# My Caucasian Ovcharka "LION" at 8 1/2 months



## qwerty80 (Aug 14, 2008)

It's going to be exciting to watch how big he will get when he reaches the 2 year old mark...












"Don't even think about getting any closer! "


----------



## 4lilmunchkins (Feb 14, 2009)

He's beautiful, I love his coloring!


----------



## BoxMeIn21 (Apr 10, 2007)

He's beautiful!


----------



## trumpetjock (Dec 14, 2007)

Glad things are working out with him Qwerty. Been wondering if we'd see you back around here much!

Gorgeous pup.


----------



## rosemaryninja (Sep 28, 2007)

It's good to hear from you and Lion again. He's stunning!


----------



## MarleysGirl (Apr 11, 2008)

Wow, he is one big, gorgeous boy!


----------



## Inga (Jun 16, 2007)

What a handsome dog!!!


----------



## Summerhawk (Mar 23, 2009)

Beautiful dog!!


----------



## qwerty80 (Aug 14, 2008)

Thank you all for the nice comments


----------



## tirluc (Aug 29, 2006)

he's gorgeous...and it's nice to see his ears whole, not cropped....what's he weigh in at now?


----------



## qwerty80 (Aug 14, 2008)

tirluc said:


> he's gorgeous...and it's nice to see his ears whole, not cropped....what's he weigh in at now?


Thanks.
Yeah, i'm not cropping his ears..they give him character (not that he doesn't have any!).

His weight is around 70 pounds now.
He's a little underweight for an Ovcharka, but i would prefer to keep him fit and lean, than having to deal with other problems...

I also think that LION will never bulk up until he reaches the 2 year old mark.
His dad was the same way, growing up.

His dad is 78 inchs high by the way!
Most likely, LION is growing up to be like his daddy...


----------



## Trelaboon (Mar 28, 2008)

Wow, can honestly say i've never met anyone with a Caucasian Ovcharka. That dog's awesome, and I give props to anyone brave enough to own and train one...


----------



## qwerty80 (Aug 14, 2008)

Trelaboon said:


> Wow, can honestly say i've never met anyone with a Caucasian Ovcharka. That dog's awesome, and I give props to anyone brave enough to own and train one...


Thank you.


----------



## thebruxer (Mar 21, 2009)

Wow he's such a handsome boy  I don't think i have ever heard of this breed before but they do look familiar. I love big dogs though, the bigger the better! More dog to cuddle and wrestle with


----------



## bnwalker2 (Jan 22, 2008)

Very handsome boy!


----------



## HersheyPup (May 22, 2008)

Lion is absolutely stunning! You are so lucky! Where do you live? I've only seen one in my lifetime...he was a horse show of all places! lol


----------



## blackrose (Oct 7, 2006)

He's maturing quite nicely!  For some reason he reminds me of a huge, different colored Chloe (my dog). lol


----------



## qwerty80 (Aug 14, 2008)

HersheyPup said:


> Lion is absolutely stunning! You are so lucky! Where do you live? I've only seen one in my lifetime...he was a horse show of all places! lol


thank you.
I live on the Mediterranean sea.
quite normal temperature levels and seasons.


----------



## MrsJohnnyG (Jan 31, 2009)

He... is... GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## qwerty80 (Aug 14, 2008)

MrsJohnnyG said:


> He... is... GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Thank you !


----------



## femi (Nov 11, 2013)

I have a 5 month old Caucasian that wont bark at guest or strange noise around. He will only bark at lizards and insects. I guess I have socialized him too much or is he still to young for that?


----------



## zack (May 27, 2013)

What a stunning boy, as you can see I love big dogs.


----------



## qwerty80 (Aug 14, 2008)

Wow, I think it's been like 5 years since I posted here! Sorry guys for being away. 

Thank you so much for all your comments about Lion. 

@Femi : There is no such thing as 'too much socializing for this breed'. 

Socialize, socialize, socialize! 

As for your puppy, I wouldn't worry too much, give it couple more months. At 6 or 7 months, their guarding instincts start to come to the front. Give it couple more months.


----------



## femi (Nov 11, 2013)

qwerty80 said:


> Wow, I think it's been like 5 years since I posted here! Sorry guys for being away.
> 
> Thank you so much for all your comments about Lion.
> 
> ...


Thankz qwerty80 your response is most useful!


----------



## MountainDogs (Sep 25, 2012)

femi said:


> I have a 5 month old Caucasian that wont bark at guest or strange noise around. He will only bark at lizards and insects. I guess I have socialized him too much or is he still to young for that?


Hi Femi, 
I own two Caucasian shepherds (_Ovcharka is merely a Russian word for shepherd dog_) and I've been passionate about this breed since I first met them (in the early 90's).

While it is extremely important to properly socialize your CO (Caucasian Ovcharka), you don't want to overwhelm them and do too many things at once.
Quality over quantity I always say, which basically means that when you socialize your CO, make sure his experiences end on a positive note.


As for him not wanting to bark, as Qwerty mentioned, he is still very young.
However, I have to point out that not all CO's are equally protective.
This will mainly depend on the lines and the individual dog. 

Unfortunately most (if not all) European breeders that sell their CO's to buyers living in Africa are of very questionable ethics.
The reason why I say this is because this breed really doesn't do well in hot and humid climates. 
Now granted from what I understand it is not too hot in most of Nigeria, but the overall weather conditions in that country are not suited for this breed.
I am mentioning this because most likely you have either imported your puppy from a puppy miller (bad breeder) in Europe (_and believe me there are tons of bad CO breeders in the world today_) or your puppy comes from a Nigerian breeder who imported his/hers from probably some European puppy millers.
The bad breeders truly outnumber the good breeders in this breed.

And puppy millers in this breed don't select for the correct temperament nor do they health test. 
So often their CO's are not very protective or very stable for that matter.
Plus, it is important to note that in this breed several genetic disorders can occur (I wrote lengthly about all that and the common misconceptions about this breed here: http://www.dogforums.com/general-dog-forum/199362-dispelling-incorrect-information-about.html ).

Basically if I were you, I would simply continue to socialize him and work on creating a good bond with him. 
Most CO's start acting protective anywhere between 6 and 10 months.
The very protective ones however are very distrustful of strangers even at a very young age (think few months) and only bark for a reason. 
While the poorly bred ones on the other hand, never truly become protective and don't have what it takes to defend their property and their owner.

But the better your bond is with your CO, the more likely it will be that he will protect you.
And my final advice to you would be next time you want to buy a puppy, look for a breeder that health & temperament tests and will stand 100 % behind the dogs he/she breeds.
That way there will be a much bigger chance that you will get exactly the type of puppy you need, and if anything doesn't works out, a good breeder will always be there for you and the puppy.

Good luck, and if you have any further questions, feel free to PM me.


----------

