Caucasian Shepherd Dog

If you love large dogs, you'll adore this giant among giants, the Caucasian Shepherd Dog, a breed whose sheer size impresses even people used to big dog breeds.

But everything about its size is matched by its good nature — though only with its owner and family, since it's highly wary of strangers. That makes it a great guard dog, capable of intimidating with a single growl.

If you want to know everything about this unique breed, here at SoyUnPerro we'll show you all its secrets and the best tips for caring for and training it properly.

What Is a Caucasian Shepherd's Temperament Like?

Despite its huge size and how intimidating it can look with just a glance, the Caucasian Shepherd has a friendly, loyal temperament with its owner and family. It's a calm, faithful, well-balanced breed with a great deal of intelligence.

That said, it's not a trusting breed, so it can turn aggressive with strangers. Given its origins as a herding dog, it makes an excellent guard dog, watching over its family but staying highly wary of strangers.

It can sometimes seem somewhat independent, even making its own decisions if it senses danger, or believes its family may be in danger. That can be quite dangerous given its huge size and the tremendous strength of its bite.

That's why it's essential to train it from puppyhood, to strengthen its obedience and prevent unnecessary scares when there's no real danger present, since although it will respect its family, strangers can come off very badly given its attack strength.

Physical Characteristics of the Caucasian Shepherd

You could say this is one of the largest dog breeds on the planet: the Caucasian Shepherd reaches around seventy centimeters at the withers as an adult, with a weight of up to sixty kilos, slightly less in females.

It has a strong, wide body, muscular and sturdy, well proportioned with wide, strong legs. Its tail is strong and large, thickly covered in fur.

The Caucasian Shepherd's head is wide, with a medium-sized, broad muzzle housing powerful jaws. Its ears are medium-sized and always dropped, set high on the skull.

One of the Caucasian Shepherd's main features is its thick coat: smooth, abundant, with a tough, somewhat coarse texture. Its coat color can be white, brown, straw-colored, or black, with straw color and black shading on the muzzle being the most common.

Although it can have short hair, medium, or long, it's typical for its coat to show all three lengths at once, with a short protective undercoat, medium length over most of the body, and long hair on the chest and neck.

This is a very strong, sturdy breed, heavily muscled beneath that thick coat. It adapts perfectly to cold climates and handles low temperatures without any trouble.

How to Train a Caucasian Shepherd Dog

Given its huge size, its tremendous strength when attacking, and its wary temperament around strangers, training the Caucasian Shepherd from puppyhood is essential.

The most important commands to teach it are recall, sit, and "stay." With these three commands, we'll be able to control it in an emergency.

Being a very territorial dog, it may try to attack other dogs or people during a walk if it believes they're invading its territory. Picture, for a moment, a sixty-kilo dog with four-wheel drive pulling on you with all its strength... Trust us, you won't be able to hold it back.

That's why you need to apply very strict training from puppyhood, and practice it constantly so it obeys in any situation, even if provoked by other dogs.

Given its size and potential danger if not well trained, we strongly recommend consulting a dog trainer for personalized guidance on its education.

Socializing it from puppyhood is also very important, since it can easily develop a dominant streak as it grows; introducing it to other dogs and people from puppyhood so it gets used to them is a great idea.

Care a Caucasian Shepherd Needs

These giant Caucasian dogs need extensive care given their characteristics. This isn't a breed recommended for just anyone, nor for just any environment.

1. The Caucasian Shepherd isn't an apartment dog; it needs a large plot of land where it can feel free to run and play as it pleases.
2. It needs long daily walks to burn off excess energy and stay balanced both mentally and physically.
3. The Caucasian Shepherd's weight can reach up to sixty kilos, which requires a significant financial investment in food.
4. Given its thick coat, it will need brushing practically every day to remove dead hair and tangles and keep it clean.

Health-wise, it won't have problems as long as you keep up with the vaccination schedule to keep it protected against the main canine diseases.

As for its owner, this needs to be a strong, firm, decisive person with plenty of experience in dog training in order to properly handle it. It's not a dangerous breed by nature, but it can easily become one in the wrong or inexperienced hands.

What's the Best Diet for This Breed?

Caucasian Shepherd puppies should be fed a kibble specifically formulated for large-breed puppies, since otherwise they could choke on kibble sized for other breeds.

Puppies grow very quickly, so their food needs to be high quality to cover all their nutritional needs. Never skimp on the quality of their food.

Adults need a balanced kibble for large breeds, without excess fat but rich in high-quality animal protein, with natural BARF feeding being a preferable option.

Origins of the Breed

The Caucasian Shepherd, also known as the Caucasian Mastiff or Russian Caucasian, traces its origins back to the well-known Tibetan Mastiff. Over the years, the best dogs were selected for breeding until a strong, powerful type was achieved.

It has always been used as a herding dog in the Caucasus Mountains (hence its name), guarding livestock against thieves and animals like wolves or even bears. But given its size and ferocity, it also came to be used as a watchdog and guard dog.

Today it has also adapted to life as a companion and guard dog, though it needs proper training given its wary temperament.

Photos of the Caucasian Shepherd Dog Breed

Prepare to be amazed by these images of the Caucasian Shepherd breed, since even the puppies are huge. And although they look like giant stuffed toys, they already have real strength and vitality.