Strong instincts...Part 1

Yes, it is adorable isn't it? Of course 2 seconds before and after this shot he's chewing everything he can reach! :)

The first thing we noticed about our cute, scrawny, and amazingly uncoordinated puppy (I saw him trip and fall on his butt while standing once...just standing, no movement was attempted at all previous to the fall) is that he's got strong instincts and the ability to react in 0.0001 seconds.

Allow me to illustrate:

We're walking our brand new puppy through the neighborhood. A couple with a very excited adult male beagle dog approaches. They seem friendly so we keep going. Czari trips over his feet (or tuft of grass or something) to go meet him. In general, Czari loves other dogs. He's very social, and not at all shy. In fact most people told us for the first 3-4 months how well behaved and calm he is around other dogs, most people couldn't believe he's just a puppy; yes, he was THAT calm and well balanced. I wish we could take credit for that, but he came pre-programmed :). He's just great at communicating with other dogs. Back to Mr. Beagle. As soon as we approached he started pulling on his leash like crazy and agitating himself. The owners just smiled and started the usual "Oh, what a cute puppy!" conversation.

In 2 seconds the dogs were all tangled up in the leashes. Czari was just sitting there not sure what to do since the beagle had tangled him up. At this point I noticed Czari trying to get some space from Mr. Beagle who was sniffing him too intently. But he couldn't, because he's still tangled. So I tried to get the owners to do something about their dogs leash (extendable leash). As I was working on communicating that, I notice Mr. Beagle trying to hump Czari. I told them to get him away. They just sat there and laughed very amused. At which point I got a little irritated and told them "I wouldn't let him do that. Can you please get him off".

(Note: Normally, I would have said nothing, if Czari wasn't trying to get away and being trapped by the leash. For the most part I'm perfectly happy to let the dogs be and do their thing. But my puppy was definitely looking uncomfortable, so it wasn't just dogs being dogs in this case).

Again, the owners were just laughing. I decided to do it myself...I blinked...I heard a deep growl, little hairs on my neck stood up, and I automatically looked down...In the next split-second Czari (who had apparently had enough of diplomacy), was on top of the other dog and pinning him to the ground while poor Mr. Beagle, in a state of utter shock and panic, was screeching and whining at the top of his lungs. I didn't see him actually perform the jump. One second he was sitting, the next second he was on top of the other dog). The owners stopped laughing and proceeded to try to pull on the leash to retrieve the dog... while blabbering. Yes, that looked exactly how it sounds, they mostly strangled the poor thing and flounced about. Czari had him pinned good, he wasn't going anywhere.

I took Czari off while he gave another growl (I had never before heard such a noise, let alone from a 3 month puppy) and we walked away.

I wish I could say I said sorry. I didn't. But I did say "I told you" while I walked away. I can't deny that I laughed a bit on the inside, once my shock wore off. I don't think the other owners shock ever wore off. What can I say, this incident really doesn't go well with the image most people have of puppies. As for Mr. Beagle, I believe he'll think twice in the future.

I mean...Look at him!!...Who would have predicted that?!

 

The Magnificent Flopster! (Floppy Monster ---> Flopster :D)

This was the first time we truly realized... our dog is a little different :).

Coyotes...

The night is dark. The wind is blowing, and the air is frigid. It burns when you breathe. The snow makes it possible to see anything. There are technically street lights, but not nearly enough to really make a difference...just beyond the light the forest still looms, as dark as ever. It was one of those nights where you know no sane person would venture outside. To me it was a great opportunity for some off-leash running games! No interference! There is a nice field next to a forest. One of our favorite places to go to during the day. And on night like this, it's close to the highway! Quiet, but next to a road and out in the open, just the way I usually like it. Its the first time I visit it at night, but it seems perfect! I leave the forests to themselves at night, I keep to the fields.

An hour of fun later we were heading back to the car. The dogs suddenly stop. I look up and notice a pack of coyotes on the path. They're standing between us and the car. Czari growls and gives a vicious pull, he wants to go get them, NOW! Zuzi starts barking. I silence them, yell out to the coyotes to get out of the way. In my experience they're smart enough to get my meaning. Its happened before, in my neighborhood. You yell out at them, they cross the street or walk away and let you pass... Its not the neighborhood though, and they're a pack. They're feeling pretty strong. They don't leave.

One of them starts coming closer sniffing us out. The rest are pacing back and forth. Czari starts pulling again, almost pulls my arm off. He doesn't like this situation. I stop him again, barely. I try to walk forward. There's no other path. I'm in an open field but outside of my tiny path is snow up to my knees or higher in all directions. There's no way to "walk" through that. Definitely not with the dogs going crazy and the coyotes circling. I'd be trapped in the snow. Not an option.


