Sometime bad situations create new opportunities. This is exactly what happened with the pandemic. Being forced to see local clients via Zoom meant that the client location no longer matters. It honestly never occurred to me to offer a specific service for fellow owners of this breed but since I understand the breed very well and have worked with dozens of them locally, as well as other related breeds such as Sarplaninacs and Central Asian Shepherds, who better to help a fellow CO owner? A breeder referral for behavior issues to Caucasian Ovcharka owners started this process. For that, I am very grateful. Now you have the opportunity to get behavior assistance with a credentialed and highly qualified behavior consultant, who fully understands your dog’s needs. There are hundreds of wonderful behavior consultants all over the United States as well as in Canada and across the pond. But many of those well qualified behavior consultants may either be concerned about the potential level of aggression in such a large breed of dog. Every dog breed has the potential to cause damage when aggressive. However because of the sheer size and power of the Caucasian Ovcharka and other similar breeds, the need to be incredibly careful in following the most modern dog behavior processes to modify the problematic behavior is necessary.
This is not to say that these dogs are different. Most Livestock Guardian Breeds have been parentally bred to be more alert than the average dog but all dogs learn in the same manner. Capturing and rewarding the behavior that you want and providing non-scary consequences for the behavior you don’t want is how all sentient beings learn best. However, finding what motivates each dog is where the trick lies. Implementing the modern dog behavior modification processes is individual to each dog. I can and will help you with this process, right in the comfort of your own home/property.
Please do note that you will receive a whole lot of contradicting advice from both the internet at large and some less informed fellow Caucasian owners. Please do not allow yourself to use advice from non credentialed dog owners or even “professionals” who use outdated methods that are meant to scare, hurt or punish your dog in any way. These dogs are sensitive and they won’t forget. Using force/might/pain with these dogs (and any dog honestly) has a huge potential to create a very aggressive dog. Please don’t go that route.
Here is my tribute to my love, Kenzo.
I won the Rio award for writing this in the Dog Writer’s Association of America’s writing contribution in May of 2023.
Here is an article that I wrote about “breed specific” training. While that may seem contradictory to what I stated above, it isn’t. The typical issue that many LGD owners may find with some behavior consultants is the sheer size of the dog. The level of aggression in a dog that size can be considerably more intimidating than with a smaller dog. So consulting with a dog behavior professional who both understands your dog and is comfortable providing options for a dog that large is what I am offering.
Pricing for virtual session remains unaffected by location so here are the breakdowns:
60 minute session: $110.00
90 minute session: $160.00
2 hour session: $200.00
Minimum of a 90 minute session required for any initial consultation. Subsequent sessions can be 60 minutes.
Sessions are paid in advance via either Venmo or PayPal or credit card (aside from American Express). There is a 3-1/2% service charge for PayPal and credit cards.