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Volkodav - the truth, a legend and slander

Also include information about the Central Asian Ovcharka
on Wednesday 13 February 2008
by gsicard

in content
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Recently, there has been a constant swirl of fables, tall tales, hear say, rumors myths and untruths about Caucasians and the Central Asian, so much so, that we have decided to consider the most popular of them in their own separate chapter.

Caucasians - the best security dog in the world.
This is very difficult to disagree with. Possessing such traits as territorial by nature, unpretentiousness, distrustfulness of strangers, unbridled fury when called on and without compromise in a struggle, is not praise, it is an immutable fact.

However it is not necessary to think, that the pedigree accessory can guarantee the irreproachable decision of security problems of any complexity. Special preparation is necessary and there is nothing more harmful than the opinion, " it is unnecessary to train a Caucasian." Because the Caucasian is blessed with these attributes, it is absolutely necessary!

Simply, these dogs are predisposed more than others breeds to perform this type of work.
The Volkodav living in private houses, do not require exercise.
Consequences of this "theory" - inclined wrist, the sagged backs, fast fatigue. We already spoke about this problem, therefore we shall remind only, that exercising a dog is necessary for the physical and mental development of the dog.

Caucasians and Central Asians do not excessive amounts of exercise or strength training. This is a valid point. The best training for a Volkodav - long walks at a uniform pace over varied terrain.

Volkodav - the most dangerous and inconvenient dogs for the opponent.
This is also a valid point. One need only to consider the most primitive work on a tie leash (picture to follow.) Dogs of factory "service" breeds behave as follows:

The dog is outside at the end of the leash, it is very actively barking at the opponent, and then bites a substituted forearm. In same situation the Volkodav silently lowers a head, barely steps back, allowing the leash to sag just a bit and thus not showing the opponent a distance on which it can advance forward, launches an attacks around the equipment. If there is no opportunity to reach other vital parts, except for the substituted forearm, the Volkodav drives its canines into the equipment and with a series of jerking motions attempts tries "to tighten" the opponent under itself. What follows after that - better to not recollect... We shall also remind, that Volkodav very quickly seize and identify fake situations and frequently refuse to carry out such exercises, to a high degree of success.

For example, the same Caucasian is given the send on command after an advancing agitator (in full protective suit with the sleeve). The dog advances, thus can marking its "road territory." Having caught up to the opponent, she starts to play at pulling out the sleeve, knowing it is only a test... But it is necessary for the agitator "to offend" the dog (for example, to kick at or swat with his noise club) immediately she spits out the sleeve, and attempts to break toward "meat", i.e. the unprotected site of a body. (It should be noted that Volkodav are not "sleeve dogs," that is, one that thinks of the sleeve as a reward as most protection dogs do. They are "man" dogs. The sleeve to them is merely something to get past in order to stop their opponent.) In this case, the agitator has only one choice, to retreat, for reaming a threat to the Volkodav territory would result is severe misfortune. This is why training is so important with the breed, the owner must be able to call off the dog. If this situation would be transferred onto territory on which the dog lives the results are a fore gone conclusion. But, certainly, the goal is get the dog to work in any condition. Besides it is not necessary to confuse the test of working qualities with exams of the prepared dog! And last: nobleness Caucasians and Central Asians show an unwillingness to catch up with the escaping enemy or continue to attack a defeated opponent. Well, and, certainly, it is impossible to forget about distinctions between "Caucasians" and "Central Asians". In the Caucasus the practice of protection by dogs in the cities was widely applied. In the countries of Central Asia, dogs that had bitten the person were destroyed (again this distinction includes dogs that had bitten members of their family or extended family unit, ! such as the other members of the caravan in which they were traveling.) This explains both the frankness and explosive character of Caucasians. Asians are quieter and are not so unequivocal in relation to strangers.

Volkodav are so aggressive, that they cannot be contained in cities.
Delirium! It is possible to not talk profusely or as much as necessary on this theme, but what the statistical data are there to support such a claim? Incontestably statistical evidence testifies: Volkodav in city conditions of city render less bites than Riesenschnauzers and Collie (4 % against 2,5 %), and are just as dangerous as poodle (2,5). For the German shepherd the same parameter makes 19 % (!). It speaks rather simply: it is not the business that owners of Volkodav are more legislative the than the above mentioned owners, simply they realize, that fight with such dog can end badly for the person, and do not tempt fate - they walk the dogs on leashes. Only a dead dog can be considered considered 100% socially safe, accidents and misunderstandings are an every day occurrence. To demand to remove Volkodav from cities, first, is illegal, and, secondly, it should be equally the same requirement to forbid automobiles which kill people in huge quantities. Besides the pistol is in itself safe. The danger does not lie in it, but in a head of who wields it (one other thing to consider here, it is not the gun that kills people but the bullet itself, so the real culprit would not be the gun, using this earlier logic but the bullet.) And one more convenient property of Volkodavs - precautionary behavior. It is possible to assert, that the same Caucasian is not inclined to deceive strangers: it precisely shows its intentions, and does not provoke familiarities - pet the dog, advances, etc. Certainly, it is possible to take offense at the driver of the automobile, who leaned on his horn and by that frig! htened you. But let's be fair - it would be much worse to appear under wheels of his automobile.

