Caucasian Shepherd Dog

Fearless and territorial; judges threats for itself.
A Caucasian Shepherd Dog
Photo: Reba Spike
Adult male
50–65 kg
110–143 lb
Adult female
45–59 kg
99–129 lb
Lifespan
10–12 yrs
Class · Watchdog
also Working

What it's like

The breed is bold, fearless and devoted to its own household, but strongly territorial and suspicious of strangers. It is independent and decides for itself what counts as a threat, a trait suited to dogs left to guard flocks without close direction.

Day to day
Activity
Happy with modest walks
Intelligence
Learns readily, likes games
Handler demand
Needs an experienced owner
With people
Affection
Likes its own space
Loyalty
Sticks close to its people
Independence
Decides for itself
Around the home
Sensitivity
Hardy, takes a busy home in its stride
Voice
Barks to alert, then settles
Prey drive
Chases; needs managing
Breed explains only about 9% of how individual dogs differ in behaviour1. Meet the dog. A good breeder breeds for temperament as well as health, and matches each puppy's personality to the right home2,3.
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Living with one

It has a double coat, an outer coat over an undercoat. Most of the shedding comes when the seasons change. Plan on a brush once a week, plus daily brushing through the seasonal moult. It needs a moderate amount of exercise compared with other breeds.

Size and growth

A Caucasian Shepherd Dog is a giant dog, heavier than a Rottweiler and lighter than a Great Dane. Males end up a little heavier than females. Its weight is an estimate, not a published figure.

It is a massive, heavy-boned dog with a broad head and deep chest. The coat is dense with a plentiful undercoat, and its length varies; long-coated dogs carry a mane, feathered ears and a bushy tail. Grey, fawn, red and white are common, and piebald or brindle dogs also occur. In its country of origin the ears have traditionally been cropped.

Puppy growth

Reference curve · community data appears as owners log
By about 5 months, a male Caucasian Shepherd Dog puppy is already as heavy as a grown Labrador. They grow fastest between 4 and 5 months old. They keep growing past their first birthday, longer than a Beagle does. Most males grow into the size large-breed puppy foods are made for.
Fully grown
13 mo
Both sexes, at 99% of adult weight5
Male
Female
Shaded: expected range
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0204060802m3m4m6m9m12m18m
Age
Male
Female
2 months
8.7–11.3 kg 19.2–24.9 lb
7.8–10.2 kg 17.2–22.5 lb
3 months
14.0–18.2 kg 30.9–40.1 lb
12.6–16.4 kg 27.8–36.2 lb
4 months
20.8–27.0 kg 45.9–59.5 lb
18.7–24.3 kg 41.2–53.6 lb
5 months
28.1–36.6 kg 61.9–80.7 lb
25.3–32.9 kg 55.8–72.5 lb
6 months
34.9–45.4 kg 76.9–100.1 lb
31.4–40.8 kg 69.2–89.9 lb
7 months
40.2–52.3 kg 88.6–115.3 lb
36.2–47.0 kg 79.8–103.6 lb
8 months
43.9–57.1 kg 96.8–125.9 lb
39.5–51.4 kg 87.1–113.3 lb
9 months
46.3–60.2 kg 102.1–132.7 lb
41.7–54.2 kg 91.9–119.5 lb
10 months
47.8–62.1 kg 105.4–136.9 lb
43.0–55.9 kg 94.8–123.2 lb
11 months
48.7–63.3 kg 107.4–139.6 lb
43.8–57.0 kg 96.6–125.7 lb
12 months
49.3–64.0 kg 108.7–141.1 lb
44.3–57.6 kg 97.7–127.0 lb
15 months
49.8–64.8 kg 109.8–142.9 lb
44.8–58.3 kg 98.8–128.5 lb
18 months
50.0–64.9 kg 110.2–143.1 lb
45.0–58.4 kg 99.2–128.7 lb

Lifespan

No vet study has measured how long Caucasian Shepherd Dogs live yet. The 10–12 years shown is a general figure without a published source.

Where it comes from

The Caucasian Shepherd Dog is considered a descendant of the ancient dogs of the Caucasus, and its range reaches the steppes of southern Russia. Natural selection and the peoples of the Caucasus shaped it as a guard for flocks, herds and homes against wild animals. Systematic selection of the breed began in the USSR in the 1920s4.

The Caucasian Shepherd Dog, known in Russian as the Caucasian Ovcharka, took its modern form through Soviet kennels in the twentieth century, which drew on dogs from Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and the North Caucasus. Breeders favoured the heavier, longer-coated mountain type, and the state used the breed widely as a guard for military sites, prisons and borders. It was later also bred in East Germany. Its work was protection rather than herding: it stayed with livestock and drove off wolves and intruders.

Breed standard

The Caucasian Shepherd Dog is judged against standard no. 328, in group 2, Pinscher and Schnauzer, Molossoid and Swiss Mountain Dogs4.

Questions people ask

General guidance for dogs rather than a measured Caucasian Shepherd Dog figure: most females have a first season somewhere between six and fifteen months, and cycles then settle to roughly every 180 days. Smaller breeds tend to start earlier and larger ones later, so a giant breed is most likely at the late end.

Compare with related

Sarplaninac
Pinschers & molossoids · Large
Dogue de Bordeaux
Pinschers & molossoids · Giant
Broholmer
Pinschers & molossoids · Large
Newfoundland
Pinschers & molossoids · Giant
Or compare the Caucasian Shepherd Dog with any breed you choose
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Sources

Uncited on this page: Lifespan — no reviewed source yet, so it is a general reference figure rather than a published one.
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Parts of this page were written by AI ·