The Schnauzer is a popular German dog breed, that comes in three sizes, miniature, standard and giant. All three are recognized as separate breeds by majority of kennel clubs, but they are closely related together, as the miniature and giant Schnauzers are descendants of the original and oldest standard Schnauzer.

And indeed, the size is not the only difference in these dogs. Since they all have slightly different ancestry, they also have slightly different temperament. The Miniature Schnauzer was most likely developeded by crossing Standard Schnauzer to Affenspinscher, Miniature Poodle, Miniature Pinscher or to Pomeranian and the Giant Schnauzer was most likely developeded by crossing the Standard Schnauzer with Great Danes, German Shepherds, Rottweilers, Dobermans, Boxers and Bouvier des Flandres.

The typical temperament of the Standard Schnauzer is described as extemely intelligent, alert, lively, quite playful, kind of independent and strong willed. It is a great choice for guarding, but it also has higher prey drive, as it was used for a long time as vermin hunter. Very often, they are described as dogs with human brain. They are always thinking and it is natural born explorer. They are very curious. They have deep instinctual roots as a guard dogs and vocal dogs and they will most likely bark on any strangers approaching your home. Even though all the Schnauzers are kind of independent, they are relatively easy to train and thanks to their intelligence, they will learn all the basic commands easily.

It is true, that the Miniature and Giant Schnauzer share very similar temperament with the standard Schnauzer, but it is not identical. Lets start with the Miniature Schnauzer.

And the Miniature Schnauzer is described as little bit more affectionate dog, with less prey drive. They are still good alert watchdogs, but they should not bark that much as the standard Schnauzer. Because of their size, they have lower exercise needs, but it is still an active dog. They are probably best to live with kids and they are much more biddable and companionable. It is also very inquisitive and spunky breed.

And what about the Giant Schnauzer? Well, all Schnauzers are good guard dogs, but the Giant Schnauzer is above them. It is extremely strong breed with very smart, independent and protective nature. This Schnauzer, unlike the Miniature one, is not the best choice for novice dog owners. They have natural inclination to protect its people. But they are absolutely loyal and very friendly towards its own family. If you want your Giant Schnauzer to be okay with other dogs or other pets, early proper socialization is absolutely needed, but that can be said about all the Schnauzers. It is also very active dog breed, they need a lot of daily excercise to stay healthy and happy. It is very bold and courageous, rambunctious and reliable dog breed.
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So now you know what is the temperament of each Schnauzer breed. And what about the differences in appearance? Well, the obvious one is their size. You can see the size differences on the screen right now. And the size differences are quite huge, there is a massive difference between the giant and miniature Schnauzer. The second difference is in the coat and color. Again, you can see the color possibilities for each Schnauzer breed on the screen. They all typically have medium to long non shedding coat. The Giant Schnauzer is slight exception, as they can have shorter coat as well.  

The Czechoslovakian and Saarloos Wofldogs are two very similar wolfdog breeds with similar ancestry, similar appearance, but very different temperament.

They are both creation of crossbreeding German Shepherd with the wolf. But of course, different lines of German Shepherds, different wolves and different number of animals were used in the breeding process, which created difference in the breeds. The Czechoslovakian Wolfdog is an offspring of Carpathian grey wolf, while the Saarloos Wolfdog is an offspring of Siberian grey wolf.

The wolf content in those breeds is typically between 10-30%. Different studies show different results, for example one genomic study from 2019 found that the amount of grey wolf ancestry possessed by the Saarloos wolfdog is 18–33% and the Czechoslovakian wolfdog 11–12%.

The utilizaiton of these dogs also played role in the breed development. While the Czechoslovakian wolfdog was succesfully used for police and military, especially as border patrol dogs, later also as search and rescue dogs. These dogs are true workers!

The Saarloos Wolfdog was also bred with the idea of creating less domesticated version of GSD, which will be much better for working purposes. But this was never reality, and the Saarloos Wolfdog was never used in large numbers for any utilization, other than being a companion dog.

So now you know, why there are differences between those two breeds, even though they are both GSD and wolf mix. But what are the actual differences? Lets start with the temperament.

