Kavkaz Shepherd - Profile | Traits | Care

Well referred to as a guardian and watchdog, the Kavkaz Shepherd is highly effective and athletic, with strong muscling and heavy boning.

He has a big wedge-shaped head and thick curved tail which may be carried over his back. The breed is commonly acknowledged by his darkish facial masks in opposition to a thick coat that’s shades of grey, fawn, or red with white markings.

Kavkaz Shepherd Profile

Loyal, robust, and brave, the Kavkaz Shepherd is a fierce family protector. They had been bred to look after flocks and defend the house in opposition to wild predators within the tough Caucasus Mountain area.

They’re also called Caucasian Mountain Dogs, Russian Bear Dogs, Baskhan (Karachay) Pariy, Caucasian Ovcharka Dogs, or simply CO, and there are a lot of variants and kinds.

This huge breed is very territorial and won’t back down from a battle, even in opposition to bears or wolves. Kavkaz Shepherds are intelligent, however, their cussed, unbiased nature could make them troublesome to coach.

Their natural mistrust of strangers and different animals also can result in aggressive tendencies if a skilled coach doesn’t maintain them in check.

This breed just isn’t a sensible choice for novice homeowners, and although they’re pretty low-energy dogs, the sheer size of Kavkaz Shepherds makes them poorly fitted to house residing and houses with young children.

Still, with correct coaching and socialization, Kavkaz Shepherds could make robust watchdogs, family companions, and even remedy dogs.

While they might not attract first-time dog homeowners, Kavkaz Shepherds will reward skilled, patient, constant trainers with mild love and affection that may make them glorious lifelong family members.

History

The Kavkaz Shepherd is one of the oldest, most ancient Molasser breeds, and the origin of those gigantic, protecting dogs is a little bit of a thriller. They hail from the Caucasus Mountain area and have been around for more than 2,000 years.

Some imagine they got here from wolves that had been domesticated, whereas others imagine their ancestry contains Mastiffs and different breeds.

Many consultants declare that the Kavkaz Shepherd is descended from sheepdogs that migrated from Tibet, however, some modern archaeological proof suggests the breed dates back to Mesopotamia.

Wherever they initially got here from, Kavkaz Shepherds made invaluable companions to the shepherds of the Caucasus area for hundreds of years.

They fiercely guarded flocks of sheep and their homeowners from harmful wildlife comparable to wolves, jackals, and bears.

They wanted to be fearless, robust, and intimidating whereas being resilient to a chilly climate and harsh circumstances.

Shepherds bred the qualities they wanted into their dogs, and since the Caucasus Mountain area is so huge, many various variants of the breed emerged, although the Kavkaz Shepherds that developed in Georgia got here to be the breed standard that’s acknowledged by most kennel golf equipment right this moment.

Sometime within the 1900s, the communist USSR began utilizing Caucasian Shepherds as prisoner guard dogs and used them to develop different breeds in military kennels.

In the 1960s, East Germany put the breed to work as border patrol dogs alongside the Berlin Wall. When the wall got down in 1989, some 7,000 patrol dogs had been dispersed, and plenty was getting to households in Germany to dwell out the remainder of their days.

Today, Kavkaz Shepherds are largely family companions, watchdogs, and property guardians, although they’re nonetheless utilized by shepherds who are likely to flock.

They have retained lots of their cautious, standoffish, and typically aggressive traits, so that they need early socialization and agency coaching to keep away from incidents.

It is probably going that breeders will attempt to weed out among the much less fascinating tendencies from the breed because it turns into more popular.

Kavkaz Shepherd Temperament

Courageous, spirited, and strong-willed, the Kavkaz Shepherd is fast to defend his people and property. He is defensive and territorial towards strangers and different dogs, but mild and types along with his human family.

Steady and even-keeled, the Kavkaz Shepherd requires correct socialization and patient coaching to keep away from any potential aggression.

The Kavkaz Shepherd is a loyal guardian to the core. These dogs had been bred to assist shepherds within the Caucasus Mountain area keep their flocks protected from predators like wolves and bears.