Luckily, the coyotes seem to be moving out of the way. I walk a bit further. Czari starts going crazy again, almost pulls me over. He keeps looking to the left. I stop and try to see through the darkness to what he's looking at. There a shadow passing us a few meters away. One of the coyotes is walking beside us in opposite direction. I can't walk and hold on to Czari anymore, my arm is starting to cramp up, so I wait. Hopefully once he gets far enough away, Czari will calm down. A few seconds later, the coyote starts making yipping noises from behind us. More coyotes answer him from in front of us. They keep "speaking" back and forth. I realize they weren't moving out of the way. They just moved away from the light and were surrounding us. I got no idea how many there are in total, I counted 5 in the beginning...I don't speak "coyote" but it sounds like they're coordinating. My arm is locked from trying to keep hold of Czari. I couldn't pull again on that leash to save my life. I'm not dieing to wait until the coyotes move to the next phase of their little plan.

I tell Czari to hold on. He stops moving and stands very still. I take off the leash, so he can move freely, and say "ok". He takes off into the night. I walk as fast as I can to the car with Zuzi. I'm not sure if there are any more out there, following me, but I don't wanna run. I could trip and they do like chasing, so running is out. In 3 minutes we're at the car. Nothing followed me. Czari drew the whole pack off. I roll down the window and start honking and calling him. I listen for a second. There are noises coming from the forest. I hear the yipping sounds, they sound like before, normal. Then I hear more frantic yipping. Then, yelping. Finally, lots of whines and yelps. I honk and call for Czari again. He's got a little red light attached to his collar, so I should be able to see him coming back. I honk one more time. Its dead quiet now. Finally a red light appears from the forest. It circles the whole area where we were before and then starts running towards me. He emerges from the shadows very proud, tail high, and marks a bush; then starts looking around, scouting the area.

I get out of the car and grab some bread from the back seat and tempt him into the car. I was too afraid he'd go back, just to make sure they're all gone. I drive home. Czari is very content...downright satisfied! He slept very well that night. Me too...once I calmed down. Didn't go back to that field though. Not at night.

Pleasant dreams :)

It Bites!!!! 

You may be wondering about the trial of raising such a dog as the beautiful, majestic Carpathian Shepherd dog. Having already discussed some benefits, such as it comes fully house trained :), I feel it is only fair to impart some...trials, as well...here we go:

And the Teething starts...NOW!

The little cutie-pie above...aka Czari...aka Monster-Pyranha... bites... a LOT!

Let me define "a lot": from the moment it arrives, at around 3 months of age, until the moment it matures in size, around 1 year, it will bite EVERYTHING!!

Monster-Pyranha vs Poor defenseless tree

"Everything" includes but is not limited to: your hands, your toes (say NO for these right away, it hurts considerably more then the hands!), your hair, your ears, nose, clothes, shoes, car seat-belts (replaced those, managed to bite straight threw them in a few minutes), any other pets you may have, wood (anything made of wood), toys...well you get it, basically anything he CAN put his teeth on...he WILL! This does not stop until the teeth are fully grown. As said teeth are quite big, it does take...a while. You may notice his head is very warm during this period (approx. 9 months), and that once in a while he whines for no reason while attempting to destroy anything is sight. Do not worry. That's just the teeth talking. It does help to give ice to chew :))).

*** Please note: While a lot of modern breeds tend to stay away from biting the face, this one, in my experience, has no such mental barriers. If your nose is within chewing range, it WILL be chewed! Also note, such an injury is difficult to explain to colleagues...SO, keep nose at a safe distance!

The poor soul above was the recipient of many such "love bites". While another poor soul, below, didn't quite succeed in keeping the face at a safe distance... though, please note, he did miss the nose! :D
Zuzi (fur-ball in picture below)...Well, her wounds were mostly psychological :P

 

Of course there were many more such love bites...this was just the first month :D

Why did we allow ourselves to be thus chewed mercilessly by Mr. Pyranha? --> "Soft-Mouth".

In short you do NOT, under any circumstances want this dog to grow up not knowing how hard he can bite before causing damage. It is as I mentioned previously, a very strong animal, so it is crucial that he is taught and imprinted as much as possible with the idea of how much he can bite before other things start yelping, or in our case saying "OUCH!!!". This is a crucial part of socialization and must never be skipped. This is a guard dog after all. Telling it simply "no" will only ensure that if it so happens it does need to protect you, it will end up doing far more damage then necessary. And I have noticed that he only uses the least amount of force necessary when trying to defend you...provided he knows what that IS!

And on that note...what happens if you and your Carpathian Shepherd dog, meet a pack of coyotes intent on not leaving you alone? Well...that's a story for next time ;)

Until then... :)

It was my fault you see, I had just washed him...

