Russian bear dog is also known as Caucasian Shepherd, originated in the Caucasus mountain region. It was primarily used for protecting sheep herds against predators, which included packs of wolves and bears. The Caucasian is bold, fearless, self-confident, and fierce when a threat is present, but he is soft, devoted, kind, and endearing to his family, including other family pets.
Russian bear dog content overview
- History
- Different names
- Appearance and Characteristics
- Personality and Temperament
- Health & problems
- How to take care
- Puppy Information
- Puppy price
- Things to consider adopting a puppy
- Advantages & Disadvantages
- Photo gallery
History of Caucasian Shepherd
The Caucasian shepherd is a large dog breed popular in Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. It is extremely popular in Georgia. It’s also known as Caucasian Mountain Dog and Caucasian Ovcharka. The Caucasian Shepherd Dog has existed since ancient times. The first official Show-Ring appearance outside the Caucasus was in the 1930s in Germany. The Caucasian shepherd has been recorded in the Foundation stock service since 1996.
The show dogs, also known as Caucasian Ovcharka, were created by the USSR during the 20th century. The Caucasian Shepherd Dog is a fully standardized breed, recognized by major kennel organizations, including the AKC, FCI, and UKC.
In 1990, an Ohio-based couple, Stacey and Russell Kubyn, imported the first Ovcharkas into the United States and formed the Caucasian Ovcharka Club of America a year later. The United Kennel Club recognized the breed in 1995. In 1996, the Ovcharka became an American Kennel Club Foundation Stock Service breed. The dogs have been eligible to compete in events, such as obedience and rally, since 2008.
Use of Russian bear dog?
The Russian dogs were used for centuries to protect trespassers’ properties, guard livestock against large and small predators such as wolves and coyotes, and for many other duties.
Different Names or Types
Other names
- CO
- Caucasian Sheepdog
- Armenian Khobun Dog
- Azerbaijani Shepherd Dog
- Kavkaskaia Ovtcharka
- Karachay-Balkar Pariy
- Kavkazskaïa Ovtcharka
- Sage Ghafghazi
- Georgian Nagazi
- Russian Caucasian Ovtcharka
- Caucasian Ovcharka
- Caucasian Shepherd
- Russian Caucasian
- Caucasian Mountain Shepherd
- Caucasian Mountain Dog
- Russian Mountain Dog
Recognized Names
Recognition
- American Canine Association Inc – ACA
- American Canine Registry – ACR
- Continental Kennel Club – CKC
- American Kennel Club Foundation Stock Service® Program – AKC/FSS
- American Pet Registry, Inc. – APRI
- Dog Registry of America, Inc. – DRA
- Fédération Cynologique Internationale – FCI
- North American Purebred Registry, Inc. – NAPR
- National Kennel Club – NKC
Appearance & Characteristics
Caucasian shepherd dogs are strongly bonded, muscular, and even-tempered molasses. The Caucasian Shepherd Dog is a giant-sized breed weighing 99 to 170 pounds and standing 23 to 30 inches tall. These dogs can be identified by their strong, rugged, and muscular molosser type body, covered in their thick heavy coat that helps them withstand the mountains’ harsh weather conditions. They vary in colors, from light brown, tan, grey, cream, and even black.
Breed basic characteristics
| Origin | Caucasus mountain |
| Group | Foundation Stock Service |
| Size: | Large |
| Lifespan: | 10-12 years |
| Trainability: | Difficult to train |
| Exercise Needs: | Slightly active – needs regular exercise |
| Grooming: | Average |
| Barking: | Rare – but when it does it is loud |
| Shedding: | Heavy shedding |
| Protective Ability: | Good |
| Brushing: | Needs a bit less brushing |
| Hypoallergenic Breed: | No |
| Space Requirements: | Needs space and a yard |
| Compatibility With Other Pets: | Good |
| Average Puppy Price: | $500 to $2000 |
| Height | 23-30 inches |
| Weight | 99-170 pounds |
Behavior: Type of great alert activity, strong – balanced – calm. The reactions of defense, which manifest themselves as an inactive form, are well developed.
