How to choose a puppy of Caucasian Mountain dog (Caucasian ovcharka, Shepherd dog, Sheepdog, Kavkazskaya ovcharka)

If you are concerned about the quality of a dog then you should choose a puppy of Caucasian Mountain dog (Caucasian ovcharka, Shepherd dog, Sheepdog, Kavkazskaya ovcharka) only in a dog breeding club or a kennel. It is useful to make sure that the club or a kennel is registered in the Russian Cynology Federation or the Russian Central attack-dog breeding. All organizations included in these establishments must have the license for breeding. In this case the documents of the puppy are valid in Russia and abroad. When buying a puppy of Caucasian Mountain dog (Caucasian ovcharka, Shepherd dog, Sheepdog, Kavkazskaya ovcharka) it is recommended to make sure what kind of a dog you need - a pure-bred guard dog or you dream about a new champion, about the breed work. Beginners are wrong when they think that if they buy a pedigree puppy of Caucasian Mountain dog (Caucasian ovcharka, Shepherd dog, Sheepdog, Kavkazskaya ovcharka) they get a ready champion. To choose a dog for breeding and exhibitions you have to take into account its ancestors. Come to big exhibitions like National, Russia, Eurasia. Among the prize-winners and champions choose a male dog or a female sire, for only from best dogs are born champions and winners. There can be no wonders, everything is handed down. So now the choice is made.

Then you have a choice: a male or a female? The male is generally bigger and stronger than a female but bitches also may by rather big and pretty.

If you have children in the family, it is better to have a female. She is easier to train, has a gentle personality and owing to maternal instinct is affectionate to children. Yet, her guarding characteristics and alertness to strangers are as good as those of a male.

Caucasian Mountain dog (Caucasian ovcharka, Shepherd dog, Sheepdog, Kavkazskaya ovcharka) males should be bred by an experienced dog-breeder or the one who used to have other breeds males, knowing their anxiety and problems, also taking into account its innate fighting characteristics. Caucasian Mountain dog (Caucasian ovcharka, Shepherd dog, Sheepdog, Kavkazskaya ovcharka) is very strong and willed so the males generally refuse to obey to weak and inexperienced owners. The male is always trying to become a leader and if he feels he is a leader there can be no training. And an uncontrollable dog is a danger at the home - to the family, in the street - to people and pets. So when buying a male puppy you should think twice and make sure you have enough will and patience to be a leader to your dog. The law is: the stronger one is the right one. The strongest one is the leader. You should not forget that dogs take you not as humans but as the same brothers as they are.

You should buy a puppy in the age of 45 days. It is necessary to tell the dog breeder the purpose you buy a dog so he can help you to sort out a suitable puppy. The breeder must thoroughly advise you on all the aspects of feeding, training and keeping the puppy. By the moment of purchase the puppy must have been vaccinated. The confirmation of this is the International veterinary passport; there should be marks about the terms and kinds of vaccination. The numbers must coincide and the first three letters be registered. If the puppy of Caucasian Mountain dog (Caucasian ovcharka, Shepherd dog, Sheepdog, Kavkazskaya ovcharka) is not vaccinated you are risking to lose it in the very first days after purchase. Without the vaccination the probability of death is 80%. Vaccinated puppies die very seldom, if they fall ill anyway, the clinical course of the disease is light and is cured with no problems. No vaccine can give a 100% guarantee that your puppy will not fall ill but it will certainly help to avoid acute diseases. Only the proper keeping, care and timely vaccination will ensure the good health of your dog.

The dog breeder's advise: choose an active puppy, with a good appetite.

The puppy of Caucasian Mountain dog (Caucasian ovcharka, Shepherd dog, Sheepdog, Kavkazskaya ovcharka) must not have a big stomach and wry legs. You should not take advise from people who are not specialists in breeding and upbringing of dogs. When needed you should consult the dog breeding club specialists, and in case of a disease - the veterinary. Possible neglecting in development of a young dog may lead to unwanted hard to remove of irremovable defects.

We must remind again that when you buy a super-dog from champions, no breeder can guarantee 100% that you dog will be as good or better. You are going to development him up yourself, and of course, an experienced breeder or specialist can help you in this. One can be reputed as an experienced breeder or specialist if he has a long practice in development of puppies and as a result having champion dogs, exhibition stars bred and trained by him. You should not take advice from the dog breeders, who buy already grown up dogs and do not have their own experience in puppies' growing and they haven't bred a champion dog.

There are many who praise their dogs not having shown it at exhibitions. Do not trust such breeders, because they obviously have reasons not to show. Only making comparison at exhibitions one can make sure about advantages or disadvantages of a dog. Even when the judge is not fair -comparison reveals it all anyway.

Neither should you listen to specialists who engage in other breeds, as every breed has its personality.

Unfortunately, the veterinaries can not be advisors on growing of puppies of Caucasian Mountain dog (Caucasian ovcharka, Shepherd dog, Sheepdog, Kavkazskaya ovcharka) either as they are educated on farm animals and seldom have their own dogs. Though there are exceptions.

The best thing is to consult a breeder or a specialist on this particular breed. When there is need of veterinary help, the breeder will recommend you what doctor to consult.

There are cases when the owners go to the veterinaries with limping or rachitic puppies which cause joint dysplasia. Instead of treating those doctors tell owners that they bought a puppy with an inborn joint dysplasia. I believe that doctors do not have a right to diagnose congenital malformation when the owner comes to him some time after the purchase. The cause of such disease can be an injury, improper use of additional mineral forage (or its absence), bad feeding, confined keeping, accelerative forces, etc. It is obvious that all congenital malformation can be seen with a bare eye in the age of 1,5 months. Such dogs have the same legs as those dogs who were improperly raised. All congenital malformation puppies are rejected. They don't get documents. Inborn rachitis is well cured with a proper balanced feeding using additional mineral forage. Rachitis can not be cured with a grown dog as distorted bones can be improved in the period of raising only.

Inborn or acquired dysplasia can be stopped with the help of special medicines and additional mineral forage on the initial stage.

Most common acquired dysplasia due to trauma or rachitis reveals itself in the age of 6 months and older. It appears in limping or joint deformation.

Bones and ligaments of the big breed puppies of Caucasian Mountain dog (Caucasian ovcharka, Shepherd dog, Sheepdog, Kavkazskaya ovcharka) carry a bigger weight because of the fast body weight gaining. Big breed puppies gain 50 to 100 kg or more in the first 1.5 year. For instance, a human gains such weight in the course of 18 years. That why with people dysplasia reveals because of injuries, excessive weight or old age, when the joints get old. The same is true with aged dogs and dogs that have been working hard or suffered excessive load on joints (sport, hunt, fighting, etc.).