Q: Caucasian Shepherd/Ovcharka/Mountain Dog?
I have heard many things about Caucasian Shepherd (Ovcharka), all of them about how aggressive and territorial they are (the trait I admire). I understand that these dogs are not for beginners but I am a military man and I have worked with large dogs. My only question is whether or not Caucasian Ovcharka can be trained not to be aggressive. I fear that I could train it in some wrong way, and it mauls some child and has to be put down.
Answers and Views:
Answer by Bill
I urge anyone considering this particular breed to be very cautious. While my experience is not extensive, my son was injured fairly badly by one of these dogs, and I actually don't think he was even really agitated. I also don't think you can assign blame to the dog or my son.
All animals have bad days and react accordingly to the situation around them. In this case, the dog overreacted to some unknown stimulus, like many dogs do. It just happens this was a 230lb killer and the owner could not fully control the animal. He ultimately admitted there were times he had to lock himself in the barn to get away from the dog, but he used it to keep bears away from his property.
If the incident involved a shepherd or pit bull, there is a pretty good chance they can be confronted successfully, but no human is a match for Caucasian Ovcharka. I think anyone looking to own one of these dogs really needs to take a long hard look at what could happen if the dog has a bad day, or misinterprets a situation, which animals are sometimes prone to do.
I have trained collies and shepherds my whole life, and am not sure I would be adequately prepared to control one of these.
Answer by Brandon
I have a 3-year-old female Caucasian Ovcharka and a 9-month-old male Caucasian Ovcharka. I have not seen the natural aggression from either one of my dogs. I got the female when she was 10 weeks old and the male when he was 7 weeks old. Through consistent training and socialization, these dogs can be as friendly as your average golden retriever. You just have to set the hierarchy at an early age and stick to it until they are mature.
A Caucasian must know that you are the leader and that they are below people in the hierarchy. If you do not get this set in stone with them then that’s when you run into the issue of a very dangerous dog that is acting on its instinct.
The Caucasian takes its lead from you at all times. It can sense if you are relaxed and then they are relaxed and if you are tense then they will be tense and more prone to react. but the just of it is yes a Caucasian Ovcharka can be non-aggressive and friendly but it takes commitment, consistency, and socialization and you have to keep your wits about you all the time because even when you have trained a Caucasian to be a companion rather than a guardian they still have the guardian instinct and if they can sense you are afraid or agitated or unsure of a situation then there is still the likelihood that their guardian instinct will kick in to defend their family.
Answer by Annette
I own a Caucasian Shepherd female, she is 6 months old now, we have had her for a few months. She is the nicest dog there is I own six different breeds and my little Yorkie/poo is meaner than she is. She loves everyone she meets from a mailman to a neighbor. I live in the country and she has acres to run and it isn't fenced in. I always say it isn't the breed of the dog its how they're treated. I would own another one in a heartbeat.
At night she does patrol the yard and clucks like a chicken which is so funny, then she comes back like its ok. ANY dog can be mean... This breed is just getting a bad name.
Answer by Art
At 6 months she's still a puppy. They usually change at 8-9 months. But yes, I think Caucasian Shepherd can be trained not to be aggressive by an experienced trainer.
Answer by Greek God AKA Greekman
The trait which you admire in this breed is genetic in nature and although some socialization may help, you will not be able to suppress being aggressive and territorial.
These dogs, much like one of my all-time favorites, the Fila, requires a lifestyle that does not involve surprises as far as your social life.
I would NOT trust a Caucasian Ovcharka to not engage anything that enters its property.
- How much would a typical Caucasian mountain dog cost?
- Caucasian Mountain Shepherd Dog Attack Video
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Answer by [email protected]
Caucasian Shepherds are naturally aggressive dogs and have been used by Eastern Block countries as guard dogs for that reason. These dogs will, if brought up in one family from puppyhood, guard that family but will attack any other human or animal.
Training these dogs is extremely difficult and you should be aware the dog is always liable to revert to type. My personal choice would be a German Shepherd, which can be trained with relative ease to be sociable but still guard its territory, ie your home and you.
Know better? Give your own answer to this question!
Tarja says
CO is firstly a guardian dog for life stock. They will protect the stock of animals. When the threat is no longer there they will be or they should be calm again. They do not chase the threat if the threat goes away.
Secondly, this guarding element goes also for their family, let it be humans and/or other household pets. Thus a good proper fencing is required cos they do not usually tolerate any strangers on their territory. There are individuals who will not tolerate anyone outside their family so they will need to be put in a separate fenced area when visitors are present. Some will tolerate them. This is not something you can train like with many many other breeds.
This is not a household family pet. From the moment you get the puppy you should know how to handle these dogs. It is not so much of ordering them around cos they are strong willed and they will make up their own mind. It’s more like agreeing together how things will be done. In a calm strong minded manner. If you watch a pack of dogs interact the boss is usually the one who stands his ground without hesitation in a calm assertive manner when needed. He will not dodge away in any situation but he will face them with face on. He is also fair. He doesn’t change the rules ever. For a strong willed dogs they need gentle but firm handling.
