Caucasian ovcharka

[Tororider]

Tororider, I have had 2 and 1/2 Irish wolfhounds. They are wonderful, gentle dogs. Basically couch potatoes. They are great with people and kids, the only problem with young kids is the dog is so big it can accidentally knock them over. As mellow as they are, they can be protective, but they are not watch dogs. They would invited the burgler in and show them around the house. I used to take my first one with me all the time and I had a leash that was basically a handle with a hook on it, only because of leash laws. We were at a fair and some young punk had a viscious Doberman who was getting aggressive toward Shaun. The dog was released by the little jerk and came to attack. I let go of the leash as I was not about to get in the middle of a dog fight. It was like watching a ballet, Shaun sidestepped, grabbed the dog by the throat and flipped him over onto his back like a doll. All the time his tail was wagging, he was having fun. He didn't kill the dog or even do any damage, but the other dog took off when released. The IWs were bred to kill wolfs and Great Elk. They would kill the wolf by breaking it's neck or back. As gentle as these dogs are, they still "have it in them" when required. I was rough housing with Shaun in the yard one time and I shoved him as I was turning around and ended up with my back to him, he then (playfully) grabbed me around my waist. He had his jaws around my waist! Good thing he was playing. I want to get another one, and will but I have an older rescue mutt now who probably would not be happy with another dog. A problem with the giants are they are short lived. Shaun lived to 10 years 4 months which is very long, but Murphy died at 4 because of kidney problem. These dogs are difficult to get, I went through a number of interviews for my first to prove I would be a fit owner, and I drove to Canada to pick up Murphy. The cost of the dog is probably the cheapest part. They require a special diet when very young because they grow so fast. It would be like a person reaching 6' tall in less than a year. And get ready for the question you will hear about a 1,000 times..."where's his saddle". All of my hounds were great with other dogs and cats, and were really terrific pets, but you need room and time. A bored IW pup can eat a couch in no time, ask me how I know. When I say I had 1/2 IW, I mean I had an IW/Belgian Shepard mix that was a rescue. I went to Massachussets to get him for a companion to murphy as I usually have at least 2 dogs and a cat so they can play together. The mix was named Ralph, and he was a 155 lb. "Baby Huey" for those of you who can remember the cartoon. Shaun was 37" at the shoulder, which means that if were standing in your kitchen, his back would be 1 inch higher than the countertops. They are all gone now sad to say, and I miss them all.
The pic is of Murphy at 1 year old, The old picture is of Shaun. For reference, I am 5' 10".

Ken,
All of the reasons you mention are those that I would love an IW. I have children and I am not looking for a killer. Your Shaun may have invited burglars in, but do you think after taking one look at him, they would have accepted? I would also love a newfoundland, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newfoundland_(dog), because of their affinity for water. We will see what happens when we move out to our property.

 

[Ken_CT]

The wolfhound, although huge, is not a scary looking dog. With big brown eyes and a beard they are very friendly looking. I can't tell you how many times I would be walking him in a crowd and someone would come up and reach out and pet him without asking if he was friendly. Fortunately he loved it, but you have to be a little crazy to just stick your hand in a strange dogs face, no matter how friendly they look. As far as a watchdog, they are not big barkers, but of course will bark when a stranger comes to the house. If you've ever heard an IW bark, you won't forget it. Very deep and very load. Makes the windows vibrate. Even though they aren't vicious, it will scare the **** out of anyone who shouldn't be there. One thing the guys should be aware of is the IW has a very long, powerful tail, and being that the tail starts at about 3' off the ground, a happy wofhound can and will drop a guy. Trust me on that one .
I have had dogs all my life, and there is just something about the IW that once one has owned you, you will love the breed.

 

[WantedWolf]

hi Dennis,
I dont think i will worry about space for the 2 dogs, and all our neighbors farm are far enough away.

although new to N.A. these dogs have been around a long time and do have a very long sheperding background. so they would train well to it.

you do bring up a good point about me being capable of training these dogs.
currently I am not, with limited sheep experience and no sheep dog specific experience this is one major reason I have not aquired the dog yet.

