Caucasian Shepherd - description of the breed and character of the dog

Caucasian Shepherd is a large breed of guard dogs. For a long time, they were shepherd dogs, both in Russia and in the territory of the former USSR. In historical terms, the breed has several different types.

The dogs showed themselves brilliantly not only to protect the flocks of sheep, but also to serve during the guard. A characteristic feature of these dogs is aggression towards strangers, attentiveness and unpretentiousness. It is believed that the Caucasus is the birthplace of these dogs, this is what formed the basis for the name of the breed.

Breed characteristics

You can dwell on several classic average characteristics:

• height - 58-66 cm (males - up to 65, females - up to 60);
• weight - approximately 70 kg;
• behavior - calm, patient, balanced;
• color - spotted, red, white, brindle, etc.

Caucasian Shepherd can be:

1. Longhair The hair is elongated - both the coverslip and the guard (up to 13 cm). In addition, the decorating hair they also well developed on the limbs, neck and tail.
2. Shorthair. In this case, the length of the hair reaches approximately 7 centimeters. These dogs do not have a mane, as well as decorating hair on the limbs and tail.
3. Intermediate. Hair decorating is almost absent, but the guard hair is rather long.

In all animals of this breed, the backbone is impressive and coarse, the muscles are stiff, and the skin has great thickness and elasticity. The head is massive, wide enough, the cheekbones are very developed. The tail is set very high, and the limbs are in the shape of an oval. The abdomen is slightly picked up, the neck is large, and the chest is set deep and wide. Ears must be stopped.

Caucasian Shepherd Character

Despite the fact that the Caucasian Shepherd Dog looks rather frightening and has a large size, the representatives of this breed are incredibly cute and friendly, which caused their popularity.

Fact! These dogs easily manage to adapt to any weather conditions and weather, they calmly tolerate even the most frosty winters.

Among the most basic qualities of this breed is confidence, which allows dogs without errors and quickly respond to the situation in an extreme and unexpected situation. Even if she is in danger, the dog manages to stay cool and calm. Caucasian Shepherd can live in the apartment, and in the aviary.

Among the special traits of character can also be distinguished bravery, determination, perseverance, suspicious attitude towards strangers and guardian instincts. However, the Caucasian Shepherd Dog can be easily trained, as these dogs have a calm character and a high level of intelligence.

For a shepherd dog, attention from the people she lives with is significant. In this case, the dog is always ready to stand up for people. But she only trusts the household, and the little ones are under her special supervision. She will not offend them, and even happily take part in the game with the child.

It should be understood that if you decide to have a dog of this breed, you need to devote a lot of time and attention to its education.Only this will determine what kind of relationship develops with the dog, and the upbringing should begin from the first days of being in the puppy's apartment.

Process of training

Start learning commands should be a puppy. The fundamental rule in this is that the attitude towards training should be filled with respect and love. If the owner has not previously dealt with such processes, then it is advisable to contact the specialists, as otherwise the dog will be a large and disobedient animal.

The process of learning should be a person whom the Caucasian Shepherd Dog considers to be the master and authority. All education is divided into two main stages:

• dog training at puppy age;
• consolidation of acquired skills in an adult.

Before you begin training, you need to find out what kind of character the animal has. Often, they are quite independent, unhurried and reasonable. Trying to train the dog to various teams, you should not be too stingy with affectionate attitude.

First of all, the puppy must be trained to answer the nickname.In this case, the name of the pet should be pronounced the same way each time, without diminutive suffixes. After the pet has learned the nickname, it is necessary to teach the puppy simple commands, which include "Walk!" And "To me" - this should be pronounced with special affection and trust. If the puppy executes the command correctly, it should be encouraged and praised, for example, by scratching behind the ear.

After the age of three months, the puppy needs to learn the command "No". You should not pronounce this command for no particular reason, the voice should be filled with confidence and be quite firm and calm. When the puppy is five months old, he is ready for the assimilation of the Sit command, and then Lying. At the same time, in the process of upbringing, it is necessary to teach the puppy to the team “Near” - it is usually pronounced when it is time to return from a walk.

At six months, the pet should already get acquainted with the muzzle. First, the time of wearing a muzzle should be short, and it gradually increases.

Raising dogs

In fact, these animals, resembling little cubs, have a strong and strong disposition, which can be demonstrated by them at any moment if the dog wants to show its independence.Therefore, the process of raising a Caucasian Shepherd Dog is invariably combined with a certain specificity, which distinguishes this process from the education of animals of other breeds.

Start raising a puppy should be from the moment he appeared in the apartment. It is important that the puppy immediately understand who is the real owner in the house and where his place is located. In addition, walks also have an equally important role, which should be done first briefly. Initially, they should be short-lived, but they should be produced often.

