the person who took the picture), which one is your favorite..the first one or the third one? 

@bonbean, by the way Tibetan Mastiff is considered hypoallergenic  Apparently they have none of the shedding dander like most other dog breeds. 
Now you can be even more tempted lol


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## Southern by choice

Grazer said:
			
		

> Thank you very much everyone, I'm glad you all liked my description of this breed.
> Straw Hat Kikos, you are too kind. I don't know if I should contact elevan because I don't want people to think I'm bragging with my knowledge somehow.
> Plus there is a lot of bad blood between CO breeders in U.S.
> I mean I don't have a problem with any of them, but just hearing about their arguments makes me want to stay off the radar as much as I can lol


Grazer I really think it would be great for you to contact elevan. IMO you IN NO WAY sound like you are bragging. For a breed that very few have even heard of let alone seen, I think you have given us some wonderful information about this very rare breed in the US.
Breeders of any breed can be  ... well, "catty" it seems.


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## Straw Hat Kikos

> Straw Hat Kikos, you are too kind. I don't know if I should contact elevan because I don't want people to think I'm bragging with my knowledge somehow.Plus there is a lot of bad blood between CO breeders in U.S.
> I mean I don't have a problem with any of them, but just hearing about their arguments makes me want to stay off the radar as much as I can lol


Well you did a great job and put alot of thought into it. I think that you should also put it into a page that way people can go right to it. Like on here it can get buried and hard to find and everyone has their comments on it. Put it in a page and it would be great! 

And you are not bragging at all. And I agree with Southern. I had never heard of the breed and knew nothing about it. You really should. 

And a page is real easy. Just copy and paste that stuff in it.


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## CocoNUT

Grazer - the first photo labeled Gurhan is my favorite...similar coloring to Gus but more fluffy! 

I showed your photos to my husband and all he could say was "woa...those are some BIG dogs!" 

I was thinking about the ear cropping and tail docking being illegal in EU countries...does that mean that dobberman pinchers are 'natural'? I've seen an unaltered dobie once and that was quite unusual to me! I'm thinking of all the dog breeds that have docked tails or cropped ears and wow...that's kinda weird as the "look" is so part of recognizing those breeds.  I personally think the cropped CO ears make them look even MORE imposing...


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## boothcreek

Grazer said:
			
		

> @ boothcreek, what a funny and interesting story! Everything that you wrote sounds so familiar to me.
> I've never owned a SRO and I don't know just how closely SRO and CO are related (some say CO's and Komondor's were used to "perfect" the breed).
> But I've met a couple and from what I hear CO's and SRO's share many similarities.
> Maybe if you still have pictures of your old SRO's you can post it on here


I will have to see if i can find a picture of Barinya somewhere, I know we have no digital ones, gotta look thru our albums. I think the SRO are a little less attached to people(they are geared more towards being left alone in the mountains with livestock and no people) than the COs. But all in all any of the ovtscharkas are very independant, stubborn but devoted intelligent guard dogs. You do not train them, if they like you enough they honor you by doing as you ask. 
Not sure if its the same with the CO but with the SRO being spoken to harshly never gets you anywhere, I think it goes a bit with being less dependant on people with the SRO. I know ours did anything we asked as long as we did not get a harsh tone about it.


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## Grazer

boothcreek said:
			
		

> Grazer said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> @ boothcreek, what a funny and interesting story! Everything that you wrote sounds so familiar to me.
> I've never owned a SRO and I don't know just how closely SRO and CO are related (some say CO's and Komondor's were used to "perfect" the breed).
> But I've met a couple and from what I hear CO's and SRO's share many similarities.
> Maybe if you still have pictures of your old SRO's you can post it on here
> 
> 
> 
> I will have to see if i can find a picture of Barinya somewhere, I know we have no digital ones, gotta look thru our albums. I think the SRO are a little less attached to people(they are geared more towards being left alone in the mountains with livestock and no people) than the COs. But all in all any of the ovtscharkas are very independant, stubborn but devoted intelligent guard dogs. You do not train them, if they like you enough they honor you by doing as you ask.
> Not sure if its the same with the CO but with the SRO being spoken to harshly never gets you anywhere, I think it goes a bit with being less dependant on people with the SRO. I know ours did anything we asked as long as we did not get a harsh tone about it.
Click to expand...