The stories of old...

The stories of old still live in the Carpathian mountains. You know the stories...the ones of vicious beasts, cunning and blood thirsty...the wild boars, the bears, the roaming wolf packs... The ones that seem legends now...or nightmares of a bygone age.

Such as the story of the old woman who lived in the woods and the bear...

She lived alone in a cottage in the woods. She knew the forests and the area well, having lived there most of her life. If was a simple life. Raising animals, tending to them, planting in her garden. She lived alone, all the family having long since gone off to make a life for themselves elsewhere. But like most people she was content in her humble life. She took great care of her home. It was obvious that the little cottage was warm and homey always. The villagers living down in the valley would come up and visit her once in a while. Especially recently, as a logging company had just cleared up a path leading right past her home so it was easier to walk up. This visit up to the old woman's cottage was random like any other. In was around sunset as most other visits. When the visitors arrived at the little cottage however they were surprised to see that the old woman was nowhere in sight and all the lights were off... They called for her but no one answered...They entered the cottage and found her hiding in a corner behind the door...eyes filled with panic and fear.

A bear had come by earlier, she saw it come up from the window. He lumbered up to the cows and with the force of one paw snapped the animals spine so it could no longer move or run. It did not kill the animal though...it simply started eating it. The screams of the cow resonated for at least half an hour...though the woman believed they didn't stop for hours. She barricaded herself in the cottage and waited for it to end.

The visitors were not surprised, after all she had no dogs for protection...and the animals from the Carpathian mountains, which make up the largest virgin forest left in Europe...they are not shy. They have lived alongside people for hundreds of years...they learned many things...

After a cup of tea to steady her nerves...they advised her to get some dogs.

Surprise!!!

Czari was not what you would call a "planned" addition to the family...we had no previous intention of getting another dog, let alone a large dog, of this breed, at the time.

However, once in a while life takes an unexpected turn. We came into contact, quite by accident, with a breeder of Carpathian dogs from Romania. We were intrigued. For starters there were the stories...dogs that fight with bears and wolves on a daily basis, yet still remain sweet and loyal to humans. Truthfully, we assumed it was mostly tales and peoples' imaginations. The dogs looked quite common at first glance.

Then there was the possibility that this particular puppy may not find a good home. While most Carpathians have a greyish coat, some have black and white. Although accepted in the breed standard, the color is not the most popular choice among buyers. By the time we found this out, some members of the family had already gotten attached to this puppy...the rest were shown pics...

Sooo...we simply couldn't let him go! Especially while knowing he may not make it due to something as banal as coat color...(He has grown into a perfect specimen. Our faith was definitely rewarded!). We had already raised Zuzi succesfully...what's one more anyway?

First difference between Czari and Zuzi that we noticed... the Carpathian Shepherd mother took the whole litter off into the forest for 3 days and didn't come back...turns out, she was teaching them to hunt.

Second difference: Czari, did NOT soil his cage on the flight from Romania to Canada...that would be 9 uninterrupted hours of flight time!

And that was just the beginning... :)

 Introducing Czari & Zuzi

To begin with, this is the puppy in question :). He's name is Czari. And these pics were taken the first week he got here in Canada, at about 3.5 months old.

The breed is called Carpathian Shepard Dog, and for those unfamiliar with it, click here http://www.carpathiandog.info/.

In short, they are very primal animals: very strong instincts, amazing intelligence and stubbornness (yes, both...emphasis on BOTH), and extremely loyal and loving to the family. Definitely not for the inexperienced owner or the faint of heart. Also, wouldn't recommend as a traditional pet. The breed is a working dog and is still used as such today. They need at least 3 hours of exercise each day in nature (note: they hunt too, by themselves, no training necessary). I do daily hikes at least 4 times a week for 2-3 hours in the Rocky Mountains to keep the dog happy, healthy and balanced. And an additional 1/2 hour to 1 hr walk in the evening...depending on how challenging the morning hike was...

Czari is our second dog. The first one we got was a girl named Zuzi; a Keeshond female of unparalleled beauty and craziness!! LOL! Yes, for those familiar with the popular history of the name Zuzi, we were aware of it! That's why we chose it ;).

 Although this story will mainly focus on the time after Czari entered our lives, Zuzi will be here every step of the way, barking at all real and imaginary dangers, lol! Our little girl is every inch the watch dog.

The pics below are recent. Czari is 1.5 years old now and still maturing, Zuzi is 6.5 years old. But we're not quite there yet...

I will tell the story from the beginning, so whoever stumbles on this blog will fall in love with these guys as we did, day by day...unconditionally...and unavoidably :)