I would love to hear any sheep dog specific training advice, but I have trained a few dogs to be very well behaved. The rotty even showed well enough to earn champion.

Weve now got 2 cats 2 dogs 2 horses and a fish on 3.88 acres but as my wife always reminds me we could always have more. her record was 56 cats "she fostered and rescued them and most found good homes."

Im glad to hear of people rescuing animals,
my horses and cats are rescues(not always cheaper) and I would love to rescue a good old hound while I get to the right time to need train and care for the ovcharkas

and if anyone does have an experience with these dogs id love to hear it

 

[kenmac]

Anyone know the cost of 1 of these dogs ? I looked around on the net & read some about them but, I couldn't find anything as to what they cost

 

[WantedWolf]

2000$ (no breeding rights)

 

[WantedWolf]

One thing the guys should be aware of is the IW has a very long, powerful tail, and being that the tail starts at about 3' off the ground, a happy wofhound can and will drop a guy. Trust me on that one .

ouch , and ill bet they are pros at clearing the coffee table

 

[czechsonofagun]

What they call a pyrenese off a leash? GONE............

We have GP from the rescue on our 4 acres, and yes, she escapes and walks peoples yards and marks them as her territory. She is able to flip sideways to make it through the horse gate - very sweet dog, but every night she has to be tied or locked in - if not, she will be outside the gate in the morning.

Our other two dogs are airedales, also from a rescue, they escape only when the GP leads them away.

Actually, not true. Recently we got a rescue cat for my youngest, and Montmorency, my best buddy 5 year old airedale, who sleeps next to my bed for last 4 years, took off two nights in a row just to show us he is not happy with the cat in the house. I could not believe that actually happen

 

[6string]

Looks like a cross between a lion and a grizzly bear.

 

[Sanni75]

Hi there i have really good experience with Caucasian mountain dog i have one at home it is a male he is now about 1year and 1 month and mostly i can tell you that these kinds of dogs here in Finland they are not sold just to anybody because in the wrong hands these kind of dogs they are deadly.

My story began with Caucasian i met this woman online she was from Finland too so i was asking about Caucasians most of the responses that i got was very negative stuff about this breed and she was the only one who actually seem to know anything about this dog breed.

So we started talking true e-mail and we came good friends so months went by and she told me that she is gonna visit here in the dog show in a city called Turku so we met and i honestly when i saw this dog for the first time i thought omg what kind of beast is this?

To me who never had caucasian before it was just a shock that this dog can be so calm and so nice so as the days went by i thought i really really got to get this breed this one i like made for me.

Well i thought about taking a caucasian about 3 years so it was not like one day i just woke up and decided to take a caucasian it took me 3 years to make a decision to actually take one.

So i took my very first caucasian about year ago a male puppy his name is SIMBA to you it might make more sense if i make it as SYMBA from the second day that he came to us i was bleeding and fighting with him EVERY DAY about the fact who is the boss i still have the scars from those months.

So what i have seen and what i have experienced my self THEY CAN BE REALLY LIKE ANGELS WHEN THEY ARE AT HOME WITH THERE FAMILIES BUT LIKE DEVILS WHEN THE DANGER ATTACKS BEHIND THE CORNER.

I live in a city area and to say that these dogs can not survive in the city life is a lie, surely it has its challenges everyday like there is no rest for you as the owner of a dog you have to all the time monitoring your environment because there just are certain things your dog doesn't like or understand for example ppl with hoods at night time or neon clothing or granny with the cane it is also about our misters mood swings one day could be something perfectly fine and in a another not so fine
so you have to be all the time checking who is coming from where and what is gonna happen next.

So my advice to you is if you want so called easy life caucasian is not your dog with caucasian you do not know weather to cry or to laugh at the same time and one thing i can say your home will never be the same again after the caucasian.

Anyway have a nice spring you all (here it is still ice and snow all over the place but at least the sun is shining now

PS! They are the most amazing dogs that i have ever seen. They are your protectors your friends your family and they are also very sensitive dog to there own families. There is 2 sides in caucasian the angel and the devil.

Here in Finland they made a movie about caucasians this is the trailer http://www.stormheart.fi/trailer/myrskytr-011207-480x360.mov you need quick time to watch it.

