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The Turkish Caucasus dogs are divided into four types, those being the Garban, the Akhaltsihnske type, the Circassian variant and the Kars Dog.
The Caucasian Shepherd Dog is a breed of dog that is popular in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russia, and other countries where shepherds need strong protection for their flocks and properties. A well-bred Caucasian Mountain Dog should be a healthy, strongly-boned, muscular and even-tempered Moloss.
Excessive softness or vicious temperaments are considered serious faults for the breed. Generally healthy and long lived, as in other large breed dogs, hip dysplasia, obesity and occasional heart problems are known to occur. The ears of the Caucasian Ovcharka have traditionally been cropped, although some modern dogs can be seen unaltered. Even though any coat-types and colors exist, the preferred show-types are the long-coated grey dogs with some white markings allowed. No black or black-and-tan dogs are accepted for show, but they do exist. The minimum height is 24.5 inches with no upper limit.
These dogs are of two types: mountain and plain. Plain dogs have a shorter coat and appear taller as they are more lightly built. Mountain ones have a heavier coat and are more muscularly built. The breed's weight range is 99–154 pounds (45–70 kg.) and the height range is 25–28 inches (64–75 cm.).
Powerful and massive, the Caucasian Ovcharka can prove to be a difficult breed for an inexperienced owner, because it respects and obeys only those dominant members of the family that it deems superior to itself. They are generally good with children, but will not see them as their masters. The dog develops a strong bond with its owner but will rarely be completely submissive and blindly follow orders, for this is truly a thinking dog which relies primarily on its own instincts, sometimes even disregarding its master's directions in certain situations. A breed with a very quick reaction time and lightning-fast protection reflexes, it has even been unfairly described by some as somewhat of a "loose cannon". With proper care, handling and training, this is a well-behaved and obedient family companion.
Take care to ask the owner before touching as these dogs are not 'big teddy bears' to be run up to and cuddled. A well behaved Ovcharka will merely take a step back and avert their head; this is a good behavior as these dogs are not Golden Retrievers in their temperament towards everyone.
Ovcharka—a.k.a Caucasian Shepherds—are used to hide amongst sheep in herds. A pack of wolves (3 or 4) will attack the sheep, not noticing the Ovcharka, and the dog may fight a couple wolves at the same time. The fur is several layers and thick making the wolves teeth unable to reach its flesh. They are loyal to their duty in protecting their flock and family and will stand by and defend through any circumstance. Unfortunately they are often misrepresented as being dangerous and violent, when in fact they are not unless there is a threat or a perceived threat to family and home.
Located between the Black Sea on the West and the Caspian Sea on the East, the Caucasus mountain range represents a true melting pot of various cultures due to a number of nations calling it their home through the ages. Today these influences are still strong and a rich source of cultural wealth of the region, as well as numerous political conflicts. Encompassing the territories of Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kabardino-Balkaria, Daghestan, Ossetia, Turkey, Chechnya, Ingushetia and Iran, the Caucasus mountains are also home to one of the oldest living Molossers, the magnificent Caucasian Mountain Dog. In reality the term "Caucasian Dog" should stand for a group of breeds and not for a single breed or a favoured variant.
There is a great variety of types among the Caucasian dogs depending on their home region, but due to the ignorance of many Westerners and strong national appetite of Russian and pro-Russian dog fanciers worldwide, a single type bearing a misleading name is being favored in the show rings and literature, at the expense of truth and other breed variants. The exotic-sounding misnomer Ovcharka is very popular in the West, thanks to the efforts of the Russian Kennel Club, even though it simply translates to "Sheepdog, Shepherd or Shepherd Dog", making it very unpopular and often insulting among the non-Russian nationals of Caucasian and dog enthusiasts. Considered a Russian breed, the Caucasian Ovcharka is a part of the Troika, a threesome of recognized Russian sheepdogs, the other two being the bearded South-Russian Sheepdog and the controversial Central Asian Shepherd Dog.
Although its first official Western Show-Ring appearance was in the 1930s in Germany, the Caucasian Mountain Dog has existed since ancient times and, like many Eastern Molossers, was introduced to the bloodlines of many of today's World breeds throughout history. The Armenian Plateau was one of the earliest cradles of civilization and the first appearance of dogs of this type is closely linked to that area. The Armenian Gamprs are seen as a variant of the Caucasian Mountain Dog, and while that may be the case, it is also important to note that the Gampr comes in two distinct varieties, both of which are believed to be much older than the modern Caucasian and Central-Asian Sheepdogs. Some believe that the Caucasian Mountain Dog was a result of crossing the mountain Gampyrs with the spitz-type dogs in ancient times, but this theory, although not without merit, is understandably not very popular.
The main Russian bloodlines can be traced to Moscow, Ekaterinburg, Tambov, Orenburg, Magnitogorsk, Cheljabinsk, Novosibirsk, Donetsk, Lugansk, Ivanovo, Perm, Nizhny Novgorod, and Saint Petersburg, even though there are many different Caucasian strains still found in the Caucasus mountains. In recent years, the term "aboriginal" is being used to describe older, non-show mountain bloodlines, but this is very misleading and often used as a trendy marketing ploy by some breeders.
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