Training the Caucasian Shepherd - Page 1

I have a 10 month old Caucasian Shep in for basic obedience.  Gahhhh what a nightmare, how do you train a dog that has no interest in humans, no food drive, no toy drive and has no idea about playing?  I was honest with the owner when he brought him in for basic.  I have never worked with a dog with this little interest in life in general.  Any thoughts?  He absolutely will not engage with humans on even a basic level.  Should I dangle a sheep between my teeth?  I did get the slightest eye contact this morning but it was fleeting.

Your description is typical of the breed.

How long have you had the dog in for training?

Personally I would ONLY feed this dog by hand. First and formost you will need to build the dogs trust. With these dogs it can be very tough to do that. The dog needs to look at you as his soal provider, once he does that training should come along. I personally would make sure that the only time the dog eats is when I do training with him. It may take a day or so for him to get really hungry and want to take the food from you.

In the end if nothing else works, then YES I would try dangling a sheep from your teeth and see what happens... lol..

GOOD LUCK!

Thing that worries me is what happens afterwards ?  The breed is
notorious as truly a 'one person' dog.  So you board and hand feed this
pup and basic train him, and become 'the centre of his world', then what ?
He goes back to the original owner ? Is that going to work out properly ?

I agree, this is a breed we have always loved but if the person is not dog experienced they may have bitten off more than they can chew and having a trainer train it is going to be the least of their worries. We were waiting until our youngest son was older <he is responsible however just an extra precation and our son has proven good around dogs and the rules we set around them and is older now teens we are not talking small child> before getting one for my husband and have just determined it will be most likly next year. This is a breed that has to be thought out carefully to own and must be handled well.

I think the very first thing to any "training" should be BONDING with your dog...or the dog in question...I also think that...to me...is the most interesting parts of "dog training" is to figure out the dog and what will and won't work the best for that particular dog...

In saying all of that...There is also "drive promotion"...Which just means bringing out and developing what the dog already posesses...Some people will discuss "drive promotion" and think this isn't important...well I think you can still train your dog without doing this...But to me...It just makes the training much easier...

One way to begin with a dog like described is to just put the dog on leash and just have him follow you around...maybe even tie the leash to you...If it's a dog that I know and basically trust then I would for go the leash...And what I do with puppies is to actually try and hide on the dog/puppy and watch them try to find you...But if you don't trust the dog...and he could run off...then I certainly wouldn't do this...

Food (like described by others) is a great tool...I have a number of dogs...and although I don't "work" with each each day...in the typical fashion...I do something with each as I'm feeding them...Make them sit before eating...Make them wait before eating...Make them get in different positions before eating...Learn to move into or do other things for me before I feed them... ... ...So with a dog that's in for training...I'd certainly make this dog depend on me and begin the Bonding Process by the feeding of them from a beginning point to eating from me...either out of a pan and/or my hands...

If the dog is social with other dogs...then you can also use a group (pack) of dogs to bring out other traits that are wanted and/or needed...

~Bob~

Thank you all for your words of wisdom.  I was very concerned about bonding ( or rather lack there of) he is not bonded to his owner / family at all.  He is here for training as he is 140 pounds of biter.  I never give up on a dog and will do whatever I can to help in the situation. I was brutally blunt with the owner regarding the nature of the breed and the particular issues with this particular dog.  I have dealt with quite a few LSG breeds and have never seen a dog this aloof. Of course if I cant accomplish anything with him I will not be able to charge the owner a dime.

Certain breeds were created for certain jobs. This breed was created to guard animals, missile silos and be used in prison service back home, thats it. It was never meant to be anything other then that in its pure form. It frustrates me when people buy these dogs and try to pound a square peg through a round hole. 

We used them for cows and sheep in Europe. These dogs could care less about people. They liked us enough to not bite us but they knew two things. Here and over... here was. food motivated (dinner) and over was.. well the need to walk and patroll around our farm aimals.

We had two at the time and they did a great job. These guys were sleeping in a barn and when the liversock moved, they moved with it. These days, they are used to guard homes, sleep outside and take care of the properties. If someone wants a pet, go for different breed.

You can teach these dogs things but the general lack of interest makes it hard. Screw the eye contact, just teach it to come and walk on a leash. They will down and sit but rarely fast and immediately. They picked a breed that generaly is not a good obedient family dog.

That is a huge dog! lol I had never heard of a Caucasian dog.. I thought he was trying to be politcally correct saying a white shepherd lol They are absolutely gorgeous!

Hahaha me too Shandra :)
They look pretty but sound rather unappealing.

May I ask Brynjulf, are you in Norway?