Holly

Hello Holly.

Wow... she has a thick coat !

Looks like you were living in Slovakia :)

Yes her coat is extremly thick and now its getting colder it will thicken up even more which is probably why lying outside when its -16 doesnt bother her but its not good for carpets! When I look at the amount I sweep and vacumn up im surprised she has an fur left.

She is very beautiful :o)

Galest@"ovčarka" means "shepherd dog" in Slovak. You said you have it from Caucas region - wher is this dog originally from?

Further information here might be of interest ...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caucasian_Shepherd_Dog

TT@Thank you! I din´t know that this dog is used for hunting bears. We never hunt bears this way. We bait a trap like killed doe or calf.

But the dog is beautiful :))

Yes the name does translate to shepherd dog but she is a natural guard dog and not a herder. Originally they were used to guard property humans and flocks from bears and wolves so far from timid. They can be found in Albania Georgia Russia and other E European countries and ive seem them in Afganistan but depending where they come from their name is different. Holly is definatly from the Caucas region as thats where we went to get her. Most of the ones in Germany are future generations resulting from all the dogs abondoned by the Russians when the wall came down. The Russians used them alot as no training was needed and they can been extremly vicious when theres any threat from other animals or humans but having said that shes as soft as soap in the house.

I see. Do you think in Afghanistan they were natural sort of dogs or brought there by occupiers Red Army? I just didn´t understand what you meant their presence in Europe is "resulting from all the dogs abondoned by the Russians when the wall came down"
:))

When the Russians occupied E Germany this was one of the main dogs they used as guard dogs but when the wall came down the Russians moved out and just abandoned the dogs, I think about 6000 were left so alot of the Germans gave them a home and its from these original dogs that most of the ones now in Germany decended from. Afganistan had its own breed so does Georgia Albania etc but over the centuries the true Caucas dog interbred with these other dogs so some have short hair some are very tall but they are all called the Caucasian Ovcharka which is very confusing. The true Caucasian comes in two type the Plains dog and the Mountain dog which can be twice the size as the Plains dog, Holly is a Plains breed and even tho she looks big she isnt compared to the Mountain dog. The Russians preferred the Mountain breed as it looks more aggressive due to its huge size.

I see. Very interesting. I didn´t know that. As far as I rememeber from my own experience with Iron Curtain, in Czechoslovakia were used German Shepherd dogs, later on also Rottweilers and Dobermans. In eighties there was experiment to create a cross between German Shepherd dog and wild wolf. We have got one dog as puppy, too. They stayed wild, were afraid of noises and fire and never became friends of the whole family, always trusted just to one person who cared for them, so this experiment failed.
Regarding degenerative military thinking of bullying common people by sicing dogs on them, Rottweilers and Dobermans were the most popular in Czechoslovakia.

I generally like dogs which are family friendly. Terriers like foxterrier, kerryblue terrier, jagterrier, Yorshire etc. Wish to have Westhighland terrier all my life, but they are rare here. Husky is also fine, have a look on this funny link. Two are often more, then one :))
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nyk1HXvCNks
or this-very funny:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TL5CSPFzTU&feature=endscreen&NR=1

I think alot depends on how the dog is treated as a puppy. Here in Hungary most people have a dog but they live outside all year long and never go in the house. I think its a shame and cruel as they get no stimulation, affection or company as they are just kept on a chain or rope and it isnt very long either. When we got Holly we cld tell she had never been in a house as she wld sit at the door and cry so we had to lift her into the house then out again until she learnt it was ok to come in. She is a great guard dog but is also a pet who lives inside with us. When my daughter comes here she has 2 small daughters and Hollys v affectionate and careful with them as they so small so she is a family dog and a guard dog.
Abit of a warning about the west highland terriers or westies as we call them in the UK they are no good with children as they are very snappy dogs and more for adults. I ll have a look at the link you sent me.