There are three simple recommendations that affect the education of the Caucasian Shepherd:

• you can not raise your voice on a puppy;
• you can not hurry the dog;
• it is strictly forbidden to beat them.

This breed has some peculiarity - it takes time to think about it before they act one way or another. Therefore, it may seem that the puppy is very slow, but this does not mean that the dog must be punished for it or raised his voice to it. Otherwise, the dog may become embittered. Censure a dog can be subjected if it is aggressive towards someone from the household or, for example, its attention is attracted by something on the ground.

It should be said that aggression is one of the traits of nature that are embedded in the dog by nature, therefore, such a trait needs to be suppressed, otherwise it can lead to unpleasant consequences. Punishment for malice should be with all the severity and unchanged hardness.

However, it should always be remembered that the puppy needs encouragement and praise for those teams that he performs well, since it is reward and support that are important for the dog when it is raised.

First of all, the dog should be brought up so that it understands that its owner is a strict leader, and in this case it will be possible to easily avoid the problems that may arise due to the irreconcilable nature of the shepherd dog. The dog will be obedient, loyal and reliable friend only if every person living with the dog dominates it.

Caucasian Shepherd Dog Care

First of all, remember that to care for every pet means to take care of his health. The pet must be fed regularly, combed, shown to the veterinarian in a timely manner for prophylaxis and, of course, treated with love and respect.

If we talk specifically about Caucasian Shepherd Dogs, then caring for her includes, first and foremost, monitoring her state of health, which includes caring for claws, ears, eyes and hair.

A puppy, like an adult dog, needs frequent walking, since babies have a high need for activity. The light of the sun has a beneficial effect on the general state of the dog's body, raising the tone and improving metabolism.

Shepherd's coat is very voluminous, and therefore the dog does not need specific grooming. It does not need to be washed frequently, it is advisable to use a special brush for this purpose. Combing is required from three times during the week, and if there are mats, then you have to cut them off.

When the dog starts to shed, combing a shepherd will be needed daily. If the need arises, the wool needs trimming. Of course, long-haired dogs need increased care for their fur.

You should also pay special attention to the care of the ears. They need to be viewed in time to avoid the appearance of ticks in the ears. If this happens, you need to remove and eliminate the tick.Clean the ears should be a cotton swab, which must first be moistened with oil or hydrogen peroxide.

Caucasian Shepherd Claws need regular claws checking, which can impede the movement of a dog when it grows too large. For trimming need to use special nippers or scissors.

Caucasian Shepherd Feeding

The pledge of a pet's health is the right process for its nutrition. Food should be varied, rich and balanced. But over-feeding the dog is prohibited, otherwise the shepherd dog may become slow-moving and lazy.

In the diet should include meat, which is desirable to boil. Sometimes, however, you can give a puppy and raw meat that needs chopping. Meat should be about 75 percent, the rest of the food is dairy products, raw vegetables and fruits. Croup, citrus and legumes should be avoided.

It is useful to add tomatoes, bran, radishes and potatoes.

When the dog is still a puppy, it is often necessary to feed it, and from one year to one and a half years it is required to feed the dog twice a day. In the future, you can feed her once a day.In this case, the dog should always have access to clean boiled water.

Caucasian Shepherd Disease

Even if the dog looks healthy, it is important to remember that the shepherd dog has a predisposition to characteristic diseases, which include hip dysplasia and heart disease.

Dysplasia can develop quite gently, but sometimes leads to complications and arthritis. Therefore, it is worth paying attention if the dog has acquired a strange gait, lame and constrained in movement. To diagnose and treat this disease is required in veterinary clinics.

This is important to remember!

1. The Caucasian Shepherd Dog submits not only by executing commands, but also recognizing the owner’s rights to be the leader. The dog can perfectly follow the instructions, but at the same time show aggression towards the owner, if he takes the dog's food found on the street, or does not allow him to fight with another dog.
2. A dog is formed from a period of 3 to 9 months, and therefore it is the most important period. It is then that the psyche of the dog can be influenced by external factors of irritation, which include loud noises and strangers in the dog's territory.If a puppy quickly forgets a small bang from an adult, a firecracker exploding nearby can permanently change the character of the puppy.
3. If the dog lives with people in the same apartment, then it must be remembered that the skeleton and the mass of the dog may degrade. The best option for a dog is to walk for at least one hour on the street, and from six months it is necessary to walk a sheepdog three times a day.
4. If in the process of raising a puppy something was missed, then it will not be possible to catch up with the adult.
5. It is important to pay attention to how the shepherd relates to young children. Sometimes, some dogs may react with irritation to babies, so you should pay attention to it. If the dog moves away, if the child approaches him, or strains, then you should not leave the child and the dog alone. The child must understand that the dog is not a toy for him, and the dog should be forbidden to approach the child without permission.

Video: Caucasian Shepherd Dog Breed