Let's start
our talk before you buy a puppy. Too many dogs-owners to be make
their decision of choosing a puppy on the spur of the moment while
such extremely important thing like deciding on a human companion
for 10 or 15 years should be taken more seriously. First of all, you
should answer honestly the following questions. Are you really ready
to all those problems that a puppy will inevitably bring onto your
life (scratched furniture and foot wear, its droppings and "puddles"
during a young period, a pet walking it the rain and coming back
dirty, problems with a holiday, dog food and training expenses,
medical care, etc)? Are you ready to work hard both physically and
intellectually? Will all your family be glad to have a puppy at
home? Are you sure that you will cope with a strong independent
dog?
Providing you have at least one negative answer to the questions
above don't hurry to buy a puppy. It's worth consulting an expert
but in any case you should bear in mind that the Caucasian Shepherd
Dog and its "brother" Central Asia Shepherd Dog are very specific
dogs. Their difference from other dogs is based on the fact that
they are not a product of human activity. First of all, you should
take into account that the dogs are differentiated by their specific
characters. There are fight dogs, which are quite indifferent to
strangers. There are guardian dogs, which are very alert and
sometimes even hostile to strangers.
Unfortunately, there are dogs (usually they are the product of a
human activity) that can't confront neither dogs, nor people. Of
course, it doesn't mean that a fight dog can't guard people's
housing or a guard dog can't fight. But it's worth taking into
account the dog's orientation. So, to make the right choice you
should consult an expert.
If you have made your
mind to keep a puppy and determined for sure what pedigree dog you
want to buy, so there is not a lot of thing to do — choose the place
to buy and choose the puppy. And many questions appear at once —
what is better to buy puppy at the „flea market“, where it is
possible to make a choice of several litters, to buy the puppy in
one of the breed nurseries or at the private owner, which, it is a
pity, is not always possible to be good specialist, of the pedigree
and upbringing of dogs - oftener they are just amateur, which
decided to have the posterity from their dogs. In the first case the
advantages of the choice consist of that there are several litters
in one place, and you can choose between the puppies of different
origin, age and color. But here is the problem - crowded of the big
numbering of the dogs art small area leads to concentration of
different infections, mostly severe and fatal. Puppy organism does
not have strong enough immunity to resist them, and a disease may
show not simultaneously, but only after 7-10 days after infection,
when the puppy has already got acclimatized in the house of the new
owner. Besides, if in the future your nursling has any problems with
the mind, behavior, figure or the origin, you will not be able to
call on the owner, because he is nor living in the „flea market“
and, perhaps, was there only once in his life. In the case if you
decided to buy the puppy in the owner's house or in the pedigree
nursery, you will have to visit different places, before you could
find the very your nursling. That, for sure, will take much more
time and efforts, but you will have the possibility to see by your
own eyes the puppy's parents (or the mother at least), place and
conditions of their birth, and also the upbringing, and the
guarantees that in the case of any problems, you will be able to ask
for a help and consultation particularly to the owner of tour puppy.
The safest way is to buy the puppy in the pedigree nursery. You see,
here, besides all abovementioned, you could see big number of the
dogs, get the detailed information about their origin, ancestors,
see their achievements and prizes from the exhibitions and in
training, watch videos and photos of the dogs of particularly this
nursery.It is possibly, that you will be shown the puppies of the
same parents of the previous litters. Besides, the nursery owners
will help you with the pleasure with the advises of upbringing your
puppy, as they are interested in that the dog with the name of the
nursery would be correctly grown, brought up, and timely vaccinated
and cleaned from the parasites. When you defined the place of
purchase, there is only one step left - to choose from the heap of
the babies, the one, who will live with you many years and will be
the faithful friend, the guard of the house the your family, staunch
fighter. If you have an acquaintance to know about the pedigree - take him with you, perhaps, you will need particularly his advice.
Although, of cause, first of all, ask the owner to tell about the
characters of the nurslings and clearly formulate for yourselves and
for him, for what particular purpose you need the dog. The „Middle
Asian“ is a multi functional dog, but it is very rarely that all
functions are in the one representative of the pedigree. Do you need
a guard? A friend or a companion? Staunch fighter? Nanny for
children? Show-dog? Perhaps you need a dog, which combines
simultaneously several functions? Who, excluding the owner, who
knows the puppies from the birth, may advice you the right choice!
Sure, the older puppies show the inclinations more prominent, but
the 1.5-months ones show their character as well. At what age is it
better to take the puppies? It is difficult to answer this question
unambiguously.