Caucasian - "stupid" dogs.
It is possible to simply ignore the layman, but we shall not do it, and in fact will debate it in more detail. As a rule, speaking about "dullness" of Volkodavs, supporters of this theory mean they are poorly trained or are not easily trained. And it is valid, Volkodavs are not well suited for training in obedience. But. But! First of all it is not necessary to put an equal-sign between the concepts dog intelligence and training, with reference to people it is the mind, intelligence and "sense of duty". This should come as no secret, that for monotonous work (namely those is demonstration of skills of obedience) and for the work demanding implicit execution of the order take people with low intellectual factor, and it is justified. Then which dogs "are more! stupid"?

Besides it is one thing - to understand the needed requirement, and absolutely another - to agree that it is needed and to execute. Yes, Caucasians and Central Asians differ as the posses free will, independence and self-respect, which consequence is their unwillingness to carry out completely unnecessary commands from their point of view. At last, imagine a situation when in an environment of several people you unexpectedly shout. According to logic of some dog breeders that those dogs who will rush into the room are clever and those that determine it is unnecessary to rush in and merely to stand their ground are silly! We suggest our readers to make conclusions independently, but we remind: Volkodavs are not waitresses! More likely they are soldiers - philosophers of the dog tribe.

Volkodavs are capable of killing the wolf, a leopard, a bear.
As to the wolf - it is absolutely true, and with the others named, they fly into a rage... Yes, some experts mention duels of these dogs with young leopards and the same young bears, but authors are inclined to count real combat between the dogs and leopards and bears as legends. The bear is capable of killing with one blow of his paw a dog of any breed. Representatives of large cats easily cope with dogs with teeth which are the instrument of murder, and with equally dangerous claws. And last circumstance is especially important: dogs are absolutely not prepared to counter the techniques of conducting combat by cats - The impacts by the hind legs are capable of instantly opening the belly.

However with all respect for the authors with similar assertions, it is hardly necessary to them seriously.

Pit bull terriers can easily win a fight against Volkodavs.
Fans of fighting pit bulls and Volkodavs are painfully concerned by this question: both those, and others love proof as video recorded victories of the breed over breeds of opponents. Given the unique fighting opportunities of pit bulls, the authors of this work consider it necessary to point out to the readers the following circumstances.

1. The physical data on Caucasians and Central Asians (the weight, the sizes jaws, hard cover and loose skin on a neck) considerably surpass similar parameters in pit bulls. Volkodavs weigh between 55 - 75 kilogram and pit bulls weigh between 18 - 25 kilogram. Based on weight alone, they are unequal opponents!

2. In the opinion of the professor of the Gourmet the pit bull terrier has genetically fixed state of mental frustration. This is not an attempt to offend, but an assertion of fact: Pit bulls lack the canine taboo, inherent in all dogs: They will attack females and puppies, and will fight to the death with their relatives.

3. Fans of the mixed duels are not respected in one of "camps", and it is fair: it is impossible to arrange competition between a professional boxer and a badminton player! What occurs during the mixed duels? Layman do not understand why the Volkodav stops fighting with the pit bull though he could easily kill him without ceremony, taking into account its physical superiority.
This is very simple. First, the Volkodav does not kill dogs casually. In nature it would lead to the downturn of defensibility of flight and consequently respect the taboo very rigidly. During several minutes, the Volkodav repeatedly "defeats" the opponent and ceases to see the sense in a continuation of the duel. Secondly, and ,more importantly, the main role is played here with the circumstance, poorly known to the general public: The nobleness of Volkodavs in relation to the defeated opponent. Sometimes experts in Volkodavs, with a smile, observe the reaction of the unsophisticated public to tests. During the fight one of opponents suddenly stops fighting, and the judge there and then awards to it the victory, though its opponent is torn to continue! Meanwhile all is simple: the first dog has refused to battle on the ground that its contender has surrendered: has screamed or has shown a teeth (has grinned). If we now shall recollect, that fights with pit bulls are frequently accompanied by the squeal, all becomes clear. Let's note also, that Caucasian and the Central Asian are capable of killing the enemy, but never aspire to kil! l the opponent-contender.

