Which Breed Is Better For Me??

[Dolly1218]

Hello everyone,
I am still in the beggining stages of getting my herd together. But I do know I will need a LGD. Im currently in Colorado where we have coyotes, bears, cougars, wolves, seems like just about everything! I will be moving to Maine soon, which I believe have the same predators.. I will have a herd of goats, sheep, yak, ducks, and chickens. Ive researched a lot of different breeds of dogs for the right guard and would like opinions from people that own them. The three breeds Im considering is Caucasian Ovcharka, Boz Shepherd, and Kurdish Kangal. I know their temperments and I have owned dogs of various breeds my entire life, Im just new to LGD. Your opinions on which breed is right for the territory and livestock is greatly appreciated. Thanks!!

 

[autumnprairie]

Hello everyone,
I am still in the beggining stages of getting my herd together. But I do know I will need a LGD. Im currently in Colorado where we have coyotes, bears, cougars, wolves, seems like just about everything! I will be moving to Maine soon, which I believe have the same predators.. I will have a herd of goats, sheep, yak, ducks, and chickens. Ive researched a lot of different breeds of dogs for the right guard and would like opinions from people that own them. The three breeds Im considering is Caucasian Ovcharka, Boz Shepherd, and Kurdish Kangal. I know their temperments and I have owned dogs of various breeds my entire life, Im just new to LGD. Your opinions on which breed is right for the territory and livestock is greatly appreciated. Thanks!!

not to be nosey but where in Maine because their weather is completely different depending on where you live when I lived in Buxton near Portland it was 10 degrees warmer than where my Mom lives, near Acadia Park. I personally would get a Caucasian Ovcharka because of the similiarity of weather between Maine and the Soviet Union.
I dont know what the breed is like though this is where I was reading about them though http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/caucasianowtcharka.htm
I love the looks of the BOZ
hope this helps

 

[Grazer]

Hi Dolly,

I own a Caucasian Ovcharka myself and they are not a breed for everyone.
If you've never owned a LGD before, then you might have a lot of difficulties with this breed.
They require a minimum of a 6ft fencing and they are very territorial and protective.
Unlike most other LGD breeds, they are often very human aggressive because a lot of Caucasian Ovcharka lines were/are used for Soviet/Russian military program.
And that is a lot of liability for most people.

In my opinion, any LGD breed that has been used for military purposes in recent past or that's still used for those purposes is not a good breed for first time LGD owner.
With that said, there are not many people in general who use their CO's as LGD's in U.S. or in the rest of the world for that matter; they are usually property guardian dogs.
What I'm trying to say is that best LGD's come from working parents and there a lot of Kangal breeders that raise their dogs & puppies as future LGD's.


Kangal puppies from working parents are also much easier to find..
As for Boz Shepherds, MonsterMalak from monstermalak.com who also posts here, has a Boz Shepherd kennel and he can tell you all about this breed.

 

[Dolly1218]

Hello everyone,
I am still in the beggining stages of getting my herd together. But I do know I will need a LGD. Im currently in Colorado where we have coyotes, bears, cougars, wolves, seems like just about everything! I will be moving to Maine soon, which I believe have the same predators.. I will have a herd of goats, sheep, yak, ducks, and chickens. Ive researched a lot of different breeds of dogs for the right guard and would like opinions from people that own them. The three breeds Im considering is Caucasian Ovcharka, Boz Shepherd, and Kurdish Kangal. I know their temperments and I have owned dogs of various breeds my entire life, Im just new to LGD. Your opinions on which breed is right for the territory and livestock is greatly appreciated. Thanks!!

not to be nosey but where in Maine because their weather is completely different depending on where you live when I lived in Buxton near Portland it was 10 degrees warmer than where my Mom lives, near Acadia Park. I personally would get a Caucasian Ovcharka because of the similiarity of weather between Maine and the Soviet Union.
I dont know what the breed is like though this is where I was reading about them though http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/caucasianowtcharka.htm
I love the looks of the BOZ
hope this helps

Crystal, Maine.. And thats where I started my research lol

 

[Dolly1218]

Hi Dolly,

I own a Caucasian Ovcharka myself and they are not a breed for everyone.
If you've never owned a LGD before, then you might have a lot of difficulties with this breed.
They require a minimum of a 6ft fencing and they are very territorial and protective.
Unlike most other LGD breeds, they are often very human aggressive because a lot of Caucasian Ovcharka lines were/are used for Soviet/Russian military program.
And that is a lot of liability for most people.

In my opinion, any LGD breed that has been used for military purposes in recent past or that's still used for those purposes is not a good breed for first time LGD owner.
With that said, there are not many people in general who use their CO's as LGD's in U.S. or in the rest of the world for that matter; they are usually property guardian dogs.
What I'm trying to say is that best LGD's come from working parents and there a lot of Kangal breeders that raise their dogs & puppies as future LGD's.