The
dog aged up to one year gets on easily enough with the new owner. If
toy make your mind to keep the puppy of 15 month old, you will have
to: feed hit 6-times a day, cleaning the room (as the puppy can not
wait), all the necessary procedures and vaccinations, which must be
performed timely. Undoubtly, there are some pluses - you will have
the right of first choice of the puppy, as small puppies are easy to
change the house, and you will be the first and the only owner for
it from the early childhood. The majority of the behavior norms are
trained before the first half year. Grown up puppies have the
advantage that they have all the necessary veterinary procedures,
strong immunity to the main diseases, there is no need to feed them
often, and the figure and the character are apparent already.
Abroad, the puppies are generally sold in this age. But the choice
is limited, as the major part of the litter is taken by 4-th month.
Small or grown puppy is the subject of your taste.But in every age
the puppy must be healthy: clean, not purulent eyes, shining hair,
well-fed, gay, active – this is the look of the puppy at the moment
of the purchase.The most often used sign - warm and dry nose – may
confuse you. After sleeping or active playing, in the state of
general anxiety even the healthy puppy may have such nose. And only
the specialist may determine the sticky dryness. If the puppy is
flabby, slow-moving, more time spend laying and does not want to
play, it may evidence, on one hand, the symptom of the disease, and
, on the other hand, abnormalities of the loco motor system work. In
both cases, you should not choose this puppy. The puppy happens to
be active enough, easy movable, but stays apart from other sand
tries to hide from you. In this case he just shows his character
and, it must be mentioned, no t he worst one, as in the future
particularly this dog may be a faithful, liable and fearless friend.
At last! The puppy is in your house! Before its arrival, his
particular place should be ready. If it is a flat, that would be
bedding (not draughty, not passage and away from heaters), and bowls
for water and food. If the puppy lives in the yard, the minimum is:
the kennel, and better an especially built and equipped open-air
cage and dishes for him to eat and drink. It would not be right to
chain up the puppy! It will result in the hunched extremities and
damaged psyche. Besides, it is inhumane. Let's dwell on the details
of the equipping of the puppy's place. If it is bedding, it must be
thick enough not to bunch, made of stuff which easy to clean and to
wash, and processed against of the parasites. The open-air cage is
better to build of the steel rods, as the adult animal will easily
crack and untwist the mesh.
The part of the open-air cage must be covered with the roof for
the dog to be outside, having the shelter from sun, rain and
snow.Such part of the open-air cage would better be laid with the
wood desk, where the dog may be in comfort in wet and cold weather.
It is better to make the deck of the asp, as it is hard to rot. You
may not make it of concrete - but is harmful for the health, it may
cause arthritis, rheumatic and catarrhal diseases. Around the
perimeter of the open-air cage, if there is earth ground left, it is
necessary to dig in roofing slate or steel plate for 30 cm in deep,
otherwise your „Asian“ will soon get how to escape, and you be worn
out to burry the pits and mines. The kennel is a must, even in the
case if your dog lives in the small covered open-air cage. As it the
frost is strong the animal can warm only small area by its heat. The
walls should be done double, lining them with the material, glassine
like, that will serve as good protection from the frost and slanting
rain. The kennel dimensions must take into account the future
dimensions of the dog. The roof must be removable to facilitate the
performance of the disinfection and processing of the inner area
from the parasites. Besides, it is better to make the flat roof,
that will reduce the volume of the inner area, it is more preferable
during cold period of the year, and „Asians“ like laying on the
roof, observing the guarding territory from above. It is better to
use the bowls made of stainless steel or enameled with undamaged
surface for feeding. The aluminum bowls, as well, are considered to
be not bad, but aluminum may get into the water and food, and that
is not good for the health of the dog.
The plastic bowls are convenient –light, easy to wash, in the
frost the lips and nose of the dog will not freeze to them. But you
should not leave them for a long time near the dog, as it,
particularly at an early age; actively amuse itself by cracking and
turning upside down such bowls. Existing opinion that the puppy, and
the adult dog as well, must eat from the bowl, located on the
special stand to correctly form the bearing, has not any practical
grounds. It is natural for a an animal to eat from the ground level,
so do all dogs in the natural habitat, and have you seen a wolf or
jackal with the sagged back? Besides, feeding takes so much time to
influence on the anatomy. I would not like to dwell on the details
of the dog feeding in this article, as this topic is very vast,
requiring particular covering in the single article. The only one to
mention is that it is better to feed with the ready forage (dried or
tined), or make ration by yourselves of the natural forage, not
mixing these two type of feeding. If you decide to feed with the
ready forages, it is better to prefer the forages of the class
„super premium“, picking it up accordingly to the age, weight and
metabolism of your dog. Otherwise, you will save on the health of
your nursling! When feeding with the natural forages it is necessary
to balance exactly the ration especially during the period of the
active growth of the puppy, using the corresponding vitamin and
mineral and biologically active additives at each period of the life
of the dog. What else? Just to wish you luck in growing and bringing
up of your liable and faithful friend!
