Caucasian Shepherd Dog

The Caucasian Shepherd Dog, or Caucasian Ovcharka, is a large livestock guardian native to the Caucasus, particularly Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Dagestan. The modern breed was developed in the Soviet Union from about 1920, from dogs of the Caucasus Mountains and the steppes of southern Russia.

History

For centuries, dogs of this kind have worked for shepherds in the Caucasus Mountains, defending sheep from predators, chiefly wolves, and from thieves. They are spread over a wide area and differ from region to region. Those of Azerbaijan are fairly tall and lightly built. Those of Dagestan are smaller and roughly square in outline. Those of Ingushetia and Chechnya are very large and heavy.

In the twentieth century Soviet breeders selected among these varieties to create the Caucasian Shepherd Dog. The Russian cynologist Aleksandr Mazover was the first to describe the dogs scientifically. He placed the center of the breed, in both numbers and quality, in Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Dagestan. Georgian dogs were judged the best for their size, powerful frame and handsome long coat, and Georgia became the main breeding region for the Soviet Union.

The Fédération Cynologique Internationale definitively accepted the breed in 1984, under the patronage of the Soviet Union.

Caucasian Shepherds once served as guard dogs and bear-hunting dogs. In Russia today they guard prisons. The breed is banned in Denmark and restricted in Russia.

Appearance

This is a large dog, usually weighing 45 to 70 kg (99 to 154 lb). The preferred height at the withers is 72 to 75 cm (28 to 30 in) for males and 67 to 70 cm (26 to 28 in) for females. To be registered, a male must be at least 68 cm (27 in) and 50 kg (110 lb), and a female at least 64 cm (25 in) and 40 kg (88 lb).

The coat is straight and coarse and stands off the body over a well-developed undercoat. It may be any solid color, piebald or spotted, except liver, blue and solid black. The breed looks very much like the Kars dog.

Care and health

Life expectancy was reported in 2020 as 10 to 11 years. A study published in 2024 found a median lifespan of 5.4 years, the lowest of any breed it covered, but it was based on only 22 dogs.

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