Moscow watchdog

History of origin

The Great Patriotic War caused damage to all sectors of the economy of our country, including service dog breeding. And this is not surprising, because the faithful dogs fought at the front side by side with the soldiers: they were signalmen and scouts, sappers and security guards. And very often it was the dogs that took the first blows of the enemy troops.

The first peaceful decade was the time when Soviet cynologists were especially active in both restoring the lost number of service dogs and breeding new breeds adapted to the climate of our country. It was then that black terriers, East European shepherd dogs and Moscow watchdogs appeared. The latter were the answer of dog breeders to the request of the state for universal guard dogs, unpretentious in maintenance and well amenable to training.

After a long search, it was decided to cross the Caucasian Shepherd Dogs and St. Bernards in order to consolidate the unpretentiousness of the former and the good nature of the latter in the breed. Selection work was carried out in the kennel at the Central School of Military Dog Breeding “Red Star”, located in the Moscow region. That is why the breed was called the Moscow watchdog.

Unfortunately, these beautiful dogs are little known outside the former Soviet republics, but they are a national treasure.

Breed description

The Moscow Watchdog is a large, massive dog whose height at the withers can reach 80 cm, but more often ranges between 70 and 75 cm, and weighs more than half a centner. In appearance, they are similar to St. Bernards, but not so loose and more toned.

The head is large with a wide forehead and small eyes, which have a clearly visible third eyelid. The forehead is divided in two by a shallow groove, the nose is large and black. The muzzle is rather short, the lips are less pendulous than those of the St. Bernards, the ears are triangular, small, hanging. Unlike Caucasian Shepherd Dogs and Alabai, they are not docked.

The paws are powerful, high, the back is even, the tail is set low, often lowered down and bent at the end. The coat is coarse, thick, sometimes wavy in places. Suspended on the tail.

The color is almost the same as that of the St. Bernards: a black-red muzzle with a white stripe in the middle, a white body with red spots on the back, the end of the tail is always white.

Photos

Character

The Moscow watchdog has a strong character, she is self-confident and, as a rule, calm. The most important thing for this dog is its own territory, because it was bred as a guard. No, a Muscovite will not throw himself foaming at the mouth at everything that moves, and at anyone who dares to approach the fence of your site or the door to the apartment. Perhaps even calmly let the guest in. But then he won’t let go. He will simply lie on the threshold, blocking the passage to the saving exit, until the owner personally escorts the guest to the door.

At the same time, shaggy giants are friendly to those whom they trust, they consider the owner’s family to be their flock and treat them with a patronizing note. At the same time, you can’t call them nannies – children for them are the same equal members of the family as adults, therefore, in the opinion of these dogs, they do not need any special treatment. The same can be said about other animals living in the house. They are also accepted into the family and protected on an equal basis with everyone else.

Care and maintenance

One of the priority tasks assigned to cynologists during the development of the Moscow watchdog was unpretentiousness in maintenance. And the goal was achieved brilliantly. The Moscow watchdog is not afraid of either the severe Siberian frosts or the sultry Crimean summer, it does not need any special diet and can easily get by with natural food. But what these huge dogs need is physical activity. It cannot be said that this is a dog exclusively for yard maintenance – they also live very well in an apartment, but only on the condition that they will walk a lot and actively with them, and not only on a leash, but also giving them the opportunity to run around. And if this is not done, the dog can become depressed and even angry. At home, he is usually not seen or heard – all the time he will lie quietly under the table or on his bedding, without disturbing the owners and not reminding himself once again.

Moscow watchdogs do not shed very actively, their hair is coarse, so it is easy to clean it with a vacuum cleaner, they also do not need frequent washing. Only once a week is it worth combing them thoroughly. Some problem, especially in an apartment, can be drooling, which they willingly let out at the sight of food. Of course, this is not such a “drooling” breed as their close relative, the St. Bernard, but it’s still better to have an old towel to periodically wipe the dog’s face.

Education and training

The Moscow watchdog lends itself very well to training, it is more manageable than the Caucasian, but still it is better if an experienced and self-confident owner works with it. At least because this dog is very big.

Puppies from a young age are trying to defend their dominance in your small pack, so you have to prove that you are the leader after all. Of course, in no case should you resort to violence for this, just believe in yourself and be calm. Start teaching your puppy commands from the first days of your acquaintance with him. And after the first vaccinations, when it will already be possible to walk with the baby, wean him to pull the leash, otherwise after a couple of months you simply won’t be able to hold him.

Be sure to socialize the little Muscovite, fix in his mind the positive emotions associated with other people, children and animals – this is necessary so that the dog does not show aggression in the future.

And one more piece of advice. Many dogs like to meet familiar and unfamiliar people by jumping on them and trying to put their paws on their shoulders. Wean your four-legged friend from this habit! Even if the dog jumps on someone with the best of intentions, such a giant can not only scare a person, but also knock him down. And people are different – well, how does it come to someone’s head that a dog attacked him!

Health and disease

The health of Muscovites is somewhat more capricious than that of Caucasian Shepherd Dogs. Of course, this is not always the case, but sometimes they develop joint diseases (which is not surprising given their height and weight), as well as disorders of the liver, digestive and endocrine systems. And in no case do not overfeed them – these giants are prone to obesity and “blur” in just six months.

So if your friend is not feeling well, it is better to consult a veterinarian. In addition, do not forget about physical activity, without which a Muscovite will wither and get fat. Well, and, of course, do not neglect the treatment of dogs from ticks, which are very easy to cling to their thick coat.

Word to the breeder

Breeder of the Posad Guard kennel Svetlana Vinogradova from the city of Sergiev Posad talks about this breed like this: “The Moscow watchdog is a large, long-haired dog that successfully combines the best guard qualities, kindness and poise. Dogs of this breed are not conflict and therefore get along well with other animals. The family does not try to lead and do not choose one owner, but they are looking for their own approach to each family member. The Moscow Guard Dog is sociable, therefore it can be both a wonderful companion and a friend to its family. You can list a lot of pluses, but I can say one thing in practice: the person who got himself a Moscow watchdog will never change it for another breed. He can only get one or two more of these dogs. Moscow watchdog is love at first sight and for life. Try it yourself and find out.”

But what adds to what has been said breeder of the Moscow kennel “Grand Sentinel” Irina Blagova: “The Moscow watchdog is intelligence, devotion, strength and beauty. It has well-defined guard qualities.

The nature of the Moscow watchmen is distinguished by calmness, firmness, vigilance and independence.

In general, he has good health and a balanced psyche. Unpretentious and not aggressive without a reason.

Having met the Moscow watchdog once, people most often do not refuse this breed more often and start it in the future.

Popular questions and answers

We talked about the maintenance of the Moscow watchtowers with zoo engineer, veterinarian Anastasia Kalinina.