The Saarloos wolfdog is more reserved, shy and timid around strangers. They take much longer to accept a complete stranger and they are harder to socialize to live in areas with a lot of people. They also have lower exercise needs. Dont get this wrong, they are always ready for long outdoor walks and hikes, and you should provide them with enough exercise, but they are not a real working breed that need excessive ammount of exercise and they are very calm and relaxed when they are indoors around their family.

On the other hand, the Czechoslovakian Wolfdog is much more courageous. It is a very brave breed that should never be shy and they are also more confident and they accept strangers faster, if you show them that they are your friends. But they are still pretty reserved dogs, dont expcet them to be friendly with everyone, definitely not. The Czechoslovakian Wolfdog is very very active breed and they are only suitable for physically active people and families who will provide them with a lot of daily physical and mental stimulation.

But these dogs have a lot of common characteristics as well. First of all it is their absolute loyalty to its owners and family. They love its family and want to be around them all day long. And you should not let them alone for long periods of time, especially the Saarloos Wolfdog is known for having troubles with separation anxiety.
Both also typically have higher prey drive and they migh exhibit same sex agression, but of course, this can be vastly influenced by early socialization.

Another similarity is their intelligence. I would say that the Czechoslovakian is little bit easier to train, especially because they are more food motivated, but both breeds are excellent problem solvers. And escape artists. They are able to find any weak spot in your fence and escape in a moment, either by jumping and climbing over it, digging under it, clawing and biting through or pushing and sliding doors. They are really really good at this.

And what about the appearance? Again, they are both very similar and they have the typical wolf like appearance. First of all, the Saarloos Wolfdog is slightly larger and heavier than the Czechoslovakian Wolfdog. You can see the size comparsion on the screen right now. The difference is not extremely big.

The second important difference is the color. The Czechoslovakian Wofldog comes in yellow-grey to silver-grey, with a light mask. The Saarloos Wolfdog comes in wolf-grey, red and white and also with white mask, but the mask is usually much bigger on the Saarloos Wolfdog.
Other than that, these two dogs look very very similar.  

Video transcript:
Not so long ago i made a comparsion video between Caucasian and Central Asian Ovcharka. Following this video i have received several questions what is the difference between the Caucasian Ovcharka and Caucasian Shepherd.

And it will be very short video, because there is no difference at all between the Caucasian Ovcharka and Caucasian Shepherd. It is referring to exactly same breed and the only reason for the difference in the name is the language.

The Caucasian Shepherd was developed in former Soviet Union in 1920s from different livestock guardians of Caucasus mountains. And in Soviet Union, or todays Russia, they called this dog as Кавка́зская овча́рка, or Caucasian Ovcharka. In russian language, the word Ovcharka means the same thing as shepherd dog in english language. It is describing all the dogs that are working with livestock. And even the German Shepherd for example, is known as Nemetskaya ovcharka in Russia.

So yes, there is no difference at all between the Caucasian Shepherd and Ovcharka. There is also no difference in Central Asian Ovcharka and Central Asian Shepherd. The name Caucasian Ovcharka is mostly used in Russia and in the states of former Soviet Union, while the name Caucasian Shepherd is mostly used in western and especially english speaking countries. And sometimes, especially in North America, this breed is also known as Caucasian Mountain dog.

The Caucasian Ovcharka is an extremely strong dog breed with longer coat, native to Caucasus mountains, where it is traditionally used for protecting the livestock, but also the property. It was later used by soviet miliatry, for example for patroling borders. It is extremely independent, territorial, loyal and alert dog and it is an active protector, which means it will use its power and force to defeat any intruder without hesitation. The breed is very decisive.

 On the first sight, the blond Hovawart looks exactly like Golden Retriever and it is easy to confuse one to another. But these two are completely separate purebred dogs with different ancestry and history and with big differences in their personality, but also in their appearance. 
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Lets start with the appearance comparsion. Of course, the main difference in appearance is the color. While the Golden Retriever is, well, always in some shade of a golden color, the Hovawart can be either black, golden or in black and golden color. Both breeds have long doublecoat, but the Golden Retriever has more feathering.

But if the Hovawart is in golden color, than it becomes extremely hard to tell these two breeds apart. The Hovawart is typically the larger, taller and heavier of those two breeds. You can see the size comparsion of both breeds on the screen right now.