Size, Proportion, Substance
Size: Height at the withers: For the males, not less than 65 sm.; for the females, not less than 62 sm.
Proportion:
Substance:
Head
Skull: Massive with a board skull and strongly developed zygomatic arches. Broad forehead, flat, divided into two halves by a slight furrow.
Muzzle: Caucasians have powerful muzzles that taper gently to the nose.
Eyes: Their eyes are medium in size, oval-shaped, and brown, set a little obliquely and quite deeply under a dog’s brow.
Ears: Their ears are set high and triangular-shaped, which hang neatly on a dog’s head.
Teeth: White, strong, well developed, close together, not showing gaps. Incisors aligned at the base – Scissor bite.
Serious Faults:
Neck, Topline, Body
Neck: Caucasians have powerful albeit short necks that dogs hold slightly arched.
Topline:
Body: Withers: broad, muscular, well detached above the top line.
SEVERE FAULTS:
- Too light or too coarse inbuilt.
- Lack of self-confidence.
- Ears large; thin or set too low.
- Lacking correct angulations.
- Bowed forearms.
- Unbalanced movement.
Forequarters
Their forequarters are strong, with dogs having moderately laid-back shoulders and well-muscled, strong and straight front legs.
Shoulders: Strongly muscled. Moderately long, broad, slanting to form an angle of approximately 100 degrees with the upper arm. The shoulder-blade lies close against the chest.
Forelegs:
Feet: Their feet are large, oval-shaped with dogs having dewclaws on both their front and back legs.
Hindquarters
Viewed from the rear straight, standing parallel and moderately wide. The stifles and hocks sufficiently well
angulated when viewed from the side. The hindquarters should not be set too far back.
Rear Legs:
Hind Feet: Large, rounded in shape, well arched, well-knit.
Tail: Set high, hanging, reaching the hock.
Gait: Free, elastic, unhurried movement with good driving power in the hindquarters. Good stability in all joints
and with good coordination.
Coat
Straight, coarse, stand-off coat with well-developed undercoat. The length of the guard coat and the undercoat should not be less than 5 cm. The coat on the head and forelegs is shorter and thicker. The tail is completely covered with the dense coat and looks thick and furry.
Coat Color and Markings
Caucasian Mountain Dogs come in almost every color of the rainbow, except for black and silver. Some are multi-colored animals, while others are clad in a single, solid color.
Personality and Temperament
Personality
The Russian bear dog is a guardian dog breed with a serious and protective temperament. The Caucasian Shepherd Dog is a strong-willed, loyal, fearless dog. This dog will fiercely protect whoever he believes is his family but will attack everyone else, including friends of your children who may come to visit and play. He is not a breed for first-time owners.
Temperament
The Caucasian Shepherd’s original purpose was to protect livestock. The typical Caucasian Ovcharka is assertive, strong-willed, and courageous. This intelligent dog has an independent nature, so you need to train him with patience, firmness, and consistency. He is not a dog for everyone. It requires an owner who knows how to display strong leadership and is willing to spend a lot of time socializing and training.
This dog should not be left alone with children because if play becomes too rough, the Caucasian Ovtcharka may feel the need to protect your child and may do it extensively.
Activity Requirements
The Caucasian Shepherd has incredible stamina, and if used as a working dog, will responsibly patrol its territory for long hours without a break. Caucasian Shepherd Dogs require loads of physical activity, especially to help ward off physical illnesses such as diabetes. These dogs love to run and jump and can become very playful, so be sure to engage them in lots of exercises and physical activity to increase their health and their lifespan.
Behavioral Traits
Caucasian Shepherd Dogs are an investment, but if you choose to get one, make sure that they are very active and have them socialized early as a young pup. If you live on a farm or ranch, allow your pup to help you when it comes to tending to your animals so they do not get bored. The Caucasian Shepherd should not be trusted with small animals or young children, as they are incredibly powerful and often do not know their strength.
Trainability
The Russian bear dog is intelligent, but they can be strong-willed, which is why their socialization and training must start as early as possible for them to understand. The Caucasian Mountain Dog may not be the best fit for an inexperienced dog owner. Starting all of the Caucasian Shepherd’s training, especially its socialization, is critical to its success from a very early age. They will not always follow orders or perform commands, and extensive patience is required.
