Caucasian Ovcharka

In Europe, 10 thousands of years ago, dogs already lived together with humans. At this time and in this area they lived in the last ice age. Everything was frozen and mammoths which were food for humans, disappeared. Man was obligated to leave these territories and change their way of live in a nomadic lifestyle. Half domestic wolves followed the humans; they survived by eating their rests. The findings of domestic dog bones are not very old, they are about 9000 years old. In the steppe around the black sea and in the center of the Caucasus bones were found that belonged to the Bronze dog (Canis familiaris matris optimae). This dog was stronger, his head as seen by undersight is pointed, the forehead is flat, the stop is receding and the long muzzle finishes pointed.

It was 2000 years B-C and it was at the start of breeding. Since the beginning of the copper age people are settled in the Caucasus area. The settlers had a lot of trade relations with Asia and the Mediterranean area. They lived in fortified cities, they were breeders, farmers and craftsman. They owned goats, sheep and cows and they moved to different pastures according to the season. At this time, slave trading appeared and to protect their cities, houses, flocks and themselves, they bred mastiff dogs. The Caucasus was the passing through between Europe and Asia and was used by conquerors (Alexander the Great, Pompee, Tamerlan….) and by invaders such as the Scythes, Goths, Khazars, Perse, Huns, Mongols, Turcs… It was the scene for un-ended wars between all mountain tribes.

Actual geographic ground of the Caucasus:
The Caucasus is a mountain chain going from the Black sea to the Caspian sea, a real border between Europe and Asia. It was formed by the Krasnodar and Stavropol area, the republics from Daghestan, Kardino-Balkirie, Ossetie from the north, Chechenie-Inguchie, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. These two later on formed the south Caucasus, Transcaucasus. The landscape of the Caucasus is very different. There are luxes woods, Dombai glaciers, mountain lakes, Daria Gorges and Black sea beaches. The weather is between temperate weather and subtropical weather. A total of 19 ethnical groups of people are represented.

Different types of Caucasian Ovcharki:
The standard of the Caucasian Ovcharka gives us a real description about his morphology, but it describes us two types of phenotype and three varieties of hair. If this was the only truth we could be at ease. But when we visit exhibitions around the world we can see all kinds of differences in this breed.

What is a Caucasian Ovcharka?:
It’s not necessary to take all the standard descriptions into consideration. We know that it is a strong breed, that his height measures are more than normal and without any regard about maximum height. Well, we want to show the differences in types, explain their own working qualities and prove that some extremely differences are not allowed. If we want to preserve and save the breed for the future, we must know more about the differences in type and help responsible breeders in their combination.
To be honest I think the CO is very threatened by nationalism, by people who are just interested in the breeds active behaviour and particularly by some people who are breeding without knowledge about the differences in type. The CO standard gives us a first type called the mountain type. In the past this type was called the Transcaucasian type. We know that Transcaucasia was in the south of the Caucasus. This type of CO is the most desirable. The other type is the steppe type which adapted his body to his background. This type is less desirable because it is linked with his cousins the Central Asian Ovcharka, the Anatolian Shepherd and some others… The Steppe type of CO is less desirable because it’s a mixture but it also shows us the knowledge that these areas have been native areas for a lot of dogs which are now recognised as national breeds and for the origination of these breeds, the human selection acted. The mixture is a reality because we are in front of a group of dogs, breeds who are in the beginning of a selection and we will try to analyse the truth and the dangers together and maybe we can write the limits to let the CO be what he was: a working dog.

In 1954 Mazover wrote a description about 3 types of CO:

GEORGIAN TYPE
Most appreciated, with strong skeleton, very high, rectangle body, long hair and grey color; we find a mane, long hair on the back legs and a bushy tail.

ARMENIAN TYPE
A little bit smaller than the Georgian type. The skeleton is less developed, the body is square, long hair but less than the Georgian type and we still find mane, long hair on the back legs and a bushy tail. Unique color or grey and other colors, even brindle.

AZERBAIDZHAN TYPE
Two types for this one: the steppe type, higher on the legs, with a well developed square body and flat muscles. The steppe type has short hair and many colors which is typical for this type.
The mountain type is very similar to the Georgian type. These dogs always have a black mask, their color is fawn or red and we can find these colors in other areas. We find similar dogs with other names; often it is only the name of the area where they were bred.

BLOOD LINES ACTUALLY USED IN RUSSIA

Actually we know five centers of CO breeding in Russia.
- MOSCOW
- St PETERSBURG
- IVANOVO
- NIZHNI-NOVGOROD
- PERM

In the beginning the stud dogs which were used were the same. In fact Russian people didn’t know this breed for a long time. The met the CO only when they conquered the Caucasian area in 1859. The first species of this breed were shown in 1930 but it’s real appearance was in 1960.
In St. Petersburg, the whole breed is based on two stud dogs:
- LEMAN
- RESHAD (1966)

From Leman two dogs were very known:
- ZULAT, staying in St. Petersburg
- OSMAN sent to Moscow

Osman in combination with Chara gave very strong bodied dogs with a lot and very long hair. The most known dogs from this line were
- YULAY
- BELARA
- TZIRGA

Reshad was often preferred for his powerful and rustic appearance. An other very good combination was from Raja and Jaconda, two of their puppies were send to the USA, Frant and Furt. Later in St Petersburg, an other bloodline was based on Amur and Dato, a species of the steppe type. Now, the best dogs are bred from two stud dogs, Osman II (no link with the first Osman) and Chelam. Sylvia Pons