Behavior, Training and Care of your Caucasian Ovcharka

 

 

 

I have to start by saying that anyone interested in a CO needs to make sure they really want a large, powerful, protective and independent dog.
CO's like to "think", they are not the type of breed that will follow every command blindly and often can be quite dominant in character.

A Caucasian shepherd needs experienced owners.

They should only be owned by knowledgeable, responsible people that have a lot of space and are looking for a great property/livestock guardian.

I wouldn't recommend this breed to someone who does not have at the very least a large backyard (1/4 acre is a minimum in my opinion) fenced with a sturdy 6ft or higher fence.

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 having a 6ft fence or higher, is so important.

They are one of the most naturally protective breeds out there (in other words: you don't have to train them to protect their property from strangers).
Typically when a well bred Caucasian shepherd sees strangers or other canines near their property, they go into a full protection mode.

Do not waste your time or money on a CO until the property is properly fenced.

Owning a CO on a property that's not fenced properly is a huge liability and is just asking for trouble.

No breeder should sell a CO to anyone without proper fencing and if a breeder tells you CO's will stay without fencing or that an invisible fence is ok, run the other way

 

CO's will react to a real or perceived threat. Owning these dogs is a tremendous responsibility; to both the public and to the dog. 

Successful owners of CO's are knowledgeable, prepared, and good handlers of their dogs and the situations they place them in.

 

 

 

Socialization

 

 

Your CO puppy will require adequate socialization from early on, so it can develop into a mature dog with a good judgment.
Socialization will help your CO differentiate between real threats and something that is simply new or unusual.
Away from their property well bred, well socialized CO's are very aloof with strangers.
Socialization has to be done correctly.

It's not about every stranger laying hands on your dog, it's about giving your CO puppy positive experiences in different situations to build their confidence and show them what is normal for their living situation and what is to be accepted.

Socialization is also about teaching them good manners, teaching them to behave in public.

Be careful not to overstimulate your young CO puppy, that too can cause a bad reaction.

When it comes to socializing your CO, remember: quality, not quantity. And try to have every new experience end in a positive way.

It is also really important to teach your CO to accept guests, once properly introduced. With a protective and prmitive breed like the CO, this is something that needs to be worked on early on.

CO's will by nature remain aloof and reserved with new people until familiarity is achieved.

 

 

Training a CO

 

 

Like all LGD breeds CO's are stubborn and independent. CO's were bred for centuries to work independently from their owner.

Even the Soviet military realized that the CO's are not a very biddable breed (which is why they also created breeds such as the Moscow Watchdog).

Some CO's will try and push the boundary more often than others.
But they are trainable.

Some CO's are more dominant than others. They will challenge you several times as they're growing up.

The firmer 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, patient, consistent owner to avoid any issues with your CO.

For example, if you don't want your CO on furniture, you have to teach them this right away.

No means no and every member in the household should apply the same command system.
Besides being firm, you must be a fair owner as well. Don't use physical techniques to punish your CO.

It is very important that you create a bond of trust and love with your CO.

 

While CO's are not a very biddable and trainable breed, they are highly intelligent and simple commands such as: sit, down, leave it, stay and walking nicely on a leash,  is something every CO should know.

CO's also need to tolerate and accept trips to the vet and riding in a vehicle.

They need to have dinner time manners, they need to accept being handled all over by their owner; brushing your CO, cleaning its ears, teeth etc, should never be a problem.

So these are all things you need to work on with your CO from day one.

 

CO's are not a hyper breed, but they do like to run and play, and they need plenty of room, a property they can patrol.

If they don't have enough room and activities, then they can be quite destructive as puppies; they will chew on furniture, walls, shoes...you name it, if they are bored
Some CO's tend to bark a lot, for example every time they see someone passing closely by the fence.

That is another thing to consider for people living in urban areas before getting a CO.

 

CO's 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 leave them alone with small kids. But the last can be said about all dogs.

 

 

 

Coat Care

 

Taking care of a CO coat is not very difficult.

Brush them with a slicker brush couple of times a week just to keep them looking neat and to avoid any matted hair (for CO's with uncropped ears it's important to note that they need to be brushed behind their ears too).
And that's all they need until it's time for them to blow their coats

They blow their winter coats between early to late spring. When they blow their coats, a huge amount of undercoat comes out so they can better tolerate summers.

 

CO's also have a "mini" shedding right before winter, to prepare for growing in of the winter coat and females will also blow coat after having a litter.

Blowing their coats often lasts 2-3 weeks and during this time most people will use a rake  (I myself just continue to use a slicker brush, that works too)
As long as the owner does this regularly while they are blowing their coats and puts all the undercoat in a trash bag, the house remains rather neat.

 

It's important never to shave these dogs. This diagram shows really well why double coated dogs such as the CO's shouldn't be shaved:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Should you get a male or a female?

 

 

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 always say get the opposite gender of your current dog (if you have one).
That way there will be a much bigger chance that the two of them will get along well.
Other than a difference in size, females tend to bark more and are usually the more dominant one in multi-dog household (please note, the level of dominance is not an indication on how well your CO will guard).

Females also often have a slightly higher prey drive.
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.