How should I be prepared for a caucasian ovcharka?

my family and i are planning on bringing a caucasian ovcharka into our home around january. were wondering what we should have ready to welcome this dog into our home. we live in a suburban home that some would call big. we also have a smaller dog

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Answer by BradA1878
My wife and I live with 2 COs, they are a wonderful breed, very smart and relatively easy to train.

I agree that an "escape place" for the smaller dog is a good idea, mainly because as the CO grows he/she may inadvertently step on the smaller dog. If raised together with the small dog from the start, IMHO, I wouldn't expect the CO to turn aggressive towards it. Our COs live with several other dogs and respects them all individually.
You should note the lines tho, some of the older bloodlines can tend toward dog aggression more than the recent lines – keep that in mind.

As for being "dominant", be VERY CAREFUL with this. COs grow to be very large and powerful and if you plan to use the "dominant" techniques on your puppy be sure not to be too violent. If you treat a CO violently you will eventually be treated violently by the CO – this is not something you want to experience.
If you had a choice between training techniques for this breed, IMHO, I would select a technique that rewards the dog for good behavior and doesn't use invasive methods to correct them – with this breed, invasive methods WILL lead to an aggression problem later in life.

Another note, these dogs get large, and can be kinda… clumsy. So it's a good idea to teach house manners early on or you may find that your CO pup enjoys knocking over your couch or other destructive "playful" behaviors to get your attention.

I'm sure you have already done your research, but it's important to remember, a CO will be intolerant to strangers on your property. You need to make sure you have a secure place to keep your CO when you have guests over as you do not want to have an incident.
Good luck!

Answer by FoxFire Farms
Fencing make sure the fence is secure.
Some will dig others squeeze, So look for holes. Make sure you have those key rings into latches of kennels or chain link cause they can and will use nose to open fence.
Go out of your way to make sure the little dog gets his own time and when people come over insist they pay attention to the older dog. So no jealousy is created. Buy a double handle leash great for training, and fur savers dont work well , most often a martingale as a pup works well with fur and a thick hex show collar later.
Good quality food to balance exercise and diet.
Furminator for later, baby brush for now. And im sure a good repore with your breeder will help. Advice best come from her or him. Best of luck.
Ok make sure all the xmas tinsil and stuff is gone by the pups arrival.

Answer by Phil
Hi, just to add a few points. COs are generally amazing with other family pets …. and they have different characters for different stages of their life. 2mths to 6 mths they be gently playful but you must teach them to be gentle at this age by pushing them away if they hurt you or the other dog accidentally. The worst period is from 6mths to 1 1/2 yr where they will be heavily playful without training and they bite PSI and weight can cause (completely unintentional) hospitalization required damage. Once they get close to 2 yrs their natural herd & family protection will kick in heavily. This means you little dog will have little or not risk of even being hurt in a play fight but the postman and neighbour will die if they walk into the yard without your permission.

Fence needs to be 7 foot and very sturdy although COs will generally tend not to breakout unless there is something needing killing outside the fence like your neighbour’s builder who argues or even touches you. This is not guaranteed however, some dogs will try and get at “anyone” and I mean “anyone” who passes by. Again training, a lot of it, to show your CO that not everything and everyone is a threat is a good idea from an early ages.
Apart form that bones :) and loads of rope toys …
Although a bit late on my reply I hope he turned out fantastic.
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