The Moscow Guard Dog has absorbed the intelligence of the Caucasian Shepherd Dogs and the beauty of the St. Bernard. A professional guard, a self-sufficient leader and a fearless defender, able to put an intruder to flight with just a look. Serious and incorruptible, he will never leave his official post and will guard the object entrusted to him to the last.
The Second World War caused damage to all sectors of the economy of the USSR countries, including service dog breeding. The first peaceful decade was a time when Soviet cynologists were especially active in both restoring the lost number of service dogs and breeding new breeds adapted to different climates. 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. The breed is not officially recognized by the International Cynological Federation.
They look like St. Bernards, but not as loose and more taut. 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.
Moscow watchdog – dog, self-confident, balanced, independent and contact. It has excellent watchdog and protective qualities. The Moscow watchdog will always guard the territory allotted for it. Protecting the host is also her primary concern. These dogs know no fear and never back down. As a rule, when keeping this dog in the family, she does not choose one owner for herself.
A dog of this breed does not require reverent care. It is enough to brush it regularly with a brush and bathe with shampoo as needed. Dogs of this breed shed, but not very much. Dense and thick coat perfectly protects the dog from any bad weather. The Moscow watchdog needs a lot of free space, so it is not suitable for keeping in an apartment or in a small house without a sufficiently spacious area in the yard.
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.