 

[WantedWolf]

Thanks for your post Sanni

I have to admit I cant understand the words in the video, but it gets the point across.

I have been thinking of these guys for oh about 5 years or more.
almost ready to move to the farm so maybe almost time.

They are alot to commit to, but I feel like you that these dogs were made for me. I really cant wait...

Are they very popular in Finland?
How is your Simba, in the truck?
Would you be able to share any photos?

 

[hugedog]

I have an Ovcharka. Great dogs but not for everryone. I had to be approved to own one! not the kind of dog to take the ownership of lightly. they are rare and that is a good thing. And they are great family dogs if socialized properly they take more then avverage supervison though. huge expense and huge responsibilty. In some states they are illegal to own! you may want to do some research to find out if they are the right dog for you. They aren'y illegal because they are mean but because they are like owning a wild animal. they like to wonder or I have heard it descibed as "walking about" and when a stranger sees that size dog " walking about" the public tends to freak out. My nieghbor mistook her for a bear when she escaped one day. Might i suggest a Leonberger same size but more like a huge oversized cuddle baby of fluff! and much easier to train and take care of! don't get me wrong Ilove my C. O but she is a pain in the butt great dog great watch dog but they take a more then avverage level of time and energy to care for. Not your regular dog.

 

[rockinmywaypa]

If your main purpose is to protect your livestock then do yourself a favor and get a maremma dog. From the Italian area they are similar to a pyrenees but they stay at home, If something threatens they create a barrier between the intruder and the livestock and stand their ground. I have them here and they have never ran away, they are always with the sheep. Although they are big and look intimidating they are very friendly with people. I couldn't be happier and I checked into pyrenees, kuvasz and a couple other breeds. The last thing I want is a bomb waiting to go off and that's exactly what the dogs that started this thread look like.

 

[dave1949]

If your main purpose is to protect your livestock then do yourself a favor and get a maremma dog. From the Italian area they are similar to a pyrenees but they stay at home, If something threatens they create a barrier between the intruder and the livestock and stand their ground. I have them here and they have never ran away, they are always with the sheep. Although they are big and look intimidating they are very friendly with people. I couldn't be happier and I checked into pyrenees, kuvasz and a couple other breeds. The last thing I want is a bomb waiting to go off and that's exactly what the dogs that started this thread look like.

That sounds like good advice to me. I don't see any upside to owning a dog that could kill someone in a residential/farm setting. That just isn't a risk I would sign up for.

Yes, Leonbergers are big fluffy, people loving dogs. My wife just took her two to the elementary school Monday. The kids loved it and so did the dogs.
Dave.

 

[SARG]

We always have had the Giant Schnauzers and then looked at the COs a couple years ago. A major kennel is near Niagara Falls.

The long shedding hair is what changed our mind ........ We went with the non shedding Black Russian Terrier.

 

[dave1949]

We always have had the Giant Schnauzers and then looked at the COs a couple years ago. A major kennel is near Niagara Falls.

The long shedding hair is what changed our mind ........ We went with the non shedding Black Russian Terrier.

Those are nice looking dogs, didn't know of that breed. If you don't like hair shedding, don't get a Leonberger.

Does the Russian Black coat cord like a standard poodle's will if not sheared?
Dave.

 

[SARG]

The BRT standard is long hair like a Briard ..... but the BRT is like a Giant Schnauzer on steroids ...... significantly larger.... especially the head.

We keep ours trimmed down and most folks don't have a clue what breed he is.

 

[dave1949]

The BRT standard is long hair like a Briard ..... but the BRT is like a Giant Schnauzer on steroids ...... significantly larger.... especially the head.

We keep ours trimmed down and most folks don't have a clue what breed he is.

I can believe that. I spent some time on the BRT Club website this evening. Very interesting dogs. I see the BRT club is AKC acknowledged as the parent club in 2006. Is their a push to get full AKC status?

That's what happened in the Leo Club, there were folks who wanted to be able to compete in AKC events and forced the issue. Pros and cons. Leo's are past the FSS stage now and maybe next July some will appear in AKC events as full competitors.
Dave.