The Hovawart also has larger hips, while the Golden Retriever has tendency to slope downward. There are also little differences in the head shape, The Hovawart has more triangular head shape than the rounder shape of Golden Retriever.

And what about their temperament? Well, there are definitely more differences in temperament, than there are in the apeparance.

Both breeds make excellent loyal and loving companions. The Golden Retriever is known to be friendly towards absolutely everyone, to be very playful, trustful, gentle and intelligent.

The Hovawart also loves its family, but they are alert and not so trustful towards strangers. They make superb watchdogs and most of them will not be that welcoming towards strangers as Golden Retrievers. It is a working breed, mostly used for guarding property. And even their name is a combination of German words Hof and Wart, which means yard-watcher, or farm-watcher.

So if you are looking for a companion that will also watch over your house, than the Hovawart is definitely the better option. The Golden Retriever would most likely happily welcome a burglar into your home.

But if you are looking forva typical gentle and active family companion, you will not go wrong with the Golden Retriever. They have the reputaion for being one of the best and one of the most popular companion dogs in the world, especially for families with kids.

But of course, the temperament is vastly influenced by early socialization and training.

Both breeds are also very active. They love being outdoors in almost any kind of a weather and they will love long walks, jogs, hikes, swims, playtime and fun training sessions. These dogs are no coach potates and they are best suited for active people and families.

The other important difference is a prey drive. Some Golden Retrievers still posses high prey drive and chasing instinct, which is because they were used for a long time by hunters to retrieve the game. Not all Goldens have it, but some, especially if trained for it, will chase and try to hunt other animals.

The Hovawart was never bred and used for hunting and they should never have high prey drive.

So now you know that both breeds were bred and used as working dogs. The Hovawart mainly for guarding, the Golden Retriever for hunting and retrieving. But what is the ancestry. They look so similarly, so they just must have a common ancestor, right?

The modern day Hovawart was developed from local Black Forest farm dogs crossed with Kuvasz, Newfoundland, German Shepherd, Leonberger, Bernese Mountain dog and African hunting dog. On the other hand, the ancestors of Golden Retriever are Tweed Water Spaniel and St. Johns Water dog. Later, a small infusion of Red Setter, Labrador Retriever and Bloodhound was added into the breed by breeders.

The Hovawart is considered to be German breed, while the Golden Retriever a Scottish breed. So indeed, there is no link between them and there are no common ancestors.

 The Border Collie and Australian Shepherd. Two very similarly looking dog breeds with similar background of working and herding dogs. Both extremely active, intelligent, alert and loyal. But there must be some differences between these two breeds, right? Of course there are! 

History and origin
And lets start with the history. Many people assume, that the two breeds are related together, that they must have common ancestry. But that is not true and the Border Collie and Australian Shepherd evolved separately.
The Border Collie is a Scottish breed, that descended from old landrace collies that were found all over the Brittish Isles. On the other hand, the Australian Shepherd evolved in California, USA, from dogs that were brough to America with Spaniards and with their sheeps. Their ancestors are dog breeds like Carea Leonés. Basque Shepherd or Pyrenean Sheepdog.
Both breeds are relatively young, developed in 18th or 19th century and they were both developed for the same reason – to herd the livestock! But they are not related together, they do not share ancestry with each other.

Appearance
It can be hard to recognize Australian Shepherd and Border Collie apart. They just look similarly, at least on the first sight! But there are some ways how to tell which one is which.
The Border Collie is slightly smaller breed, especially when it comes to the weight. The height of both breeds is similar, between 18-23 inch, which is 45-58 cm. But the typical weight of Border Collie is between 30-55 lbs, or 13-25 kg, while the Australian Shepherd weight is typically between 40-65 lbs, which is 18-30 kg.
You can find other differences in the coat and color of both breeds. Most often the Border Collie has a denser coat with rough outer texture, while the Australian Shepherds coat is smoother to touch.
Both breeds come in variety of colors. The most typical color for Border Collie is black and white combination, or some other dual colored combination and the Australian Shepherd is most often linked with the colorful merle coat, especially with hints of blue. The problem with this is, that even some Australian Shepherds can be for example black and white and Border Collies can be merle colored. Many people differentiate those two breeds based on the color, but that may be inaccurate.
Eyes can also tell you, which breed are you looking at. Both dogs can show heterochromia, which means they have each eye in different color, but this is far more prevalent in the Australian Shepherd. Both blue eyes or marbled eyes are also much more common in Australian Shepherd. Most Border Collies have eyes in rich cocoa color.
The body type is also slightly different. The Border Collie is little bit more compact and lean, while the Australian Shepherd has more sporty and hardy muscular physique.
You can see some differences in the faces as well. The Aussie has „softer“ face and they have floppy ears. The Border Collie has „sharper“ face and very often pricked ears.

