Base colour
Any solid colour, piebald or spotted colour
- Except for solid black
- diluted black or black in any combination or genetic blue or liver brown colour
About the Caucasian Shepherd Dog
Origin: Russian Federation
- Typical life span
- 10-12 years
- Size
- Large — from its typical weight
- Weight
- Male
- 50-77 kg
- Female
- 45-68 kg
- Height
- Male
- 68-76 cm
- Female
- 64-71 cm
- FCI status
- Recognised by FCI
- FCI group
- Pinscher and Schnauzer - Molossoid and Swiss Mountain and Cattledogs
- Origin
- Russian Federation
- Also called
- Perro Pastor del Caucaso
- Known hereditary risks
- Not researched yet
About
What is a Caucasian Shepherd Dog?
Giant, powerfully built livestock guardian breed with dense, weather-resistant double coat and imposing presence. Bred to be a formidable guardian in harsh mountain conditions with a courageous, confident demeanor.
Caucasian Shepherd Dog history and origins
Ancient breed originating in the Caucasus Mountain region, used for centuries to protect livestock from large predators like wolves and bears. Standardized by Soviet cynologists and used as military and prison guard dogs.
Caucasian Shepherd Dog appearance and size
Males typically weigh 50-77 kg and stand 68-76 cm at the shoulder; females 45-68 kg and 64-71 cm.
What the breed standard says
- Bred for
- Guard- and watchdog
- Behaviour and temperament
“Behaviour is steady, active, self-confident, fearless and independent. The Caucasian Shepherd Dog shows a devoted attachment to its master; it is an excellent guard dog”
Quoted from FCI standard n°328. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
Breed reference from The Dog API.
Characteristics
- Size
- Large
- Exercise needsRead from what the breed was bred to do, in the registry’s own words: “Guard- and watchdog” That is a working purpose, not a measured exercise requirement — an individual dog’s needs depend on its age, health and household.
- 2 of 5
- Easy to train
- —
- Amount of shedding
- 3 of 5
- Grooming needs
- 4 of 5
- Good with children
- —
- Cost to keep
- —
- Tolerates being alone
- —
- Intelligence
- —
- Health of breed
- Not researched yet
Pros & cons
Pros & cons for the Caucasian Shepherd Dog
What you get with the Caucasian Shepherd Dog
- Purpose stated in the standard: “Guard- and watchdog”
- The standard describes the breed as: “Behaviour is steady, active, self-confident, fearless and independent”
What you are taking on
- High grooming needs — the standard’s own description is “The longer outer coat forms “brushes” on the ears, a “mane” around the neck and…”
- Shorter-lived than a crossbred dog — median 5.4 years across 53 animals, against 12
Drawn from sources rather than written as an opinion — cited health research, the registry’s own standard, and peer-reviewed longevity. FCI breed standard; McMillan et al. 2024, median age at death. One breeder’s animals can differ from any of it, and an empty column means we hold nothing for that side rather than that there is nothing to say.
Characteristics
FCI standard · Caucasian Shepherd Dog
Coat and colour
As the FCI standard sets it out. Every line below is the standard’s own wording.
Coat
Straight, coarse, stand-off coat with well developed undercoat.
The length of guard coat as well as the undercoat should not be less than 5 cm.
The coat on the head and forelegs is shorter and thicker.
The tail is completely covered with dense coat and looks thick and furry.
The longer outer coat forms “brushes” on the ears, a “mane” around the neck and “trousers” on the back sides of the thighs
Colour
- Preferred
- Permissible
- Undesirable
- Disqualifying
Preferred, permissible, undesirable and disqualifying are FCI’s own words about the breed. They describe what the standard asks for — not an assessment of any individual dog, and not ours.
Shortened from FCI standard n°328 — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source.
What the breed standard says
- Size
- “Height at the withers: Males: Desirable height 72-75 cms; Minimum 68 cms; Females: Desirable height 67-70 cms; Minimum 64 cms. Larger stature is accepted, as long as conformation is harmonic. Weight: Males: Minimum: 50 kgs; Females: Minimum: 45 kgs”
- FCI gives a bound on one side only, so there is no range to state.
Quoted from FCI standard n°328. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
What the standard penalises
What a judge marks the Caucasian Shepherd Dog down for, and what puts one out of the ring, in the registry’s own words. This describes the breed standard — it is not a checklist for the animal in front of you, and a pet with a disqualifying fault is an unshowable dog rather than an unhealthy one.
Severe faults
Marked heavily against a specimen in the ring.
- Too light or too coarse in built.
- Lack of self-confidence.
- Deviations in the sexual dimorphism.
- Head small in proportions to the body; light; narrow; long; coarse; blocky or apple head.
- Abrupt stop.
- Muzzle: downfaced; dishfaced or snipy.
- Teeth too small; widely spaced; incisors not set in one line; any deviation from the dental formula (except for absence of the PM1s). Insufficiently marked cheekbones.
- Eyes large; bulging; very light; showing haw; slack eye lids.
- Ears large; thin or set too low.
- Top line roach or sway back; long, sagging or arched loin; rump higher than the withers.
- Body square; too cobby; too long; narrow in both front and rear; too leggy; chest very short, flat or shallow; croup short or steep.
- Stumped tail.
- Weak bone; muscles and ligaments in joints.
- Lacking correct angulations.
- Bowed forearms.
- Unbalanced movement.
- Lack of driving power in the hindquarters.
- Coat that is very soft; curly; has very short guard coat or no undercoat
Disqualifying faults
Puts an animal out of the ring altogether.
- Any deviation from the required bite.
- Incompleted dental formula (absence of any tooth except the third molars (M3) or the first premolars (PM1s).
- Entropion.
- Wall eyes; deep blue; green shaded or eyes of different colour.
- Docked tail.
- Constant pacing or impossibility to assess the gate.
- Black colour in any variation; solid; diluted; piebald, spotted or as saddle (except for mask).
- Genetic blue colour in any variation or nuance.
- Bluish-grey pigmented nose, lips and eye rims.
- Genetic brown colour in any variation or nuance.
- Genetic brown nose, lips and eye rims.
- Tan-marking in black, blue or brown dogs.
- Height below minimum.
- Severe deviations in the sexual dimorphism in males
Breed-level information from The Dog API. It describes the Caucasian Shepherd Dog in general; any individual animal can differ.
Health guide
What to ask for in a Caucasian Shepherd Dog
No breed-specific health panel has been written up for the Caucasian Shepherd Dog on this platform yet. That is a gap in our records, not a clean bill of health — ask the breeder which hereditary conditions their lines are tested for, and ask to see the results for both parents, dated and from a named laboratory.
Gallery
No photographs yet
This is where Caucasian Shepherd Dog owners’ own photographs will go, from the pet profiles they keep here. Nobody has added one to a public page yet.
A photograph in a pet profile stays private to its owner. We will not put one here unless they ask us to.
Puppies
No puppies listed right now
No Caucasian Shepherd Dog breeder has a record on this platform yet, so there is nothing to list. That is a gap in our coverage, not a fact about the breed.