Growing of Caucasian Shepherd Dog up from the age of 9 to 24 months

Your puppy is becoming mature and it's a subject of admiration of passer-byes. You have managed to protect it from the dangers we outlined above.

Your sheepdog puppy is growing strong (thanks the right diet and walking enough) and psychiatrically (thanks the right brining up, good contacts with you). Now the most responsible moment is coming when you have to form a base without which your dog-ownership and a dog's carrier (like breeding, contests, etc) are to fail. Besides, it's the moment when the leadership is being established in your relationship with the dog. To be quite honest, this is the time that beginners in dog-ownership are afraid of most of all and they have a very good reason for it. The Caucasian and Central Asia Shepherd Dogs are famous for their independence, love for freedom and craving for leadership. In case of a mistake made during brining up a dog the dog may want to test its owner's leadership. Under these circumstances, some owners decide that there is something wrong with their dog's mind. In fact, it's only the evidence of the following;

• a contact with the dog isn't strong enough


• the dog has the strong makings of leadership

An experienced dog-owner will not let such situation happen. Nevertheless, if it has happened then his actions should be tough and taken immediately. Any attempt to take over the leadership should be immediately suppressed so the dog would not dream of it ever again. Any means are allowed to achieve the purpose.

Many beginners make the same serious mistake: leaving a disobeyed dog they go for "a powerful" argument like a stack or things like that to a different room. Let's have a look at the situation from the dog's point of view. It has made an attempt to take over the leadership, which was quite justly (from its view). The opponent (from our view it's the owner while the dog doesn't even have a hunch about it) is leaving the territory and by this recognizes his defeat! For the dog it's obvious. What happens then is the defeated opponent comes back and for no reason attacks the winner! No doubt, there will be serious consequences for the owner since under such circumstances any dog will be fighting to the bitter end. That is why we would like to make it clear once again: you should establish a clear relationship with a dog from the very beginning with no chance for the dog to change it! The easiest way to do it is not to let it happen at all.

One more unpleasant thing for beginners: mismatching the size of a 1,5-year old dog with the progress of its psychiatric system . At this age the Caucasian or the Middle Asian Sheepdog puppy may be scared by a mongrel ten times less that it is. After 2 or 2.5 years you will see what it's meant. Some dogs at the age of 1.5 can defeat any enemy. At the same time there are different dogs whose psychiatric system is progressing slowly but their life expectancy is 2 years longer. By the age of 2 your dog should have already had basic training in guarding and undergone a working trial.

/ Extracts from "The Caucasian and Central Asia Shepherd Dogs and other wolfdogs" by V.Vysotsky /