Are Flock Guardian Breeds suitable for suburban life?

[dogman#1]

Brad, cool video.. that freaking dark CO is impressive as hell, I love their looks... looks like a straight up angry bear, lol. I'm glad that yours arent DA and are probably stable specimens you mustve done a ton of research and had 4 leaf clovers in your back pockets to get such good ones. Since you are in the breed, am I mistaken that so many are weak nerved or did I just get insanely unlucky to catch so many bad ones?

 

[BradA1878]

Brad, cool video.. that freaking dark CO is impressive as hell, I love their looks... looks like a straight up angry bear, lol. I'm glad that yours arent DA and are probably stable specimens you mustve done a ton of research and had 4 leaf clovers in your back pockets to get such good ones. Since you are in the breed, am I mistaken that so many are weak nerved or did I just get insanely unlucky to catch so many bad ones?

Nope, your are not mistaken! Most CO are pretty shitty these days. I've imported around 6 COs and only kept 2 of them.

 

[dogman#1]

aaargh, that sucks.

 

[BlackShadowCaneCorso]

Brad, cool video.. that freaking dark CO is impressive as hell, I love their looks... looks like a straight up angry bear, lol. I'm glad that yours arent DA and are probably stable specimens you mustve done a ton of research and had 4 leaf clovers in your back pockets to get such good ones. Since you are in the breed, am I mistaken that so many are weak nerved or did I just get insanely unlucky to catch so many bad ones?

LOL! Back off Dogman I had my eye on him first

Nope, your are not mistaken! Most CO are pretty shitty these days. I've imported around 6 COs and only kept 2 of them.

The one my RAW lady has isn't always DA but she constantly has to watch her as she is just waiting for a reason to jump on her other dogs. That is the reason the brother was sent back... he couldn't fit in her house. If I ever go the CO route I will be looking you up to help with the screen process.

 

[Duetsche_Doggen]

Nope, your are not mistaken! Most CO are pretty shitty these days. I've imported around 6 COs and only kept 2 of them.

Wow that's saying a lot about the breed now a days....sigh. Like finding a pot of gold...

 

[cheebamaster]

What do you mean by weak nerves/"wet" as in they are overly agressive or they are wimpy? That's kind of a dissapointment. I'm moving next year to a bigger place/higher fence and no close neighbors. I was considering looking into the breed when I move but now I'm scared to haha

 

[BradA1878]

It is sad, but that's what happens when a working dog is selected for looks and not temperament tested regularly. The CO is just one breed of a long list of breeds that are being ruined due to the same reasons IMHO.

The one my RAW lady has isn't always DA but she constantly has to watch her as she is just waiting for a reason to jump on her other dogs. That is the reason the brother was sent back... he couldn't fit in her house. If I ever go the CO route I will be looking you up to help with the screen process.

It's really hard to gauge and I think most of it comes down to how you raise the CO as to how they will be with dogs later in life. From Masha's and Luytiy's litters, who are both great with other dogs, a few of the pups turned out to be very sharp toward other dogs while most of the pups were like their parents - great with other dogs.

What do you mean by weak nerves/"wet" as in they are overly agressive or they are wimpy? That's kind of a dissapointment. I'm moving next year to a bigger place/higher fence and no close neighbors. I was considering looking into the breed when I move but now I'm scared to haha

Weak nerves refers to their temperament under pressure. A dog with weak nerves could do any number of things while under pressure: bite their handler, run away, shut down, pee themselves... Usually, in CO, these weak nerve dogs will put on a good initial show, but once pressured will back down and start presenting "distancing behaviors". A guard dog should stand their ground no matter the pressure.

As for the term "wet", it refers to the "type" of the dog. A wet CO will have loose lips (drool), loose skin, and will not be built "tight". The COs in the video I posted above (Luytiy and Kodi) are on the "dry" side of the "type" spectrum, while a dog like Naum is on the "wetter" side of the spectrum...

Naum:

Naum by brada1878, on Flickr


Naum by brada1878, on Flickr


Naum by brada1878, on Flickr

A CO should have tight lips, and a tight "sporty" body with true CO "expression" in the face. Naum, while being rather wet, had GREAT CO "expression" in his face.

 

[Duetsche_Doggen]

That dog is gorgeous!

 

[dogman#1]

Weak nerves is an issue in all guardian breeds, more so with guardian breeds because that is what people specifically look for and care about with them. That is why in a Fila Brasileiro show (CAFIB) every dog is tested on nerves and temperament before even being allowed to be shown in the actual show.

 

[cheebamaster]

Brad are you familiar with http://www.estalfacaucasian.com/ABOUT-US.html ...I was speaking with the breeder on the phone today but he seemed to have a completely different opinion on the breed then any other breeder I talked to. He said there were differences between male and female temperaments etc...just curious

Apparently he's been breeding Caucasians since 1981 and his website seems pretty legit but I don't know why I've never heard of him.

 

[lgdnevada]

I raise LGD's full time, own 9 imported Spanish Mastiffs, four imported Pyrenean Mastiffs, and an assortment of Great Pyrenees, Anatolian/Maremma crosses, a Kangal, a Kangal cross, etc. on my ranch where they all guard my stock, my ranch, and me. I guess I'm kind of hardcore pro working homes only, the only exception I have ever made was the Pyrenean Mastiff, which has a less complex personality than some LGD's, is very stable, loving with its owner, non-aggressive towards strangers yet a very adept guard, and fabulous with livestock. I really balk at selling my LGDs to pet homes in towns. They need the room to run and exercise, they need a job, they need to guard something, preferably livestock. Although I know there are CO and CAO's kept as pets, well, a lot would depend on your dog experience as already discussed above. As for nerves, I don't own a 'nervous' LGD in my pack, maybe because they were ranch raised, in a pack, I don't know, but none of my dogs are ever temperament tested, nor are my pups. They are pack raised, they learn pack dynamics from day one, that kind of 'nervousness' does not crop up ever, there are dogs here at my place who are more suspicious of strangers than others, but overall, stable, trustworthy, calm but highly vigilant and fierce protectors. So I don't exactly agree with the weak nerves statement in 'all' guardian breeds. As for temperament testing and grading pups, I know of no big sheep or cattle or goat outfits raising their own LGDs who bother with that. Out here, papers are smirked at, no one really cares, what they care about is working instinct, stamina, and the dog's bond with the stock. All the rest is window dressing to most ranchers I have worked with or sold pups to.