Caucasian Shepherd Dog Puppy - Traits | Care

The Caucasian Shepherd Dog puppy is a big livestock guardian dog breed from the Caucasus Mountains, generally bred within the mountainous areas of Transcaucasia, particularly in Georgia.

Caucasian Shepherd Dog Puppy Profile

A dog with many names, the Caucasian shepherd is a big mountain dog with superbly thick winter fur. This breed additionally goes by Caucasian Ovcharka, Caucasian Sheepdog, Kawkasky Owtscharka, and Kaukasische Schaferhund, displaying that its lineage has traveled all around the world.

Caucasian shepherd puppies are cute, however, take note they’ll develop to be big dogs! Plenty of coaching is so as with these protecting, sensible pups. This is a comparatively uncommon breed, particularly within the West.

The long-coated sorts of the Caucasian shepherd need to be brushed repeatedly 2-Three occasions every week as they shed fairly steadily, whereas the short-haired variations much less so. Their nails develop quick and powerful, so it’s necessary to clip them repeatedly as properly.

In basic, the Caucasian shepherd is a wholesome and powerful breed, but it surely’s crucial to test with accredited dog teams on what illnesses this explicit breed faces.

Born and bred within the Kavkaz (Caucasus) mountains of Eastern Europe, the Caucasian shepherd was first talked about as early because of the first century BC.

Research means that this breed is intently associated with the sheepdogs of the Balkans and mastiffs of Asia, and was utilized in guarding herds all throughout the Caucasus mountains.

The Caucasian Ovcharka is finest suited to a house the place he can put his livestock-guarding skills to good use, though he can be a great present dog or a home companion.

The Ovcharka bonds strongly along with his family—together with youngsters and different pets—and he takes his position as their guardian very critically.

With people he is aware of, the Ovcharka is regular, candy, and sort. When it involves strangers, he’s suspicious—and he could also be aggressive in the direction of unfamiliar dogs. Light sleepers beware: The Ovcharka tends to bark at night, alerting you to possible risks.

While his protecting nature could also be engaging to some people, the Ovcharka isn’t an excellent match for novice dog house owners. He’s sensible, but in addition an unbiased thinker, so he wants somebody who can information him with agency, loving, and patient coaching.

Talk to his coach about instituting a nothing-in-life-is-free program, requiring the pet to “work” by performing a command before he receives meals, toys, treats, or play.

And be aware that Ovcharka puppies are inveterate chewers, so don’t give them the roam of the home till they’ve reached maturity.

The adult Ovcharka has a low exercise level, so he can stay in small quarters, resembling a residence or apartment. However, he prefers a house with a big yard enclosed by a stable fence that’s no less than 5 feet high.

This is a territorial breed, so he should be taught boundaries. When his family is dwelling, the Ovcharka needs to be indoors with them — regardless of his good guarding skills, when you preserve your Ovcharka chained within the yard, he’ll develop into aggressive and harmful.

History

The Caucasus Mountains are dwelling to most of the oldest residing molossoid landrace dogs, such because the Azerbaijani Volkodav, Azerbaijani Shepherd Dog, and Georgian Shepherd Dog.

During the 20th century, the Soviet breeders chose a few of these varieties amongst Caucasian dogs and created the Caucasian Shepherd Dog puppy breed.

The modern present class Caucasian Shepherd is a hybrid of established Caucasian varieties, basically based mostly on the Georgian Shepherd Dog, which is the most important and most muscularly constructed dog with engaging long hair.

The breed’s first official Show-Ring look exterior the Caucasus was within the 1930s in Germany.

Since ancient occasions Caucasian mountain dogs have served shepherds within the Caucasus mountains as livestock guardian dogs, defending sheep from predators, primarily wolves, jackals, and bears.

Caucasian Shepherd Dogs served as guard dogs, bear looking dogs and immediately they work as jail guard dogs in Russia.

The Caucasian Shepherd Dog puppy is a completely standardized breed, acknowledged by main kennel organizations, together with the Fédération Cynologique Internationale and the United Kennel Club.

The Caucasian Ovcharka Working Dog Club of America is searching for full recognition from the American Kennel Club.

Caucasian Shepherd Dog Puppy Personality

The Ovcharka is a guardian breed with a critical and protecting temperament. Although he has an innate mistrust of strangers, he’s light towards people he is aware of.

The Ovcharka is extremely loyal to his family — however fierce of their protection. However, when there’s nothing to protect towards, he’s laidback and compliant, expressing a candy attitude towards his family members.

Slightly rectangular in construct, the Caucasian shepherd dog puppy is strongly constructed with muscle and bone mass for a cold mountain climate.

There are two major varieties of this breed, the Mountain kind (long-coated and heavy body mass), and the Steppe kind, which is a bit leaner with a shorter coat.

They are available in quite a lot of colors which might be often combined. Some of essentially the most present colors are agouti, white, black, gray, fawn, red, rust, and cream.

This intelligent dog has an unbiased nature so that you need to coach him with patience, firmness, and consistency — by no means use harsh phrases or heavy-handed methods. Properly skilled Ovcharkas have earned obedience and Canine Good Citizen titles, and a few are even remedy dogs.

Start coaching your pet the day you convey him dwelling. Even at eight weeks old, he’s able to soak up all the things you’ll be able to educate him. Don’t wait till he’s 6 months old to start coaching or you’ll have a more headstrong dog to cope with.

If possible, get him into pet kindergarten class by the point he’s 10 to 12 weeks old, and socialize, socialize, socialize.