I think you are right, I would say the CO's are overall more inclined to work with their people.
Probably because the breed was selected in such large numbers for military purposes at one point (and to this day there are still many CO's that guard prisons and factories in Russia).
The CO's are trainable to a degree, but if they are not in the mood or don't see how you asking them to sit/lay down etc will benefit them, they will not follow your command.
But above all having a good bond with your dog(s) really matters the most in LGD breeds. The more they like you, the better results you'll get.

Yes with CO's as long as you are not screaming/yelling at them, they'll listen. If their owner would tell them with a firm tone to leave something or stay back for instance, they respond quite well.
Unless there is an intruder on their property; then they take matters into their own paws lol and act completely independent of their owner. 

@ Straw Hat Kikos, Southern....you two are absolutely right. I'll message elevan then.

@ Yes and the face of that female is so similar to Gus's too.
It took me a while to get used to seeing Doberman's, Boxers, Great Dane's, Rottweilers etc au naturel lol
They just look so different then.
The CO's definitely look better with cropped ears. And it seems a lot of CO's that are left with natural ears at some point develop an ear infection.
Far more often than other LGD breeds from what I hear.
Ours had an ear infection when he was 6 months old, but thankfully hasn't had one since then.
A possible explanation for that could be the fact that they have had their ears cropped for centuries, which then resulted in CO's developing lots of hair around their cropped ears.
But then when their ears are left uncropped, their floppy ears prevent the air access to accumulated moisture. 
That's at least the theory our vet came up with at the time.
As long as the owners of CO's with natural ears regularly check and clean their ears, their dogs should be fine.


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## ylevitin

CocoNUT said:
			
		

> Grazer - the first photo labeled Gurhan...


"Gurhan" is a name and a Copyright of a photographer, and not identification of the dog.
These pictures are from May 1, 2012 annual national CO specialty show, held in Moscow.


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## Grazer

That is true Yelenna, I already explained that to CocoNUT in one of my previous messages here:




			
				Grazer said:
			
		

> I agree they are just stunning.  There are two labeled Gurhan (it's the name of the person who took the picture), which one is your favorite..the first one or the third one?


The first picture with Gurhan stamp on it is indeed from the 2012 annual CO specialty show. 
The second one (the one of Sherpskij Vlastelin) is actually from the 2011 annual show. 

I'm just glad people are so nice to take the time to post all the pictures & video's from that annual CO specialty show on Russian CO forums. So people like me who love the breed but live so far away, still get to see something.


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## babsbag

My LGD that is due to have pups this week is 1/4 Ovcharka. Her Dad weighs in at over 150 lbs. She is much smaller, probably about 75 and looks like an Anatolian. Last year she had 2 pups that were black and white and I wondered where that came from...now I know.

A friend of mine has one of her pups and he weighs over 100 lbs and barely a year old. 

Thanks for sharing that great information about a breed that most people have never heard of.


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## Grazer

babsbag said:
			
		

> My LGD that is due to have pups this week is 1/4 Ovcharka. Her Dad weighs in at over 150 lbs. She is much smaller, probably about 75 and looks like an Anatolian. Last year she had 2 pups that were black and white and I wondered where that came from...now I know.
> 
> A friend of mine has one of her pups and he weighs over 100 lbs and barely a year old.
> 
> Thanks for sharing that great information about a breed that most people have never heard of.


Thank you 
Your dogs are really good looking and from what I read in your topic they have very good temperaments too; those pups are going to make their future owners very happy 
Do you know if your female is 1/4 Caucasian Ovcharka (Ovcharka is a Russian word for shepherd dog) or a Central Asian Ovcharka (closely related to the Caucasian shepherds but they are a separate breed)?


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## babsbag

I don't know which Ovcharka but you now have me curious. I will have to ask the owner, but she may not know either. 

Thanks for the compliments on my dogs, I never knew how much they would fill a space in my barn or my heart. I debated long and hard, but I am glad we did get them. (not sure the neighbors agree)

 We have really good fences, thanks to DH, but it just makes me more comfortable having them on guard.


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## Grazer

I so agree; LGD's are priceless. They are everything I ever looked for in a dog


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