Temperament
And now lets talk about the temperament. And just like those two breeds are similar in appearance, they also have comparable personalities. Which is a result of their purpose, which is to be tireless herding dogs.
And indeed, both dogs are energentic, endurant and intelligent workaholics. Their herding style is slightly different and while the Border Collie is considered as a gathering dog and it is best at bringing the livestock together, the Australian Shepherd is better suited to move animals from one place to another. Sometimes, it is called as drover dog. The Border Collie use a lot of eye contact when they work and they are known as strong eyed dog, while the Australian Shepherd is loose eyed dog, as they use less eye contact and they communicate much more by movement.
The Australian Shepherd also uses their barking and different sounds when they are herding more than the Border Collie. And they are barking a little bit more even as companion pets. But again, the difference is not huge.
Border Collies have slightly stronger herding tendencies and they are more likely to herd other pets or even kids in the family. Australian Shepherd can also do it, but it is typically more laid back in this area.
Both dogs love their family, but it seems that the Border Collie is little bit more independent breed. The Border Collie is also known to be little bit alert and suspicious towards strangers, in contrary to the Australian Shepherd who typically just loves everyone. The Australian Shepherd thrives for attention and it is more prone to suffer from separation anxiety, which is only rarely a problem with the Border Collies.
But it is important to say, that all the temperamental characteristics are vastly influenced by socialization and training.

Exercise needs
As you probably expect, both dogs are highly energetic and they require tons of exercise, especially if they are not used for herding. There is not much difference in the exercise needs for these dogs, as they both require daily longer walks, hikes, jogs, vigorous playtime, fun training sessions, just anything, that will occupy them physically, but also mentally.
And it is important to mentally stimulate these dogs. Physical exercise is not enough for neither of those breeds. You can try some puzzle toys or learning all kinds of tricks. You can also try some dog sport, the high energy combined with high intelligence makes Border Collies and Australian Shepherds just excellent at almost any kind of dog sport, but they are best known for their excellent results in agility.

Maintenance
And what about the maintenance? Well, first of all, lets say that both breeds shed. And they shed quite a lot. The coarser outer coat of Border Collie will need little bit more brushing than the soft coat of Australian Shepherd, but the difference is quite small.
It is recommended to brush your Border Collie 3 or 4 times a week to keep the coat in good condition. The Australian Shepherds coat is less prone to knotting, which means you spend less time with the brushing, but the frequency of brushing is similar. So the Australian Shepherd has slight edge over the Border Collie in this area, as you will spend less time with the brushing.
No other grooming is required with neither of those two breeds.

Health
And finally, lets compare the health of the Border Collie and Australian Shepherd, and they are typically very healthy dogs that are only prone to few serious health issues. They both can have problems with joints, which include ilnessses like hip dysplasia. Another health issues these dogs have in common are problems with eyes. Border Collies and Australian Shepherds can experience issues such as cataracts, progressive retinal atrophy and Collie eye anomaly.
They can also suffer from so called multidrug sensitivity. It is caused by a rare genetic mutation known as multidrug resistance gene, which can cause that certain medications could poison your dog if they suffer with this mutation. You should absolve screening and sample testing for this genetic mutation.
Other than that, these dogs do not suffer much from any other health issues and both dogs have lifespan somehwere around 14 or 15 years.
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Which one to choose?
So for conclusion, these two dogs are extremely similar. People are often times asking, which one is better – Border Collie or Australian Shepherd. And it is impossible to answer. Some people will say that they prefer the Australian Shepherd as more affectionate and friendlier companion, but because they can suffer from the separation anxiety, many people will rather choose the more independent Border Collie.
Both breeds are big commitment. They are not best for novices, especially because they need a lot of physical and mental exercise. Without the exercise, they will develop problematic behaviour, like destruction. That is important to remember. Both are amazing dogs, but they are not for everyone and they need active owners and families.Tell me in comments if you have ever owned a Border Collie or Australian Shepherd? If so, what do you like the most about them and what is your experience with these two dog breeds? If you are new on this channel, consider subscribing, turn the notifications on and check the Rocadogs links in description. Thank you for watching, see you in the next video.