However, bear in mind that many pet coaching courses require sure vaccines (like kennel cough) to be updated, and plenty of veterinarians advocate restricted publicity to different dogs and public locations till pet vaccines (together with rabies, distemper, and parvovirus) have been accomplished.

In lieu of formal coaching, you’ll be able to start coaching your pet at dwelling and socializing him amongst family and pals till pet vaccines are accomplished.

Caucasian Shepherd Dog Puppy Facts

In Russian, Ovcharka means “shepherd” or “sheepdog.”

Females solely give birth as soon as a year, which can hark back to the breed’s primitive beginnings.

The Ovcharka’s coat is available in grey, cream, fawn or reddish fawn, tan or reddish tan, and white, in addition to brindle, piebald (giant patches of two or more colors), and white with grey patches. Coats which might be stable black, black and tan, and stable brown are undesirable—watch out for breeders who declare these colors are “rare.”

Caucasian Shepherd Dog Puppy Appearance

The Caucasian Shepherd Dogs is a strongly-boned, muscular, however good-looking and even-tempered molossoid dog. Plain dogs have a shorter coat and seem taller as they’re much less strongly constructed. Alpine varieties have a heavier coat and are more muscular.

The Caucasian Ovcharka is a big dog. Minimum weight and height for bitches are 64 centimeters/45 kilograms, with a most well-liked height range of 67–70 centimeters, for dogs the minimal is 68 centimeters/50 kilograms, with a most well-liked height of 72–75 centimeters.

Equal elements fierce and mild, the Caucasian shepherd dog puppy was bred to protect, and guard they shall. They have a natural self-confidence that comes with being a big dog and could be fairly fearless on occasions.

However, in the case of their pack (you and your family), they’re fairly sort and mild and love affection from their little tribe. However, they’ll get temperamental when unknown people are in your family as they’re bred to be extremely protective animals.

Caucasian Shepherd Dog Puppy Grooming

The Ovcharka has a double coat composed of an undercoat and a topcoat. The undercoat is gentle and nice, whereas the hairs of the outer coat are long and coarse. (An Ovcharka’s coat ought to by no means really feel gentle or seem wavy.)

When it involves size, the coat could be long, medium, or quick. Dogs with long coats have a mane that surrounds the neck, in addition to in-depth feathering on the hind legs and on the tail, which appears to be thick and fluffy.

Dogs with medium-length coats don’t have fairly as a lot of a mane, and so they have much less feathering on the remainder of the body. A brief coat, the least frequent kind, has no mane or feathering.

To preserve an Ovcharka’s double coat wholesome, brush him totally as much as twice every week. Once a year, the Ovcharka goes by a heavy shed, often known as a blowing coat.

During this time, heat baths and frequent brushing will assist the old coat shed quicker, decreasing the quantity of hair that can end up in your flooring, furnishings, and clothes. The relaxation is routine care: Clean his ears and trims his nails as wanted.

Caucasian Shepherd Dog Puppy Training

Due to their size and temperament, the strong-willed Caucasian shepherd is usually an exhausting breed to coach correctly. It will take a variety of patience, as they’re too unbiased at occasions, and should not need to take your path.

They’re cautious of strangers and unfamiliar dogs, so conventional group coaching programs with different animals will not be excellent. Instead, working one-on-one with a well-informed coach might be a greater state of affairs. However, as with all dogs, it’s necessary to take them to pet socialization courses early.

Energy Level

Caucasian shepherds are typically low-energy and should seem to not transfer a lot indoors, with spurts of energy as soon as outside. They’re usually calm except on alert towards potential intruders and revel in a daily on-leash stroll with their family members.

Life Span

Caucasian shepherds stay between 10 – 12 years on average.

Health

The Caucasian Shepherd Dog puppy is usually wholesome and long-lived, averaging a life span of 10–12 years.

The ears of the Caucasian Shepherd Dog puppies are historically cropped, though some modern dogs are unaltered, as many people consider that this follow is unethical and merciless.

Exercise and play-time are necessary to assist forestall weight problems in this breed. Outdoor activities resembling mountaineering, chasing balls, and retrieving flying discs are usually an approach to preserve dogs lively and mentally stimulated.

Getting a Caucasian shepherd pet

Choosing to undertake or undergo a breeder on your new Caucasian shepherd dog puppy pet is a personal alternative that requires analysis.

Thankfully, there are a lot of sources on the market that will help you discover a rescue or breeder that provides wholesome, ethically sourced Caucasian shepherd puppies.

Knowing what you’re in for if you get a Caucasian shepherd pet is a vital step in being a responsible pet owner. Whether you discover a responsible breeder or are planning on adopting, it’s as much as you to be ready for an energetic and pleasant addition to your family.

Adopting Caucasian shepherd puppies

It could also be stunning to know, however adopting a Caucasian shepherd pet is possible.

According to the AKC, most breed rescues report {that a} majority of their rescue dogs come from particular person owner give up, with the most typical causes being a change in lifestyle or the breed not being right for them.

This implies that there could also be many dogs and puppies out that which might be searching for a brand new forever dwelling.

The major distinction between a breeder and a rescue is {that a} rescue might not at all times have younger puppies to select from.

The profit, nevertheless, is that almost all are mandated to solely undertake out dogs that have been microchipped and spayed/neutered. This means it’s possible you’ll end up with a dog that’s already been housebroken, and doesn’t need these frequent medical procedures.

Caucasian Shepherd Dog Puppy – Traits | Care | Behavior