Health & problems
Health
Like all breeds, there may be some health issues. Some dogs may be faced with these issues in their lives, but the most of Caucasian Ovcharkas are healthy dogs. The Caucasian Shepherd Dog is generally healthy and long-lived, averaging a lifespan of 10–12 years.
Feeding Plan
Caucasian Shepherd Dog is a very ancient and Unpretentious breed. As a rule, these dogs have an excellent appetite, and they eat everything. To keep your Caucasian Mountain dog healthy and active correct feeding is necessary.
Healthy nutrition must include satisfactory proportions of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, microelements.
The correct diet of an adult Caucasian sheepdog Must include meat: raw beef, boiled chicken, raw sea fish, and vegetables in raw or boiled form, very useful grated raw carrots with sunflower oil. Caucasian does not need to give milk (even a puppy). It is better to replace it with yogurt, yogurt or ryazhenka
Living conditions
The Caucasian Shepherd is not recommended for apartment life. They need space and will do best with at least a large yard. Russian bear dogs are heavy-set dogs, and they boast extremely weather-resistant coats.
How to take care?
Exercise
The Caucasian Shepherd has relatively high exercise requirements and, if given anything less than a good hour of activity a day, is likely to exhibit nuisance or destructive behaviors.
Grooming & Bruising
Grooming can be a wonderful bonding experience for you and your pet. The Caucasian Shepherd has a variety of coat types, from very long to short. Longer-coated dogs need to be groomed daily. The Caucasian Shepherd Dog has a thick double coat that protects him from the cold and moisture.
You can use following Equipment for best Grooming
Grooming dogs require a lot of expertise as well as a wide range of equipment. Here is a list of the best grooming equipment for Russian bear dogs.
Caucasian Ovcharka grooming kit
Here is the best and perfect Grooming kit for your Caucasian Ovcharka.
These dog grooming clippers also come with 11 tools: 1 × Pet clipper 1 × AC Power Adapter, 1 × Cleaning Brush, 4 × Comb Attachments, 1 × Stainless Steel Scissor, 1 ×Stainless teeth scissor, 1 × Stainless Steel Comb, 1 × Nail Clipper Kit, 1 × Nail File, 1 × Oil.
Caucasian Ovcharka Grooming table
One of the most critical items for groomers is their table. On this day, there are many tables available in the market like Electric Grooming Tables, Hydraulic Grooming Tables, Portable Grooming Tables so that you can choose any for your lovely dog.
Glove
For many pet owners, grooming is a necessary chore. So dogs and cats shy away from the rough bristles of a regular brush. If you have a sensitive, try him or her with one of these pet grooming gloves. Gloves is the most important equipment for Caucasian Ovcharka grooming, so if you love your dog, use them.
Dental Health Check-up
Proper dental health care is important for every dog; similarly, it is very important for the Caucasian shepherd dog. Brush your pet’s teeth at least 2 or 3 times a week. You get special toothpaste and toothbrush for dogs, and your vet can guide you on how to use them. If you don’t attend to your pet’s teeth, he can experience tartar build-up. It can lead to gum disease and tooth loss. Not only that, bad teeth can affect other parts of the body too.
Love & affection
Love and affection are useful for every dog. Suppose you give love and affection to your Caucasian Shepherd, then the dog will love you back. Your Caucasian Shepherd puppy will be a member of your family, So Give lots of love and affection to your cute puppy. Most importantly, spend time with your dog because that your dog needs love and affection.
Feed Healthy food
Feeding a healthy meal in the dog’s life is the most important. On this day, many healthy foods are available on the market so that you can choose any healthy food for your dog. Healthy food is the most important for dog health care. The young Russian bear dog is not a hearty eater as most breeds his size. He must often encourage meat juices or bacon grease mix in the food to entice him to eat.
This dog will eat between 6 to 14 cups of a good to excellent quality dry dog food a day, split into at least two meals, or even 3 to avoid problems with bloat.