 The Caucasian Shepherd and Central Asian Shepherd, also known as Alabai, are two strong livestock guardian breeds with similar appearance and temperament. Today will tell you what are the similarities and differences between the Caucasian and Central Asian Ovcharka.

Both breeds were developed for the same purpose, to be independent, hard working, alert, very brave and decisive livestock guardian dogs.

The Central Asian Ovcharka originated in the area between the Ural, Caspian Sea, Asia Minor, and the Northwest border of China where it naturally developed by adapting to its purpose and to local environement. The breed has very long history, which is thousands of years long and basically, over it developed into the dog we know today by surviving of the fittest.

On the other hand, the Caucasian Ovcharka was developed by deliberate breeding of Soviet cynologist in 1920s from strong livestock guardian dogs found all over the Caucasus mountains, such as Georgian Shepherd.

Over the time, both breeds found another utilization, next to the livestock protection. Both were used for guarding property as well. The Central Asian Shepherd was also very often used for dog fights and the Caucasian Shepherd was used by soviet military and police, for example for patroling borders.

Both breeds have very similar temperament and they are excellent for guarding purposes. They are both extremely strong, brave, territorial, naturally agressive when its needed, but also absolutely loyal to its family. Both breeds have well balanced temperament and they are extremely independent. They have to be. Both breeds are active guards and they will use their power and force to protect the livestock, people or territory.
But there are some differences in their temperament as well. The Caucasian Ovcharka is more lively, more active and explosive, while the Central Asian Shepherd is slightly calmer breed.

Both breeds must be alert with strangers. But they should accept the stranger when they see they are your friends. Both breeds can be good loyal family companions as well. They are typically quite gentle with kids and they truly love their whole family. But they might not be overly affectionate just like some other breeds.
The Caucasian Ovcharka tends to be little bit more affectionate and lets say emotional, some might say charming, than the calmer Central Asian Ovcharka.

Because of their history as military dogs, the Caucasian Ovcharka is also better fit for property guards and as territory protectors, but to be honest, both breeds will be amazing for this purpose.

The Central Asian Ovcharka tends to be more dog agressive, which is most likely due to their history as dog fighting dogs. For a long time these dogs were used in large numbers for this cruel dog sport. The Caucasian Ovcharka might also be dog agressive, but to far lesser extent that Central Asian Ovcharka.

And what about the appearance differences between two dogs? Well, on the first sight, it is the coat. The Caucasian Ovcharka has ancestry in cold and harsh Caucasus mountains, which is why they have longer and denser doublecoat. The Central Asian Ovcharka also has a doublecoat, but it is much shorter.

Both breeds are very very large. The breed standards of both dogs states minimum size requirements for both breeds and they are 64 cm and 45 kg for the Caucasian Ovcharka, which is 100 lbs and 25 inch and minimum size requirements for Central Asian Shepherd are 65 cm and 40 kg, which is 26 inch and 88 lbs. But both breeds can be much much larger than that and it is not uncommon for them to weigh over 100 kgs, which is 220 lbs.

So they have similar size, but in general, the Caucasian Ovcharka is the stockier breed, while the Central Asian has slightly more athletic appearance and it is leggier than Caucasian Shepherd.

Both breeds have similar lifespan around 10 or 11 years, which is pretty normal for dogs of this size and they are both very resilient dogs. They can suffer from some joint and bone problems, which is very typical for all the giant dogs.

It is also important to mention, that the two breeds are more and more similar together, which is due to migration of the native dogs between the adjacent geographic areas. It is very common for these two breeds to mix together.