Is the Caucasian Shepherd faithful to one owner?
When talking to the people interested in buying a Caucasian Shepherd puppy from our Titans Family kennel, it is very important that their questions and doubts are answered before welcoming the new member of the family. This is why it is so beneficial to buy a dog from an experienced breeder, so that you get all the help and info you need about the dog’s behavior and its genetic tendencies.
One of the questions that some of the future owners ask is related to how attached and how faithful a Caucasian Mountain dog is to one owner or one member of the family. There is a rumor going around that there are some dog breeds that stay attached to one owner only for their whole lives and that the Caucasian Shepherd is one of them. We have to say that it is not true. Allow us to tap into the context of that so that you can understand things better.
Caucasians and the authority figure
Because Caucasian Ovcharkas are dominant types of dogs, they need clear boundaries and a firm attitude so that they can understand their position in the environment they live in. If they live in packs, such as they do when guarding flocks of sheep in the mountains, there will be a natural hierarchy and respect between the dogs in the pack and another type of respect towards their owners, the ones who feed them and give them indications for their work.
If a Caucasian Shepherd lives in a household with different family members, it will have the natural tendency to follow and grow attached to one person. The person who establishes himself or herself as an authority figure towards the dog and knows how to properly assert himself or herself in front of the shepherd dog will be its favorite family member.
However, when that family member is away or on vacation, the dog will interact and respond to any other member of the family also. What is important is that the people who want to engage in an interaction with the dog know how to approach the dog and learn from observing its behavior. The dog will respond properly to anyone who knows how to approach him properly.
Caucasians and territory
Another important fact in this context is the tendency of these natural guard dogs to defend their territory. So if you own a Caucasian Shepherd and you are wondering if you can take him to a friend’s house while you are out on vacation or even to a pet hotel, you should know that its defensive and aggressive behavior is related to its territory, which includes his owner or owners. So if the dog is relocated to a new territory and the owner will not be around, its behavior will change and it will readapt to the new conditions.
The Caucasian Shepherd personality is strong and bold, it is a guard dog and will react to other new dogs when guarding its territory. Things change when it is relocated as other dogs also keep their grounds and will show this to the Caucasian, no matter its dimension and strength.
We have one example from our kennel, Izan, a five year old Caucasian Shepherd who had a very strong guard dog instinct, being very alert and aggressive when stranger people and animals appeared on his territory. At the same time, he was very loving with us. He was relocated to a family of seniors in Arad and his behavior changed considerably, adapting very quickly to his new environment and owners. You can see him here while he was on guard at our kennel.
You can trust that your dog will do just fine in another environment if you did your job and socialized him or her properly. Constant interaction with other people and other dogs will breed a healthy behavior in the Caucasian Shepherd, not one of extreme protection and defense. So, is the Caucasian Shepherd the dog of one owner? No, it can have more owners according to the circumstances. Yes, it grows more attached to one person in the household but that doesn’t mean it won’t collaborate with the other members also.