They typically use these instincts in modern occasions to behave as watchdogs and protectors, although they’re typically overly apprehensive around strangers and do not take nicely to different animals getting into their territory, together with different dogs.

Smart however headstrong, the huge Kavkaz Shepherd wants an experienced coach that may deal with an unbiased attitude with agency boundaries and patience.

They usually are not high-energy dogs, however, their size calls for space, making them ill-suited for house life. A yard with a strong, high fence is right.

Although they don’t seem to be identified for barking more than most dogs, they’ll alert homeowners to any risks, even in the midst of the night, and their bark is kind of loud.

Kavkaz Shepherds could make glorious family companions and must be indoors with their people as a lot as possible. They shouldn’t be chained up outdoors, as this can be a recipe for creating an aggressive, harmful dog.

With correct coaching, they will make loving family pets and guardians, and a few have even been skilled as remedy dogs.

Size

Kavkaz Shepherds are huge. Males are typically a bit bigger than females and weigh in at 110 to 220 pounds, whereas females average around 100 to 180 pounds.

Some dogs might weigh more or much less, and this could rely upon the place they arrive from or what sort they’re. Mountain dogs are more muscular, whereas plain dogs are a bit leaner.

Males are about 27 to 30 inches in height on the shoulder, and females are between 25 and 28 inches. Kavkaz Shepherds are thought-about to be an enormous breed.

Kavkaz Shepherd Personality

The Kavkaz Shepherd just isn’t for novice dog homeowners. While they’re able to be loving, loyal family dogs and fierce protectors, they’re additionally naturally distrustful of strangers and don’t take nicely to dogs or different animals that they don’t seem to be acquainted with.

In common, they’re low energy and laid back, but they’re additionally extremely territorial and by no means back down from a battle, even when meaning taking up a bear or a wolf.

Although Kavkaz Shepherds are intelligent, they may also be fairly cussed, which can make coaching troublesome. They need agency boundaries, patience, and consistency.

This coaching ought to start as early in life as possible, and socialization is virtually a should. Proper socialization coaching must be executed to beat the breed’s apprehension around new people and animals, which may end up in aggression.

However, with people they’re acquainted with, the Caucasian Shepherd is kind of loving and constant and can make for a lifelong guardian and protector.

Health

The Kavkaz Shepherd is generally considered to be a wholesome breed, but like many big breeds, they are often susceptible to hip dysplasia. They can also develop cataracts.

One of the commonest issues they face is weight problems. Kavkaz Shepherds must be fed an applicable diet for an enormous breed, but they don’t have overly high energy ranges, and that must be considered.

They will need to be exercised, and their weight must be monitored by veterinarians. To forestall weight problems in your Kavkaz Shepherd, speak to your veterinarian or nutritionist about formulating an applicable diet and creating an exercise routine.

Your vet might advocate feeding them smaller, more frequent meals in the course of the day slightly than giant ones to keep away from bloat.

Highlights

The Caucasus Mountain area is huge, and shepherds within the space had totally different wants, leading to a number of variants of the breed that had been created to offer no matter what shepherds required.

However, the Kavkaz Shepherds from Georgia are usually considered to be the breed standard by most kennel golf equipment.

Female Kavkaz Shepherds solely give birth as soon as a year.

Kavkaz Shepherds are fierce guardians of their territory, but they’re additionally pretty low-energy dogs. Weight acquisition is a powerful risk and must be addressed with correct diet and training.

The communist USSR used this breed to protect prisoners and stored dogs in military kennels to create new breeds for army use.

East Germany used Kavkaz Shepherds to patrol the border created by the Berlin Wall. When the wall got here down, dogs got to German households to dwell out the remainder of their days.

The Kavkaz Shepherd is one of the most ancient Molosser breeds. Some archaeological findings hint them back to Mesopotamia.

Kavkaz Shepherd coats are available in three lengths and an enormous number of colors. They shed fairly a bit, but their thick coats maintain their heat even in extraordinarily chilly climates.