Kangal puppies from working parents are also much easier to find..
As for Boz Shepherds, MonsterMalak from monstermalak.com who also posts here, has a Boz Shepherd kennel and he can tell you all about this breed.

Thank you. I didnt know they were human aggressive. A breeder I was talking to said if they get socialized and trained from puppyhood and is continued throughout their life they would be ok. She has sheep that the COs watch.. Do you use your CO as a LGD or a house guard? Ive read that they are very territorial and protective, but can they tell the difference between friend and foe? I had a rottweiler a very long time ago and she was a sweet angel to everyone unless someone/animal threatened us.

 

[Grazer]

Yes they are known for being very human aggressive. In Russia they even use them as prison/military guard dogs.
And up until the Berlin wall fall, they were also used by then East Germany military as patrol dogs. They were very feared back then.
I'm surprised the breeder you talked to didn't mention that part...
Ours is (besides being a family member lol) a house guard dog.
He's also not an American bred CO

When they are outside their property they are very aloof with strangers, but they will become very protective if they feel that their owner is being threatened.
Inside their own property, most CO's will tolerate the guests you invite, but not all.
Some male CO's will not tolerate any guests, even if they've been socialized properly.
But for the most part CO's will act as if they're not interested in your guests, while keeping a close eye on them. Although some females can be less aloof.
Still, never leave your adult CO (whether it's a male or a female) with your guests unattended.

They're incredibly affectionate towards their family and it seems (to me at least) that they can really tell when someone is closely related to you, even if they do not live with you. If that makes any sense lol
As far as telling the difference between friend or foe...all true CO's will not let anyone who's not part of their "pack" in.

Socializing CO's needs to be done gradually and kept as positive as possible....as some things can traumatize them. They don't like large crowds or noisy places.
I personally would not over socialize them, but that's just me.

 

[Grazer]

I also forgot to add that the fact they're like all LGD's independent thinkers and that they will not always listen.
They will act when they think it's necessary...
For thousands of years, the herdsmen in the mountains of Caucasus would leave them for months all by themselves to guard livestock; they would only occasionally bring them food.
And only the strongest CO's would survive.
Up until 100-200 years, there has been very little human intervention in their breeding process.
Often, CO's are described as the most aggressive natural guard dog bred in domesticity.

For unprepared owners they can be very stubborn and they will challenge you. I've known of many unprepared CO owners who ended up being mauled themselves by their own dog or their family members getting attacked.
So they got rid of the dog, when in fact they were at fault for not doing their homework thoroughly before getting a CO.
As I said this breed will challenge you....mostly between 8 and 18 months of age.
Now if you are as an owner consistent, consequent, confident and assertive with the puppy from the start (without ever punishing them physically but that speaks for itself of course), they will challenge you a lot less.
And of course if you don't get the most dominant puppy, it will be less challenging for you as the owner too.
CO's the type of breed that is very pack oriented and will try to take over the household if they sense that you are "weak" as an owner.

 

[Beekissed]

I know this wasn't one of your choices, but I like the sound of the Maremma breed and they were known for fending off wolves in their native lands. They also are supposedly more attached to their flocks than the GPs and don't wander off as easily. If I get another LGD breed, I think I'll try the Maremmas.

 

[Dolly1218]

I also forgot to add that the fact they're like all LGD's independent thinkers and that they will not always listen.
They will act when they think it's necessary...
For thousands of years, the herdsmen in the mountains of Caucasus would leave them for months all by themselves to guard livestock; they would only occasionally bring them food.
And only the strongest CO's would survive.
Up until 100-200 years, there has been very little human intervention in their breeding process.
Often, CO's are described as the most aggressive natural guard dog bred in domesticity.

For unprepared owners they can be very stubborn and they will challenge you. I've known of many unprepared CO owners who ended up being mauled themselves by their own dog or their family members getting attacked.
So they got rid of the dog, when in fact they were at fault for not doing their homework thoroughly before getting a CO.
As I said this breed will challenge you....mostly between 8 and 18 months of age.
Now if you are as an owner consistent, consequent, confident and assertive with the puppy from the start (without ever punishing them physically but that speaks for itself of course), they will challenge you a lot less.
And of course if you don't get the most dominant puppy, it will be less challenging for you as the owner too.
CO's the type of breed that is very pack oriented and will try to take over the household if they sense that you are "weak" as an owner.

Wow. The breeder didnt mention any of this information to me. I also didnt read any of this on any breed pages I found. But what would you consider being prepared for this breed? I absolutely love these dogs and have since I was very little and I would love to have one or more, but I am Not the type of person to go get one and figure it out later. I do all my research and with a breed that is so large and dominant I definetly want to be prepared. Do you think I should start with a different LGD breed? The more I hear I think maybe the CO should be our house guard rather then a LGD.. I would love some more detailed information from you if you have the time

 

[autumnprairie]

you are really going to be up there aren't you, Can you say freeze your butt off. Silk long johns are the warmest for sure