Caucasian Ovtcharka

My husband is overseas as most of you know, and he has a dog over there that they believe is a CO. I have always liked the breed, and thought that perhaps in the future we may be in a situation to own one. If it ever does happen it will be WAY in the future. Like 10-20 years. He is now very interested in them though, and has talked about importing this dog (which would cost an arm and a leg) when he comes home.

SO, I would like to know opinions on them or if anyone has any experience. I mean any at all. They are a very large breed and have the potential to really hurt someone if not properly raised and it is not a breed that I would take on lightly. I just want to hear from some people who may have more experience than me. (I met ONE)

How are they with smaller animals/children? Do they tend to be DA? Are they good with strangers if socialized? What tests would you want to see a breeder of CO doing, and what would you look for their breeding stock to be proven in? You know, the normal questions.

I read an older thread but it didn't say much...

Good with kids, sure, if they are their own kids.

DA, you betcha. They don't take kindly to anyone or anything outside of their circle.

Good with strangers if socialized? Nope. Unless you get a badly bred, watered down CO. Which might be what you want. Real CO will not tolerate strangers, socialized or not.

I would like to see if they have any health checks, I would prefer a working line and a breeder who is honest and forthright about their breed and their dogs.

I have dealt with a few over the years, they're nice dogs considering it all.

Are you sure you want their aggression? Have you considered a leonberger? With a leo you get size, fur, and a nice pleasant demeanor.

They often get along with dogs in their family, but certainly not with dogs outside the family. Or people outside the family. They're more serious than most LBGs, as far as distrust of strangers go. Almost like a fila, in a way, though also quite different.

There's a HUGE range of variation within the breed. A lot of people also use the name interchangeably with Central Asian shepherd, even though it's a different "type". Overall they're more of a landrace LGD type with some lines being bred for dog fighting, some for extreme dislike of strangers, some for livestock tending, some for wolf chomping, etc. If he's fallen in love with this individual dog you're best off evaluating what that specific dog is like and deciding if he's a good fit for your family at this time.

Planet Molosser on this forum breeds CAS, and would be the perfect person to go to with questions about them. She's involved with molosser rescue pretty extensively, and if I remember rightly she's also the president of the American breed club?

A C.O. is a powerful breed designed to be left on it's own to defend flocks from bears and wolves in horrible environmental conditions.

It is not a house pet. A half acre lot is not enough yard. A city or suburbs is a poor idea for a dog like this.

This is not a dog who will welcome strangers into your home or is a dog you can go to the park with. If he decides something is a threat, you're not going to be able to physically stop him on a leash.

If your way of life matches a CO by all means get one. Few people actually have a life style where they'd want a large estate guardian type dog or a serious livestock guardian.

Good post!

If you get one that meets the breed standard for temperament, it would be a poor idea to have strangers over, or your childrens friends. I wouldn't turn my back on one.

I was on a forum where a woman had what amounted to a poor representation of the breed. It's characteristics were watered down, so it wasn't an issue in the suburbs. Only problem was she kept flaunting that that was what the breed was supposed to be like. I hope no one went out and contemplated one based on her dog, but you never know.

I have considered a leo. I like leonbergers quite a bit and have more experience with the breed than I do COs. They are definitely on the short list.

Like I said this is a dog that we wouldn't even CONSIDER until 10-20 years in the future. We aren't exactly social butterflies either, so having to worry about it lashing out at visitors would not be an issue. (The dog would be well socialized from an early age, but we don't have many visitors. Just to clarify) At that point in our lives our children will be full grown and out of the house. We also plan on buying a LOT of property and having a farm. Not a giant farm in terms of number of animals, but you get the idea.

This puppy that he has over there is very friendly with all of the american soldiers, but will attack the locals if they try to get on the FOB. It is very protective, and in addition to looking like a CO puppy they were told that it was a CO when their medic purchased him off of a local.

Those really aren't a dog for me. If I wanted big and a guardian, I'd just get a great pyr. Who cares if it's white. it's big, has a big bark and buy they aren't as nasty to everything as a OC can be and a lot of times are.

I met quite a few CAO's and while they were nice dogs when their owner was there to tell them I was acceptable (er, invited? I guess...) I wouldn't even think about breaking into her house or threatening her, because I have no doubt the dogs would have stopped me.

I would like one in the far future, but like you, I plan on having some acreage and keeping horses and livestock, not living in the suburbs with one.

which country is he located in? you don't really have a dog culture in any islamic country (although it is developing in Iran) so you don't have widespread ownership of dogs even from the neighboring country let alone 3 or 4 countries away. there are native LGDs in Iraq that are not as big (70-90#), they are absolutely ferocious & would meet the trucks 400-500 yds from the flocks. i had to get rubber rounds to back them off. the sheperds appreciated it because other units had just shot them and they need them to keep predators out of their sheep.
in afghan they have a large ovtchartka type called a sage kooche supposed to be pretty ferocious as well.

This thread makes me miss Oriondw! His Caucasian was such a cool looking dog.

They are among my favorite LGD breeds. I really admire the breed for their intensity, but they would do poorly here in the heat.

He is in Afghanistan. I'm going to try to steal one of his pictures. He has a video of an adult dog that looks just like the puppy and it is on top of a roof barking at the troops going by. There is a kid there shoveling stuff, and the kid goes over and tries to push the dog off of the roof with the shovel, and the dog attacks the shovel and yanks it off of the kid. My husband thought that was hilarious, and the dog was ENORMOUS.

Pictures!

Second pic = so cute!!! It would be cool if your husband brought him back

Cute! But if I'm not mistaken that looks like a central asian shepherd, not an ovtcharka.

Same here

I totally fell for the breed and if I lived someplace cold could see having one -- would never replace having Filas though, even though they are very similar in temperament and intelligence.

ETA the big one in the first picture and the small guy in the second picture are not the same dogs. They think that they are related, though.

Interesting. I think you're right.