Lastly this breed is a working breed. If the dog cannot guard it will become frustrated and can be much much harder to handle.
For the person asking the question you need to figure out for what purpose you are considering a CO? If it’s not for the guarding then i would go for a different breed.
For Victor’s experience i can say he lacked doing his homework on the breed before getting one. He should have also stepped in when she was bullying the other dog. They test and when they get away with it they keep on testing. They will know the soft personalities.
Victor Easley says
I do agree that where I dropped the ball is not addressing her aggression at 3 months when KC would attack EZ over food. She was so good with food before that. I as just in shock and awe at her boldness at the time. As far as me being soft -not even. But I’m not abusive either. I did extensive homework on the bread. I had owned a Brazilian Mastiff which is an aggressive breed. No where then or now have I ever seen a single article on CO’s with food aggression. Breeder saw a uniqueness in KC out of her litter and recommended her. To this day, KC continues to defer to me first and wife second. I run her a mile in the morning and evening everyday. Have been doing this for a year. Lots of obedience training, too. She is a beautiful, sweet girl until she’s not. Three trainers were worthless. Two made her food aggression worse: through the top. The third did nothing to fix the food issues. The boneheads! They are happy to take your thousands of dollars, though. So, my experience dictates that there is no fix for her food aggression, only management.
Tarja says
I think you are on the right track now.. management. As long as he is okay with you (and family members living under the same roof) you should be happy. Other dogs are a different story. Some will never tolerate others when the food is in question. And they need to be well socialized as puppy.
Victor Easley says
I thought that I was prepared to own this breed. How wrong I was.
I’ve raised a St. Bernard from birth to death and an English Mastiff and a Brazilian Mastiff from puppy to death. I had 20 years of big dog experience. Then we got KC at 8 weeks old. She was sweet, adorable and perfect. However, at 3 months old, she would set up EZ, our English Mastiff. While he was sleeping, KC would put a treat by him. He’d wake up and go, “Hmm, what’s this?” and then would be ruthlessly attacked by KC. He wouldn’t do anything despite his 200 lb size. I was just astonished with her.
Then, at 6 or 8 months, she turned this food aggression on her owners despite never being abused. She is now 1.5 yrs old, I’ve spent thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours in training her. She was doing perfect for 2 months and then, once again, she snapped and attacked.
I’ve literally had to snatch a 100 – 120 lb CO out of the air, subdue her, and then confine her. Six times, I’m had to subdue a vicious attack by my sweet little girl. The last time, she nearly bit my thumbs off.
She’s bit my wife twice and my sister once. I have a chipped tooth from her attacks and a prior broken thumb. She’s beautiful, sweet and lovely…… until she’s not.
Now, the only thing that we can do is confine her from the main house, segregate her while feeding her and muzzle her while she has her family time.
So, from my experience, this dog should never be owned as a family dog. They are just too nuts and dangerous. I regret our decision to import this breed from Bulgaria, from reputable breeders even.
I do not ever recommend this breed for a family. They are too unstable and dangerous, even in a good home and lots of training. Two of the three trainers actually made her food aggression much worse so select any trainer very, very selectively.
RussianDog says
Sorry to hear about your bad experience. Caucasian Ovcharka is a stable working dog that was bred to protect the flock/territory from predators/intruders but it’s not a family pet, you are right. This is a very independent one-owner dog that is normally obedient only to one person – its master. In your situation, you can, of course, keep your girl outside the house like you say, but in this case, she will still need a strong-willed leader to respect and obey. Your Caucasian Ovcharka is young and she can be taught to behave, but you should decide who can be such a leader for her (you, your wife, your family member).
Anyway, your experience is important to other people who consider getting a Caucasian Shepherd as a family dog. We have published your comment on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/RusDog.
nige says
i have a 2 year old caucasion hes lovely to every one he only plays but because hes so big the slightest misdemeaner like herding me [nipping at ya backside to get you where he wants you] n thats it outherwise hes perfect hes been spoilt from day 1 he even rides in a bentley im the one whose doing the guarding hes so laid back but hes loved a guess thats all that matters
Bill says
The comment has been moved into the body of the post.
Annette says
The comment has been moved into the body of the post.
Kathryn says
It sounds like you want a very macho and status dog. Fine if you know how to train it and are around to control it. Dangerous otherwise.
If you are in the military isn’t there a good chance that you will soon be posted overseas? Who is going to control this potentially very dangerous dog while you are gone?
Sarah says
You mean like a white german shepherd? I’ve actually heard they are LESS aggressive than the other version of the breed. But you’re right, even a less aggressive version of this kind of dog is not for beginners they are very smart and have TONS of energy. And of course they can be trained to not be aggressive it just takes patience and consistency. Generally any large breed of dog is going to be hard to handle.