Dog Breeds

Caucasian shepherd

The Caucasian Shepherd Dog is a huge dog covered with thick, thick fur, whose task is to protect the area. He doesn’t show much interest in working with people, he is independent and independent. Sometimes aggressive, so early, intensive socialization is recommended. Not suitable for living in a block of flats or a house with a small garden.

Nature

Caucasian Shepherd is an impressive, massive dog with a strong build and strong muscularity. Especially growing, the shaggy male is reminiscent of a bear. Caucasian shepherds are faithful and attached to the owner, friendly to all household members. They have a strongly developed instinct for possession and every intruder that appears on their territory will be attacked and chased away.

In a strange place, they should behave calmly and with great reserve, but never timidly. Excessive aggression does not mean courage, but rather a lack of confidence.

The Caucasus are noisy dogs. They are very alert and react to the slightest murmur. Quiet and calm, it’s hard to get them off balance. At the same time, they are very proud dogs, they have a strong, independent character with a great sense of dignity. For centuries they worked independently, guarding flocks of sheep or cattle against wolves and bears. Such work shaped their personality and it cannot be demanded that they completely submit to the will of man. With these dogs you need to make friends and treat them as a partner, only then they will allow the owner to take the lead in the herd.

Skills

Both in the Caucasus and the Urals, dogs have long been used to guard grazing animals. The Caucasian predisposition to watchdogs did not disappear with time. They are still dogs whose calling is to guard, if not herds, a large area. They feel and work best in it.

Training and education

From the moment of birth, the Caucasus should have a close relationship with a person and feel that they are loved. They must have their playpen, which will be an asylum for them, but they cannot be isolated from the family. Treating the dog only as an “alarm for a thief” will cause us to lose contact with him, lead to distortion of natural features and it will be extremely difficult for us to control such a dog.

There is a widespread and unfair view that the caucasian are less intelligent and cannot be trained. This is not true. They have an excellent sense of smell and are therefore used in Russia to detect drugs. You just have to remember to start learning with your puppy. Puppies should be used to city traffic and being around people. Excessive aggression should not be aroused, they have their proper portion coded and deepened over hundreds of years of specific work.

Who is this race for?

Caucasian shepherds are not dogs for lay people. They have opinions difficult to conduct and require an experienced guide. The Caucasus do not require huge running spaces, they only need as much movement as is necessary to maintain good physical condition. They should not be kept in urban blocks of flats – there are breeds that are really better suited for this. They have an abundant coat because they have adapted to life at lower temperatures and feel best on the catwalk.

Advantages and disadvantages

Disadvantages

  • has a great tendency to dominance and aggression
  • independent and stubborn
  • requires an experienced guide

Advantages

  • properly brought up, he is extremely devoted to his family
  • perfect, incorruptible guardian
  • healthy and resilient
  • economical to maintain (for such a large dog)

Health

Caucasian shepherds are characterized by good health and resistance to diseases. Like many larger breeds, they can be exposed to dysplasia of the joints, as well as to enlargement and torsion of the stomach.

Feeding

They are not expensive to maintain. Living high in the mountains, they often had to get food themselves, so they learned to save energy and are fed up with relatively small amounts of karma. The daily portion should be divided into two meals, as this reduces the risk of a dog’s stomach turning dangerous.

Care

Most Caucasus have not very long hair, very rich in dense, lighter undercoat. The Caucasian Shepherd should be combed at least once a week and he will look clean and tidy. Only during the molting period should brushing be a daily care procedure. Caring for your dog’s coat not only cleanses his skin of dirt, dust and falling out fur, but also stimulates blood circulation and strengthens the bond between the owner and the dog.

We bathe the Caucasian Shepherd only sporadically, if necessary. We only use dog shampoos for bathing. It is best to bathe the Caucasus on a warm day, so that you can wash it outside, because bathing in the bathtub of such a giant can cause problems. After bathing, remember to wipe the dog with a towel and let it brush off. It is good to brush the dog – wet hair is more elastic and breaks less.

