Caucasian Ovcharka Truly Courageous

Massive, strong, enduring and adaptable to various temperatures – a Caucasian Shepherd Dog or Caucasian Ovcharka is truly a super dog.

 
Originally bred to protect livestock, Caucasian Shepherd Dog is courageous, strong willed and protective towards livestock or family.
A handsome dog…
A massive dog, a Caucasian Shepherd Dog has a muscular and well-boned body. His heavy, big oval-shaped paws give him firm footing to traverse deep snow and rough terrain. Dense hair between the toes provides excellent insulation. His oval-shaped eyes are small and deeply set, while nose is black, with well opened nostrils. His ears are set high and densely covered with hair for insulation. The tail is covered with long hair.
This breed has three types of coats – long-haired, short-haired and intermediate type. Colours vary from grey, fawn, tan, pied, brindle and white. The height of male/female is 25-28 inch (64-72 cm). The weight of male/female is 45-70 kg.
 
Temperament: brave n protective
A Caucasian Ovcharka is brave, alert, strong, assertive, strong-willed and courageous and needs to be properly socialised and trained, as the Caucasian Shepherd Dog may exhibit ferocious and unmanageable tendencies. But he is an intelligent dog and can be trained positively.
He is wary of strangers and has a powerful urge to defend. But he is extremely protective of his family, including children, cats, other dogs, etc. He should never be left alone with children as he can go to extremes in the need to protect the child.
 
Living with a Caucasian Shepherd Dog…
This breed is not suitable for all as he requires a pet parent with strong leadership skills. This is not a dog for everyone and requires a lot of socialisation and training. Remember to be a pack leader always.
He is not recommended for apartment life as he needs space like a yard. But he is extremely adaptable to all temperature due to his dense weather resistant coat that provides protection and insulation against the cold.
 
Exercise – a must…
He barks a lot and a bored Caucasian can be more vocal and destructive. Regular exercise is a must to release pent up energy. If he is not protecting the livestock, he needs to be exercise properly. Take him out for a long walk daily. Let him sniff and explore.
 
Grooming needs…
The coat of the long-haired variety requires frequent brushings, while the short-haired variety needs less grooming, but should still be combed and brushed. They shed heavily once a year. During shedding, it is recommended to brush the hair every day not only to remove dead hair but also to accelerate the shedding process.
 
(Paramjeet Singh Dhesi runs ELITE SQUAD KENNEL (www.EliteSquadKennel.com) in Ludhiana. He is an avid dog lover who imports rare breeds like Caucasian Ovcharka to India).