It is necessary to beat a Volkodav in the first year to prove superiority. The owner must establish superiority with any puppy. But what of Volkodavs? In fact it is fair in relation to dogs of any breeds. Volkodavs are less inclined than dogs of other breeds are inclined to family disassemblies as extremely zealously concern to all and if the Rottweiler, for example, divides all people on "good" and "bad" the Volkodav on "ours" and "another's". But sometimes Volkodavs attack their owners, and always it is a consequence of mistakes on the part of the owners. A rather indicative case is recollected. Completely normal Caucasians, implicitly executing all commands of the mistress, would attack her as soon as she tried to put a collar on it. We arrived on a call and saw the magnificent dog brought from Dagestan. Quiet, artful, not trained, but capable of resisting to any enemy, it stood before us in all its beauty: it tenderly sat his huge head into a hand of the mistress and a minute after maintained the most severe fight with us. In conversation with the mistress we found out, that it already had trainers, but they did not come any more... Eventually it was possible to find out the reason of such unusual behavior.Apparently, when the puppy was 4 months old, the son of the mistress had called the dog and has offered it a slice of meat... Through the lattice of a window. Wild (the dog's name) instantly pushed his head through the lattice, and and could not bring its head back. The puppy was terribly frightened and thus was born its aggressive reaction to any actions to restrain its neck. But as a whole, Volkodavs are less likely to turn on their owners than any other breed. An obligatory condition - correct education.

Volkodavs do not love children.
There is thuth in this statement, but that concerns basically Caucasians, and in relation to unfamiliar children. They in fact, love and adore "their" children. Caucasians nevertheless first of all see a stranger, and then the child. At the same time, for the sake of justice, we shall notice, that to us any case when Caucasian seriously injured the child is unknown. Their behavior is more likely warning character - as it would to an obnoxious puppy. But in any case you, the owner of a Volkodav, should in the situations connected to the participation of children, be extremely close, as the behavior of children is completely unpredictable.

Volkodavs - A one owner dog.
Here is present in view of legendary fidelity of these dogs to the owner. If to reject harmless aspiration of fans of Volkodavs to exaggerate all the advantages of the breed, it is the truth. Working during 8 years as trainer of dogs, without participation of the owner, we can assert: Caucasians and Central Asians is much worse, not only to come into contact with the the trainer, but also transfer separation from the owner. It is indicative, that "kennels" the dogs who are actually not having the owner, in this sense are considerably good and is quieter. I can testify also, that when I should leave for short-term business trips, my Caucasian VARLAY refuses food.

Volkodavs are too great for maintenance in city apartments.
The distinctive feature of Volkodavs is their independence. In an apartment, they are practically imperceptible, especially adult dogs.

From Caucasians - The entire apartment is covered in hair.
Under conditions of regular (once a week) grooming Caucasians and thorough cleaning of an apartment, no problems will exist. We shall not recollect curative properties of knitted things from a wool Caucasians, but we shall notice, that the wool of the Caucasian - in a vacuum cleaner, and the Doberman terrier - in the soup. Doubtless advantage of the Caucasian fur - absence of of dog smell.

Natively cultivated dogs are better.
The question with native Caucasian and Central Asian shepherd's dogs is rather ambiguous. Let's try easy, without emotions, to define the basic positions: 1) What dogs should be considered native? 2) whether It is necessary to use native dogs in factory cultivation? 3) How do factory dogs differ from natives? 4) As dog breeders concern to natives? We suggest to try to answer the questions upside-down.Layman are inclined to idealize natives. As it is not strange, but sometimes the origin of the native is not known as opposed to the authentically known blood of outstanding manufacturers. Actually so generously wasted compliments not are always justified. First, shepherds do not sell really good dogs, as it is extremely hard to produce such a dog. Secondly, similar to a Volkodav "doggy" that in Kiev, that in Tbilisi, that in Ashgabat all the same will be only "doggy". In any case the expert on breed can define the value of an "imported" dog only. Native dogs lack the adaptation to conditions of a mega city, sexual dimorphism and big sub types first of all distinguishes fluctuations. Certainly, there are bad factory and native individuals. However, there are great examples of each as well. Under equal other conditions the native always has that advantage, that it is minimally spoiled by human selection, and a factory dog has the known inherited attributes at posterity, adaptive ness and presence of the information on bloodlines. In our opinion, native dogs are necessary for use in breeding cultivation, in fact if in breed there are no native blood lines, there is no inflow of fresh blood, she inevitably degrades and degenerates!

By this way of speaking, the same process is observed and in case of excessive detailed elaboration of the standard of breed. The use of native dogs is necessary to keep in mind. Here again we approach our first question - what dog can be considered native? Unfortunately, the inhabitant does not understand that simple truth, that, yes all native dogs are imported, but far from being all imported dogs native! In fact in the Asian states and the Caucasus region, precisely also select Volkodav, as well as in Ukraine or Russia! As for the last statement - seditious. If in order to be counted as a native, only deduced methods of natural selection sheep-dogs dogs are allowed, the majority of experts are inclined to count the quality of factory Volkodav superior to the quality of natives.

Probably, brokering has generated the most ridiculous combination: in the Bird's market of large city "shepherd's" puppies from off-schedule breeding are bought without documents since they are cheaper, and then they are sold to trusting travelers as natives!

Original Russian version
http://www.pets.kiev.ua/volkodav/mifs.htmlTranslated by
Vadim Boutym
Dave Hull

Vadim Boutym was a very good friend of mine and he passed away suddenly in 2007. His work with the Central Asian Ovcharka is legend and his dogs were the best in the USA. RIP Vadim.

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