It is very important for the Caucasus to get used to grooming from a puppy, because if we neglect this, then we can have a serious problem to convince the dog to undergo such treatments!

Accessories

For brushing the Caucasian Shepherd, it’s best to use a hard bristle brush. First, brush the dog under the hair – preferably if it lies on its side – then comb it with a comb. The best for this is a large comb with rare (spaced about every half centimeter) long teeth.

Outside of molting periods, the comb should be used quite carefully. We comb it only with a soft, easily full hair behind the ears, a ruff, feathers on the paws and the tail, and trousers. We comb the torso only with a brush so as not to pull out the undercoat.

In the molting period, a comb brush (larger, with longer knitting need and longer spacing) or a furminator for large dogs will be useful in combing the entire dog.

History

Caucasian shepherds are one of the oldest breeds. They come from the Caucasus, where they have been known for centuries. They belong to the group of canine dogs from Central Asia, whose ancestor was the Tibetan Mastiff. There is evidence that dogs of this type were known before 6000 years in Mesopotamia.

For over 600 years, at high altitudes, reaching up to 5500 m above sea level, in the Caucasus and Urals mountains shepherds protect herds from predators and thieves. In the old days, only dogs were used for guarding, bitches lived in settlements and were intended only for breeding. Often the Caucasus was not associated with each other, but foreign blood was added and later puppies were selected. The strongest and boldest were used in further breeding.

Long ago, when dogs had to fight predators, they often lost their ears. To avoid hurting them, all the auricle was removed. Today, this procedure has been banned in most countries, and the Caucasus does not currently have too many opportunities to fight predators.

Caucasian shepherds can adapt to different climatic and terrain conditions. The Russians describe the massive, stocky Georgian type and much slimmer Azerbaijani, originating from the south near the Iranian border. In the south-east, in the land lying between the Greater Caucasus and the Caspian Sea, we can meet a smaller shepherd with slightly angular lines, and on the Turkish borderland a powerful Kangalian. The most desirable and sought-after type is Georgian, usually with a long coat and gray, wolf-colored coat.

Until World War II, the Caucasian Shepherds remained unknown outside their homeland. Probably the first copies went to Germany during the war years, but it is officially believed that they were brought to the former GDR in 1964. Apparently, the Caucasus was used to guard the Berlin Wall.

The European standard for the breed was reported by FCI to the Netherlands, although Caucasus were few there. The 1980s brought a significant increase in the popularity of these dogs. They spread in Germany, former Czechoslovakia, Hungary, France and Italy. The first copies came to Poland from Germany in the late 70s and stormed the hearts of many dog ​​lovers.

Template

Caucasian Shepherd – group II FCI, section 2.2, reference number 328

  • Origin:  Russia
  • Character:  balanced, confident, fearless, independent; attached to the owner, excellent watchman
  • Size:  dogs – desirable height 72-75 cm, minimum 68 cm; bitches – desirable height is 67-70 cm and minimum height 64 cm
  • Weight:  dogs – minimum 50 kg; bitches – minimum 45 kg
  • Coat:  straight, thick and rich hair; there are three varieties: long-haired – with a ruff, fringes, pants and a fluffy tail; short-haired – with a dense, short coat (not shorter than 5 cm); intermediate – with long coat, but without an orifice, fringes and frills
  • Color:  from sandy to red, white, pinto, various shades of willy, brindle; only uniformly black, blue (with gray nose) and liver ointment are not allowed
  • Lifespan:  10-11 years
  • Vulnerability to training: low, it is an independent dog
  • Activity: calm, does not require much movement, but during the attack is very fast
  • Cost of living:  PLN 150-200 per month
  • Resistance:  very resistant.

Interesting facts

There is an anecdote in Warsaw to this day about how a gentleman bought at the Dziesięciolecia Stadium (in 1989–2008 used as the largest market in Europe, the so-called “Europe Fair”) from a trader from across the eastern border, an animal that was to be a puppy of a Caucasian shepherd and it turned out to be … a small bear.

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