While they’re naturally standoffish to strangers and do not take well to different animals, Kavkaz Shepherds might be very mild and loving, and a few have even grown to be remedy dogs with correct coaching.

Kavkaz Shepherd Coat Color And Grooming

There are three coat lengths seen in Kavkaz Shepherds–long, medium, and brief. The longer the hair, the more pronounced the mane is around their necks and the feathering is around their hind legs and tails.

All three lengths of coat are fairly thick. They are double-coated, with the undercoat being advantageous and tender, whereas the outer coat is coarse and longer.

The Kavkaz Shepherd might be grey, fawn, red, cream, tan, and even strong white. Coats can also be brindle or have giant patches of two or more colors.

They typically have white markings on the body and a darkish “mask” across the face. The thick coat must be brushed at the very least twice every week to take away unfastened or lifeless hairs and forestall matting.

Kavkaz Shepherds undergo a heavy shed as soon as a year. Bathing and further brushing may help transfer this shedding alongside more shortly.

Bathing generally is a chore with a dog this size, so it might be smart to only bathtub them as wanted or depend on a professional groomer.

Kavkaz Shepherd Care

The Kavkaz Shepherd’s thick double coat might be brief to very long. Those with long coats must be groomed day by day, whereas shorter coats must be brushed weekly.

Additionally, his nails must be trimmed, ears cleaned and teeth brushed repeatedly. The Kavkaz Shepherd is a peaceful breed with comparatively low energy, however enjoys day-by-day walks or playtime open air and has loads of endurance to maintain prolonged walks or hikes.

On-leash walks and free play in a big fenced yard are the finest for this intelligent and unbiased breed. Although energetic open-air, the Kavkaz Shepherd is quiet and nonetheless in the home.

The primary type of care that Kavkaz Shepherds need is weight control via applicable diet and training. You ought to focus on these together with your veterinarian or nutritionist.

Beyond that, Kavkaz Shepherds ought to have their teeth brushed two to a few occasions every week and cleaned professionally as really useful by your vet.

Ears must be checked for indicators of particles or wax build-up at the very least as soon as every week and cleaned as wanted. Failure to take action might end in ear infections.

Nails must be clipped as wanted to stop breaking and damage. You can also need to maintain a watch out for drool and wipe it away when necessary to keep away from getting your private home coated in slobber.

Kavkaz Shepherd Feeding

Kavkaz Shepherds must be fed a diet formulated for an enormous breed with pretty low energy ranges. You ought to ask your veterinarian or a professional nutritionist that can assist you to discover the right sort of meals and portion size for your particular dog.

The applicable diet will change from puppyhood to maturity and could also be altered relying on medical wants. There are a few dangers that Kavkaz Shepherds will overeat and acquire weight, so be sure to stick to the suitable really useful meal plan.

Smaller, more frequent meals could also be really useful to stop dogs from growing bloat, a life-threatening situation.

Children And Other Pets

Kavkaz Shepherds might be loving family pets that are very loyal, even towards youngsters, but it is vitally necessary to start their socialization coaching early.

It is of their nature to be cautious around strangers, even to the purpose of aggression on occasions, and they don’t take well to different dogs until they’ve been correctly socialized.

Visiting youngsters will need a peaceful, correct introduction with identified people present, and Caucasian Shepherds are typically territorial and aggressive to different dogs until they’ve been raised with them.

Their natural herding instincts can take over, inflicting them to be pushy towards youngsters, they usually may even see the rough play from new children as an assault on their human family member and reply accordingly.

Remember, the Kavkaz Shepherd was bred to be intimidating and won’t hesitate to spring into motion to defend their house and family from perceived threats.

As with any dog, youngsters must be supervised throughout the play and skilled in easy methods to deal with animals to keep away from incidents.

Even with a well-trained Caucasian Shepherd, their sheer size could also be a problem, and you will need to watch them so the play does not get out of hand and end in damage.

Kavkaz Shepherds could also be finest suited to properties with older youngsters and no different pets.

Kavkaz Shepherd – Profile | Traits | Care | Behavior