The following items should never be feed to Russian bear dog
- Alcohol, beer, wine or liquor
- Chocolate, coffee, or tea
- Grapes or raisins
- Moldy or spoiled food of any kind
- Onions, chives, and garlic
- Poultry bones
- Salt & salty foods
- Tomato leaves stem or unripe fruit
- Yeast dough
Puppy information
Puppy Training
Caucasian Shepherd Dogs require very specific and detailed training. From the ages of 0–9 months, the obedience of the dog has already been formed. Puppy school has been described as a bad option for the Caucasian Shepherd Dog. They do not tolerate other dogs very well and get out of control easily. Caucasian Shepherd is extremely dangerous. He may be stubborn and unwilling to learn, but you must be in control at all times.
Crate training
The crate is an important training tool for almost every dog, especially for families with young children. Crate training is important for any owner for trips to the vet, traveling, boarding, etc. Crate training your dog can be a painless process if you follow the steps in this guide and provide lifelong benefits to your dog.
Most owners wonder how long should a puppy be in a crate. See the table below to determine how long you can Crate your dog based on their age.
| Dog’s age | Maximum time in a crate |
|---|---|
| 8-10 weeks | 30-60 minutes |
| 11-14 weeks | 1-3 hours |
| 15-16 weeks | 3-4 hours |
| 17+ weeks | 4-5 hours |
| Adult healthy dogs | 8 hours |
Behavioral training
Before teaching the basic commands, it is important to establish a close emotional relationship between the dog and the owner. Behavioral training is very important for any dog. All of us, dog owners, need to administer some dog behavior training at some point in time. Behavioral training is very helpful for taking care of the dog. If you want to train your puppy to Behavioral training, find out some common behavioral issues like breaking, aggression, food guarding, howling, mouthing and chewing, separation anxiety, etc., and stop these behavioral issues and train your dog easily.
Obedience training
Obedience training usually refers to a dog’s training, and the term is most commonly used in that context. It ranges from very basic training, such as teaching the dog to reliably respond to basic commands such as “sit,” “down,” “come,” and “stay,” to high-level competition. Training a dog in obedience can be an ongoing and lengthy process depending on the dog, methods used, and the skill and understanding of both the trainer and the handler.
Socialization
The Caucasian Shepherd is a dog you can get along with very well easily. Still, basic training, growth in a harmonious environment from an early age, and constant socialization are essential. The first step in puppy socialization is learning simple but important habits. It is important to feel comfortable when held on a leash, when its master makes it a bath or when the master touches its food.
Puppy price
The cost to buy a Russian bear Dog varies greatly. It depends on many factors such as the breeders’ location, reputation, litter size, the lineage of the puppy, breed popularity, training, socialization efforts, breed lines, and much more. Review how many Russian bear Dog puppies for sale sell below.
Russian Bear Dog price will depend largely on the breeder. I’ve seen them advertised for anywhere from $500 to $2000.
Find a breeder
Selecting a respected breeder is the key to finding the right puppy. Finding a breeder in the US requires careful research and consideration. A trustworthy breeder should be able to supply you with detailed answers to all of your questions regarding temperament and health.
Things to consider adopting a Caucasian Shepherd
If you’re seriously considering adopting a Caucasian Shepherd, you should know.
- Before you adopt a Caucasian Shepherd, consider how much time your new family member will spend alone. Remember, a puppy requires constant attention.
- Before you adopt a puppy, ask yourself if you are available to walk your dog several times throughout the day.
- You also have the advantage of knowing that your dog is physically able to “hold it” for several hours at a stretch.
- Ask anybody who has adopted an adult dog, then adopt an adult dog.
- If you’re unsure whether the new dog you’ve chosen is right for your family and lifestyle, consider fostering before committing.
Advantages of Russian bear dog
- Caucasians are good around children
- Russian bear dog is extremely loyal and devoted by nature
- They are good around pets
- Great watchdog ability
Disadvantages of Russian bear dog
- Shed a lot of hair all year round
- They are huge and therefore expensive to feed
- Aggressive towards other dogs
- They are not suited to apartment living
Russian bear dog photo gallery
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How come a Russian Bear dog can eat raw beef and fish but not eat raw chicken bones.